Twitch streamer H.Bomberguy raked in more than $340,000 in donations for a beleaguered children’s charity during a marathon weekend stream. He did so by combining two of Twitch’s most reliable forces: star power and charity. If the feat proves anything, it’s what networks like these are capable of when harnessed for the power of good.
The stream was a massive one (clocking in at over 57 hours) meant to benefit Mermaids, a British organization for trans and gender-nonconforming children. Mermaids was originally awarded £500,000 (about $650,000) by the National Lottery, but a public backlash led the Lottery to put the funds under review.
H. Bomberguy, who goes by Harry Brewis outside of Twitch, said in his announcement he’d already planned to stream Donkey Kong 64, a personal white whale, to completion. In response to the “woefully misinformed” media coverage, he’d decided to donate the proceeds from the stream to Mermaids.
Mermaid tweeted support for the stream, and what was originally a Donkey Kong stream quickly became something important and memorable.
During Brewis’ mega-stream, various guests entered his Discord service to voice support. The stream featured legendary game maker John Romero, activist Chelsea Manning, and Grant Kirkhope — who voiced Donkey Kong in the very game Brewis was playing. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard DK say, “Trans rights!”
g bless @grantkirkhope @Hbomberguy https://t.co/QhPBr5lt0x pic.twitter.com/m4t0d2kfG2
— Worthi ????? (@Worthikids) January 20, 2019
One of the most memorable appearances was US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who popped in after a scorching Twitter diatribe against criticism of the “transgender bathroom” issue. She concluded by quoting the Mermaid tweet promoting H.bomberguy’s stream.
If you’d like to use this as a good moment to support the queer community, there’s a charity twitch stream going on for @Mermaids_Gender: https://t.co/vCvvqRhAwb
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 20, 2019
After multiple requests to join the chat and talk with Brewis, she did just that:
Lemons into lemonade ?? https://t.co/fzi4knRPxV
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 20, 2019
Reactions to the stream, especially on Twitter, were overwhelmingly positive:
Let's get this straight: @Hbomberguy raised 200k for trans kids by playing Donkey Kong 64 and John Romero literally swung by to yell TRANS RIGHTS on stream. Gaming is officially no longer the monopoly of easily butthurt cishet dudebros.
— Amelia Jane (they/them) (@ames_jane) January 20, 2019
Here’s @aoc talking about how Nintendo 64 was the best system. She’s on @twitch helping to raise money for trans kids. pic.twitter.com/cJIfUif1mv
— Gene Park (@GenePark) January 20, 2019
I don't like to complain as I realise I'm privileged compared to many trans women in 2019. But the public 'debate' about trans people really gets me down. @Hbomberguy has given me hope and joy. The money's great for @Mermaids_Gender, but the moral support is priceless. Thank you!
— Paris Lees (@parislees) January 21, 2019
It was great popping in and chatting with you all ? thanks for inviting me! https://t.co/pGnDr99VNo
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 20, 2019
I WAS JOKING HOLY SHIThttps://t.co/UKYCcze54P
— Shaun (@shaun_jen) January 20, 2019
Twitch Star Power
Charitable organizations have hosted events on Twitch almost as long as the site itself has existed. From Games Done Quick (an annual event benefiting different charities) to Extra Life (benefiting children’s hospitals), multiple organizations have leveraged Twitch’s capacity for generosity and community spirit to raise money for worthy causes.
A Twitch spokesperson told TNW, “Over $40 million has been raised by the community for charity in 2018” and over $100 million since the site launched in 2011.
Celebrity appearances on Twitch streams aren’t new either. Some well-known faces such as Deadmau5 and Snoop Dogg have their own Twitch channels, if rather understated ones.
You might also remember one of the highlights of last year was a team-up between Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Drake. That stream also featured several other celebrities (such as Travis Scott and JuJu Smith-Schuster) who showed up to play Fortnite with Blevins. Both their appearance and tweeted support is what drove that stream to be one of the most-viewed in Twitch’s history.
Both of these are common, or at least familiar, sights on Twitch. But this stream, in particular, was important because it combined both the surefire hit of celebrity appearances and the altruistic appeal of charitable giving, generating a massive windfall for the British charity.
Charitable Spirit
In the past, when celebrities come together to help raise money for a charity, it usually looked something like a benefit concert. While those kinds of event have their place, the likes of a Twitch stream is more personal and interactive, not to mention less expensive to arrange.
Imagine a stream like Brewis’ directed towards cancer research, or wildlife preservation.
If major figures in the entertainment and political arenas came together more often on Twitch, Brewis’s donation could be just the beginning. Twitch streamers can command audiences of thousands, and give voice to both their communities and to causes.
And at the very least, now more people in the public sphere know that Twitch can be something other than “That place where people watch other people play video games.”
Brewis announced after the stream he’d also be donating the proceeds from any Twitch Bits (Twitch’s in-house tip currency) and subscriptions to an emergency fund for trans and nonbinary people.
He also finished Donkey Kong 64 during the stream, in case you were wondering.
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