By Chris Lewis | Mar. 25, 2021
A Mount Pearl group is using video games to help in the fight against a challenging neurological disease.
Gamers vs MS is a project for the MS Society of Canada that has been in place for about three years. Consisting of seven people based in Mount Pearl, the group aims to use streaming services such as Twitch to raise both funds and awareness for those suffering from MS and the MS Society of Canada as well.
Through platforms such Twitch, the gamers are able to livestream themselves to an audience as they play video games, showcase talents, or just go about their every day lives on camera. Gamers vs MS however has a focus on the video game aspect of streaming, and the players have been using that avenue to keep Multiple Sclerosis on the minds of their viewers.
Each year for the last three years, Gamers vs MS hosts an event they call the relay, which Project Director John Michael Bennett described as something of a baton pass wherein various video game streamers take on six to 12 hour shifts of streaming, with the event as a whole going on for an entire week: about 168-hours of back-to-back streaming.
There have been five of those relay marathons thus far, with the next one just around the corner, set to begin on April 3.
Although the core group making up Gamers vs MS are based in Mount Pearl, Bennett said the relay marathon features streamers from all over the country taking up shifts throughout the 168-hours, with just about every province in Canada covered off by at least one person.
These events have, so far, raised a collective total of about $110,000 for the MS Society of Canada.
Despite their successes, Bennett said one of the biggest things they find themselves explaining to people about the events is how exactly one raises money by playing video games.
For the most part, he said, funds come from direct donations made by those watching the livestreams, but the donation aspect is a little more personal and interactive than what people may be used to when donating to a charity.
“Over the course of the week, we’ll have each streamers’ video and chat embedded into our website, so you’ll be able to see the game they are playing, their webcam, and a little chat log where the viewers interact with them live,” said Bennett, who also served as co-founder and president of Sandbox Gaming for seven years before taking on Gamers vs MS. “People can just type in and donate right there on the website. When you donate, it pops up on the stream with whatever name you want, so it can remain anonymous if you prefer – so it might say ‘Newfoundlandfanatic1989 donated $20.’ That will pop up on the screen, and the streamer will be able to thank you right then and there in real time. The chat might even get a little hype about it, and then it’s a whole thing. It’s this interactive theme that I think is really cool.
In total, the upcoming relay marathon in April will feature 23 streamers each taking on lengthy shifts in the spotlight. Bennett is among them. He regularly streams Nintendo games to an audience on Twitch, and will be opening the event with his own stream.
“But, you might also come across someone who is an art streamer and will make different pieces of art, live, for donations. Or, back to gaming, you might see someone on there who plays horror games on stream like Dead By Daylight or Resident Evil,” Bennett said. “So, that’s what it’s all about. You might be watching someone from Newfoundland one hour, and someone from Quebec, Alberta, or Ontario and so on the next hour. It’s like one big gaming variety show that goes on for a whole week.”
The last relay marathon, held in November, raised over $33,000. They don’t have a goal set for this upcoming event just yet, but Bennett said they generally aim for some $20,000.
“But, at the end of the day, it’s about raising awareness and funds. Any amount that we raise is a win for those affected by MS,” he said.
The first streaming marathon was in June of 2018. At the time, he said they were just getting their footing. In the years following, they have aimed for two events each year, with each one seeing an increase in funds raised.
“Of the $110,000 we’ve raised, I think about $69,000 of that was raised last year alone,” Bennett said. “Like anything, as people start to recognize it, it gets bigger … It’s really exciting. As we were building up to the April relay last year, a lot of people with the national aspect of (the MS Society of Canada) became interested in it. That really helped lead to its growth as well. It’s just so cool to not just see it grow in fundraising, but to see it become legitimate in a way that not only does it have the Society’s backing, but also the belief of so many streaming communities and people across Canada.”
The relay marathon begins on Saturday, April 3, with a full slate of streamers gearing up for the week long marathon, coming to an end 168 hours later on Saturday, April 10. Those looking to watch the livestreams can tune in via the group’s website, www.gamersvsms.ca.