Do you know how special it is seeing a refugee child’s face come to life as they relish the simple but wonderful thrill of playing a video game? Being able to witness renewed confidence instilled in women in need by gaming alongside other women, be it online or in person, in a similar situation? Or how powerful it is for an anxious, teenage gamer to realize that the pocket money they so generously donated is making a difference to the lives of people across the world?
“Gamers Without Borders: Gaming For Good”, the world’s largest charitable esports event, which is organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, is more than a gaming competition. It is an event that celebrates the power and joy of gaming while ensuring that gaming can be an immensely powerful force in helping people wherever they might be in the world. And with more than three billion active video gamers in the world – just under half the global population – the gaming and esports industry is one which has the opportunity and capability to impact a huge amount of people.
Now in its fourth edition, this year Gamers Without Borders provided a humanitarian aid prize pool of $10 million for the elite competitions taking place across six weeks of action. The proceeds are being donated to humanitarian aid partners Direct Relief, International Medical Corps (IMC), UNICEF, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, World Food Program (WFP) and UNHCR.
But there’s more than that. In addition to the donations made through the elite competitions, Gamers Without Borders offered the chance for everyone to donate and make a difference by choosing a charity and a cause they wanted to support.
The three previous editions of Gamers Without Borders also raised an incredible total of more than $10 million each year. The first edition raised the sum for COVID relief, the second for vaccine distribution, and the third, like this year, for various humanitarian aid partners.
This year, from a six-week period which began on April 10 this year, Gamers Without Borders hosted five tournaments across four major gaming titles: StarCraft II, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Rocket League, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.
Recently, the first all-women CS:GO tournament at Gamers Without Borders took place, an event that Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said would play “a significant role in furthering women’s involvement in esports”.
With figures issued last year by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology showing 48 percent of the Kingdom’s 23.5 million gamers are female, the tournament was the latest in numerous initiatives by the federation to ensure that women are equally represented across the esports ecosystem.
As a huge incentive for the elite teams and the multitude of fans across the globe who adore watching them play, this year’s Gamers Without Borders saw an added and exciting twist. The winning teams and players from StarCraft II, Rocket League, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, as well as two sides from the men’s CS:GO tournament, advanced to the finals at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, the biggest gaming and esports festival worldwide.
The entertainment extravaganza – which also includes live concerts from global, regional, and local music stars, activities, attractions, and education platforms – will take place in Riyadh for eight weeks from July 6. A $45 million total prize pool is on offer across the elite gaming titles being hosted in the Saudi Arabian capital at the purpose-built venue at Boulevard Riyadh City this summer.
It also continues to showcase how popular and powerful gaming – with a global worth of around $170 billion, more than Hollywood and the music industry combined – can be. And what can be achieved through organizations such as Direct Relief, IMC, UNICEF, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, World Food Program (WFP) and UNHCR through “Gaming For Good”.
