Often people think of ‘gamers’ as selfish, entitled, anti-social, the list goes on. In some cases those things are true, if not much worse. Like many aspects of our culture and society, it’s usually the folks who don’t deserve the limelight, who are the ones in it.
I’d like to highlight a group of gamers who don’t fall into any of those negative stereotypes. A group that’s taken to YouTube in hopes of raising money for charities, including a local Children’s Hospital. Prism Gaming UK, has a great cause and uses gaming to make it a reality.
Danny, of Prism Gaming UK, was kind enough to take the time out of his busy schedule to answer a few of my questions.
I was initially curious, what would inspire someone to create content that its sole purpose is to help others? Danny said “we choose [Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, in Liverpool, UK] to start with. They’ve been a massive part in my life. They saved my daughters life countless times, as she has a very complex heart condition.” In order to thank the staff Danny, began doing charity work, even prior to forming Prism Gaming UK.
“I felt raising money for the hospital was the least I could do after them saving her life. After doing many fund-raising events like sponsored walks, marathons, football matches, climbing huge mountains, ect., we put our heads together. [We] came out with the idea of using gaming as a way to raise money through the advertising revenue on YouTube.“
So, just by simply watching a YouTube video you’re contributing to a charity.
Certainly running a successful YouTube channel takes a lot of time and content. Danny, has close friends and even some fans that contribute to the channel. When I asked who makes up Prism Gaming UK he says “The team behind PGUK is myself (Danny), Andy, and Rob a.k.a. Schnieder. Our good friend Skin, who will be joining us very soon so we can broaden the range of games we cover on the channel.” The content on the channel thus far consists of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Dead Rising 3, and Forza.
Gotta have a little help spreading the word
In order to create revenue there must be sponsors involved with the cause. Danny was happy to tell me Machinima was a goal they shot for from the beginning. “We wanted to join them because they are one of the biggest gaming networks on YouTube. Anyone who is into gaming knows the brand, so it was our mission to be associated with them.”
Though having a major outlet like Machinima backing you is helpful, coming across things to help solidify and maintain a community prove more difficult. When asked about any major charity events or give-a-ways; PGUK, does what it can to thank its subscribers for their support.
“We can not do as much as we like because our profits go to charity.”
“We have some great companies that help with donating prizes on the channel for our subscribers. These companies so far have been Hauppauge, who are our sponsors and Lime XB,” says Danny.
He continues “We have fans who have been with us from the start. [Some] are making videos with us, [others we] just have a casual game with. We also give our top ten subscriber’s a shout out on our channel monthly. [In addition, we put] their channels on our’s to give them a bit of promotion in the sub box.”
With so many things going on with daily videos containing commentary and keeping up with social media, PGUK also wants to help out others like it. They want to assist with like-minded channels and help promote their potentially great content. Danny had this to say about spreading the good vibes.
“Our next big step is to make the first (as far as we’re aware) charity YouTube network which will be called PGUK Network. Our aim is to partner [with] channels who need help getting their great content out there – as we were once in that position. If we like their content and think they have potential, we’ll get them on board and help them on their journey. [We can help] using our network, [give] advice, and tips to create an opportunity to start earning from there YouTube channel. Then help them raise money for a great cause in [the] process.”
In the end
We have all had our share of tragedy and sadness, and to varying degrees. What this group of individuals has accomplished here should inspire you. Instead of being selfish, entitled, or anti-social, Prism Gaming UK has done the exact opposite. They became inspired by Danny’s daughter having to deal with a her disease and the incredible staff that helped support her life. If only half of us carried the same kind of drive and passion as the team at PGUK, we might see a lot more selfless charity driven gaming channels. Would that really a bad thing?
You can contact Prism Gaming UK on Facebook and Twitter. Please subscribe to the PGUK YouTube channel, and the PGUK Network channel.
