A global gaming tournament, where homeless players compete against each other to create an undefeated civilization, has collected more than $1,000 for Emmaus Glasgow.
A total of 230 people signed up to play Nomad Wars Duos, a 2v2 random map in game Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, in knockout bouts over the course of two months, logging in from Europe, North America and Australia, and watched by fans using streaming services, Twitch and Discord.
The aim of game is to create an undefeated civilization grown from three ‘homeless’ nomadic villagers, with game play lasting several hours. The final sequence of games took over four hours to complete, with organiser Neil from Glasgow officiating every step of the way.
Neil, who uses Paradox303 on Twitch and Paradox303_ on Twitter, said: “A few things brought me to the charity. Firstly, I’m local. Secondly, I think the homeless are often misunderstood. Thirdly, the game mode we were using you start without a clear home/base so everything fit together in terms of the charity linked to the game.
“I’m chuffed to see so much raised. The initial goal was $500 USD, so I’m really pleased to see that doubled. This time of year is particularly bad for the homeless (especially in the Glasgow weather) so I’m very proud of everyone coming together.
“I’ve had a lot of positive comments that it was a great charity to choose. And I went over some of the misconceptions about the homeless on stream, dispelling the usual comments like ‘druggies’ etc. More often than not homelessness results in drug use, not the other way around. They are just a population of people that are constantly looked down upon.”
Neil set up a Just Giving page to convert donations in different currencies from around the globe, attracting comments “charity AND fun” and “great cause”, and Neil starting the ball rolling with his own personal donation.
Director of Emmaus Glasgow Richard Allwood said: “We can’t thank Neil, AKA Paradox303, enough. To have donations coming in from across the world to support our homelessness charity is amazing!
“At a time of rising living costs, we’re sadly seeing increasing numbers of people in need on the streets of Glasgow. Homelessness is something that can affects us all and I’m impressed Neil took the time to dispel some of the myths about people experiencing homelessness online. The money raised will help provide a caring home, hot meals and support for people at a time they need it most and help fund the support needed to help people move on in their lives.”
Inspired? Find out about the many ways you can fundraise for Emmaus Glasgow by visiting Fundraise For Us.