There have been many ways to describe video game players, and most of them are not flattering. That is why, when a story comes along like this it’s worth making mention of in order to hopefully dispel some of these negative stereotypes. So how can shooting someone in Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) help others, you may ask? Two of the better know MW3 players, and You-tubers, got together to play a team match to benefit the charity Thirst Relief International.
The event was an 18 hour live stream on YouTube, and had over fourteen thousand people watching and cheering on their favorite YouTube stars and MW3 pros. After the event was over, event and community founder Eric “the Aviator” revealed that over $18,000 had been raised for Thirst Relief International. According to the charity’s website (http://thirstrelief.org/) each $5 donated will provide 25 years’ worth of clean drinking water for one person. So this event is slated to help 3,600 people find clean drinking water.
You do not have to be a video gamer to get behind this cause. If you need a little more convincing, here are a few facts about what could be a looming global water crisis from blueplanetnetwork.org
- It is estimated that 1.1 billion people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water, roughly about 1 out of every six people on the planet.
- In the past 10 years, diarrhea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II.
- 80 percent of diseases in the developing world are caused by contaminated water.
- There are 2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, who die every year from diseases associated with the lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
- If people did nothing other than provide access to clean water, without any other medical intervention, we could save 2 million lives a year.
Please be sure to check out Thirst Relief International to learn more about their cause and their projects, and to find out how you can act now to help.
