Gaming for a Cause

By Leah Aulisio-Sharpe ’22, June 17, 2021

Ithaca College’s esports club hosts virtual fundraiser for Community Arts Partnership.

Screenshot of esports club playing a game

The esports club raised more than $1,000 during their weekend-long streaming event.

(Photo Submitted)

As the popularity of esports continues to grow, so too does the concept of charity streaming, where streamers team up to raise money for a good cause.

And after a year where many nonprofits faced challenges, members of Ithaca College’s Esports club realized they had the opportunity to make a difference in the community.

“There’s a lot of nonprofits really hurting this year because of the huge revenue drop off due to the pandemic,” said club co-founder Jay Bradley. “When we noticed this, we knew we could do something to aid that, even if it was small.”

“Nonprofits need support to bring their visions into reality — to build community and improve livelihoods. The act of supporting a nonprofit builds community. The donation from the Esports club strengthened the relationship between our organization and IC while connecting the students to creative impacts across the county.”

Megan Barber, executive director of the Community Arts Partnership

This past spring, the club held a weekend-long “Power-Up” event raising over $1,000 for the Community Arts Partnership (CAP) Creative Recovery Fund. Members spent the weekend streaming various games and hosting tournaments through Twitch, an online streaming platform, to their Discord community. Discord is a VoIP and instant messaging platform designed to create community.

Viewers were able to access donation links through the stream’s live chat.

Although the impacts of the pandemic have been felt everywhere, artists have been hit especially hard. Live performances have been postponed or canceled, and decreased crowds mean that many visual artists have lost customers, while small arts groups struggle to adapt to the virtual sphere.

After members of the club voted to raise money for CAP, Bradley reached and quickly got them on board.

CAP activated the Creative Recovery Fund to help Tompkins County leverage its creative power to put artists in place to rebuild, reimagine, unify, and heal the community

“The local infrastructure, businesses, and restaurants give so much to the students. This town is, in large part, reliant on students. Due to the pandemic, they haven't been able to interact and give to the community in the same way as before. That’s why it’s important to continue that relationship and support.”

Esports club co-founder Jay Bradley ’22

“Nonprofits need support to bring their visions into reality — to build community and improve livelihoods,” said Megan Barber, executive director of the CAP. “The act of supporting a nonprofit builds community. The donation from the Esports club strengthened the relationship between our organization and IC while connecting the students to creative impacts across the county.

“I felt so honored and surprised when the Esports club reached out to me,” Barber continued. “I was impressed that they had done their research to make a thoughtful decision about how to contribute the funds they raised. And I was grateful that they saw the power in the Creative Recovery Fund and chose to work on our behalf.”

Club leaders say they intend to continue these semi-annual fundraisers in collaboration with local nonprofits. Bradley believes they can leave an impact on Ithaca, as it has on them, and to continue to foster a relationship with the local community.

“There's so much set up in the Ithaca community for us,” he said. “The local infrastructure, businesses, and restaurants give so much to the students. This town is, in large part, reliant on students. Due to the pandemic, they haven't been able to interact and give to the community in the same way as before. That’s why it’s important to continue that relationship and support.”