The gaming industry isn't alone in aiming to give back to its community. Many fellow gamers wish to raise money and donate to various charities and support various different causes. Some of these range from proceeds going towards the preservation of a game museum, to more local changes. With this in mind, a UK Reddit user under the name of yusuo85 sought to give back to a children's hospital in Bristol, and provide the joy of gaming to their patients.
According to the fundraiser page, he said that he frequented hospitals during his early life, and that gaming became a comfort for him during that time. Further explained in the same page, he wished to give the children staying in the hospital an escape from the world. This primary inspiration started his crowdfunding goal to donate Switch bundles to the Bristol Children's Hospital.
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In the original fundraising post, yusuo85 had admitted that the initial goal was modest, a milestone of £500 (roughly $695), with the goal of two Switches and a few games. With the Switch still having a major shortage, it was possible that reaching the goal and getting the consoles would be a struggle. After a month however, the goal had been surpassed after being shared across various subreddits. Many of these donations were coming in from users of Reddit.
His crowdfunding project resulted in £1535 (or $2143) in total. This allowed him to buy 6 Switch Lites, 24 Switch games (four different games per Switch console), and accessories for them, as well. This includes carrying cases and screen protectors for each Switch that was bought. He thanked the many Reddit users who were generous enough to donate and help exceed his goals, with these bundles all being delivered to the Bristol Children's Hospital.
A similar charitable event had happened a few months ago, where some investors bought stock in gaming retailer GameStop. From there, they had used their good fortune to donate Nintendo Switch consoles to local children's hospitals. With yusuo85's goal reached, fellow Redditors congratulated him for being able to go past his goal. Some users even relayed their experiences they've had when they were in a hospital and how gaming was a major comfort for them as well.
Some of the games that yusuo85 donated varies, ranging from Pokemon Sword to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He wanted to provide each child with an unforgettable experience during their time being treated, as he elaborated in the comments of the post. With the gaming climate as it is, currently rampant with scalpers for various consoles like the PS5, it's good to see that these Switches are contributing to a good cause.
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Source: JustGiving