It was a colder than usual week in Southern California but that wasn’t going to stop us and Child’s Play Charity from doing what we came to do; Helping our partners who are actually our neighbors.

The week started off at Miller children’s hospital in Long Beach. It was there that we walk the halls handing out many different toys and were able to talk with their team of child life staff members over delicious pizza from Buono’s, a favorite local Italian establishment.

The childcare staff at Miller had many different questions and we were able to answer all of them with confidence about how we could help maximize their potential in the gaming space.

One of the things we all appreciated about Miller was the emphasis on family and togetherness. Just as our values reflect caring for one another during difficult times, Miller Children’s Hospital also makes it possible for all family members to feel included while they go through a time that can be very tough for them and especially the patients.

Our next stop was at UCLA Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Located right in the iconic heart of L.A. with palm trees, warm sunlight, and rolling hills, we arrived at the hospital and were immediately met by the graceful staff.

We unpacked the boxes of gifts and games in the teen room where the walls were adorned with pictures of stars and celebrities of all sorts. You can see that, even in the midst of Hollywood’s glitz and glamour, that people still want to be able to help children who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

We also gave the patients the opportunity to learn, laugh, and socialize even more so by bringing new games and, like all hospitals on the trip, were able to give the hospital one year game passes for all gift bags and to share with future patients who own Xbox one Consoles. Special thank you goes out to Microsoft once again for helping us supply these.

We are now able to bring XBox Game Passes to all families and supply the joy of gaming for all people who need to take their mind off of situations that are beyond their control.

On Thursday’s stop, we were truly in our own backyard, within a few miles actually, at CHOC in Mission Viejo where we handed out toys to patients up and down the halls.

One thing to note about these particular stops is that we weren’t quite able to meet and greet with the patients too much due to flu season and the safety precautions that are being taken by the staff at each of the hospitals. This is completely understandable this time of year and it truly displays the caring and genuine thought behind the practices involved with all the child life staff hospital staff.

2018 has been off to a wonderful start and we’re looking forward to making stops across the country. We were so happy we were able to spread some joy the local hospitals that are right by us in Southern California.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for all news on the gamers give back tour.

The post Gamers Give Back in SoCal! first appeared on GameChanger Charity.

First off, we want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to our team of amazing streamers representing us at TwitchCon 2017 Charity Decathlon.

For Reference, this was our roster of players on the Charity Team: 

1. The Rocket League Rockdown: CrReam
2. Coloring for Dummies Challenge: SimplyJxn and Danotage
3. The Long beach Brawlhalla Beatdown: dmbrandon
4. Jingle all the Way Contest: Littlesiha and WyvernSlayer
5. Let The Sparcs Fly Challenge: A_jaxx
6. You Don’t Know Jack! Challenge: Kyente
7. The Sandwich Smashdown Challenge: Rypsii and lumiipvp
8. Tastes Like Chicken Challenge: Tashnarr
9. Build me up, Buttercup Challenge: 8BitDylan
10. Battle of the Musicians: VideoGameRapBattles

What can we say except WOW and THANK YOU! The attention you are bringing toward our mission is incredibly important and we couldn’t be happier about the enthusiasm shown by all of our Charity Team members who represented for us on the Tiltify Charity Stage.

Friday, the first day of TwitchCon, was a wonderful blur! Our booth was located in the Tiltify charity plaza. Many people came by our booth eager to say hello and many Hope The Monkey plush animals, GameChanger drawstring bags, stickers, and bracelets made their way into the hands of convention goers who support our cause!

Situated next to a Dance Dance Revolution arcade game, our booth attracted many different types of people. We had a ton of great swag on deck and spent time talking with all visitors who came to ask questions and learn more about GameChanger Charity.

As a bonus, our booth also had a new game that all could try out titled Ihope. Stay tuned to our blog as there is more to come on this soon!

The fun didn’t stop once the sun set. Just as soon as we wrapped up on the floor for day one we headed over to VillainCon, an amazing party put on by Blizzard. The party had two different levels of fun, featured exclusive masks and pins, and was set in the gorgeous Federal bar in Long Beach.

There was still one more stop to make! Tiltify hosted a party on the Queen Mary!! This incredible old cruise ship rests in the Long Beach harbor and is always a sight to see. Wonderful job at throwing the party, Tiltify!

Back to the convention floor…

Saturday brought with it a new crowd of visitors to the Charity Plaza. Our giveaway efforts were in full swing and many streamers were signing up with us to join up with us on future charity stream efforts!

When you walk around an event the size of TwitchCon you really start to get a feeling for all the different types of people who love gaming and the new platforms such as Twitch that are making it possible for all of us to join together in the world of live streaming. There are so many different artists, gamers, fans, and general enthusiasts who were all interacting with one another and enjoying their time together.

Oh yeah, there was Twitch merch. Can’t forget the Twitch merch!!!

Child’s Play Charity, our partners on the Gamers Give Back Tour, hosted an ENTIRE ARCADE where all games were free resting just behind their booth!

Not far from the arcade was the Design by Humans booth. Design by Humans has been wonderful in helping us get our name out and even created the shirts we wore for the event! You can check out the GameChanger merch they have helped us create by clicking on this page.

On Sunday, Nate and David, two of our GameChanger team members, joined forces with Able Gamers and Gamers Outreach to form the Charity Squad! Together, the Charity Squad took part in a Killer Queen gaming competition and, low and behold, placed as runners up only to one team, the Roof Riders! Needless to say, we were very excited for our team!!

Click here to see the 2017 list of exhibitors from the event.

We are so grateful to have been involved in TwitchCon 2017. The genuine interest in GameChanger from many people at the event is humbling for all of us and is incredibly appreciated.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter for all future events as we continue to grow and bring innovative tech and gaming to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

A HUGE Thanks to Twitch and Tiltify for organizing this massive event and including GameChanger Charity in the festivities!

Till next year!!!!

The post GameChanger Charity at TwitchCon 2017 first appeared on GameChanger Charity.