INTERVIEW | How gaming has shaped fundraising for Cure Cancer

Move over sausage sizzles and trivia nights, fundraising through gaming is the future!

The end of March marks Cure Cancer’s first annual Game On Cancer Day.

This all-new fundraising event runs from March 24 to 26 and will see droves of generous gaming creators and streamers raise much-needed funds for cancer research – and you can get involved too!

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Fundraising has had a bit of a facelift in recent years with gaming taking up honourable real estate within the community.

Gamers have been coming together to stream in the name of a range of charities, raising thousands of dollars for an endless list of worthy causes.

Now a new campaign has hit the scene!

Over three massive days, Game On Cancer Day hopes to raise $100,000 for vital cancer research.

Quest Daily sat down with Shane Bailey, Head of Gaming and Streaming at Cure Cancer, to learn all about Game On Cancer Day.

With the average age of Aussie gamers being in their mid-thirties, using gaming as a fundraising technique introduces a younger demographic to the necessity of funding new research.

“It’s been a great way for us to engage a younger audience and get them educated about the importance of cancer research,” Bailey said.

Bailey says fundraising through gaming really took off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Particularly during COVID, gaming was a core pillar of our fund-raising efforts as physical events that we would particularly lean on for fundraising, sadly couldn’t go ahead during those years of lockdown. Being able to fundraise digitally, virtually amongst the gaming community really helped us continue to be able to fund vital cancer research,” he said.

Over the past decade, gaming has slowly gained respect from those who don’t play video games themselves. What was once considered an anti-social hobby, gaming has now morphed into an industry that allows for respectable jobs across the board.

Game on Cancer Day weekend isn’t living in the year 3000 just yet and assured me they’re still sticking to a few fundraising favs.

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Making an appearance during the weekend is a silent auction! A range of items have been generously donated by Game On Cancer’s partners, allowing participants to bid on whatever takes their fancy and nab some good deals all while supporting such a fantastic cause.

Meet Doctor Chen Li

It’s really important to be transparent with where charity funds are going and what they will be used for. Game On Cancer will be directing their funds to Doctor Chen Li, who is one of Cure Cancer’s research grant recipients.

Through funding, Dr. Li will be conducting tests into new ways to treat triple-negative breast cancer, a highly aggressive form of cancer.

Cancer kills almost 10 million people worldwide each year, so the ability to fund emerging researchers like Dr. Chen Li, there’s a chance to make a breakthrough with innovative ideas for new and existing cancer treatments.

Many creators have already signed on to participate in Game On Cancer Day. If you want to get involved, head to the Game On Cancer website: https://gameoncancer.com.au

You can sign up to fundraise for an amazing cause- regardless of the size of how many followers you have.

Not a creator? No problem either. Donations of all sizes are welcome, whether it be to the campaign itself or towards the fundraising goal of your favourite participating creator.

Keep up with Game On Cancer Day’s efforts over on Tiltify and make sure you’re following Game On Cancer Day on Instagram and Twitter.