Gamers Without Borders: Gaming for Good

How Gamers Without Borders gave back to the world through renowned humanitarian aid partners by “Gaming For Good”

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.
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.
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Gamers Without Borders: Gaming for Good

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.
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.

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”.



US May Target Samsung, Hynix, TSMC Operations in China

A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
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US May Target Samsung, Hynix, TSMC Operations in China

A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

The US Department of Commerce is considering revoking authorizations granted in recent years to global chipmakers Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC, making it more difficult for them to receive US goods and technology at their plants in China, according to people familiar with the matter.

The chances of the United States withdrawing the authorizations are unclear. But with such a move, it would be harder for foreign chipmakers to operate in China, where they produce semiconductors used in a wide range of industries, Reuters said.

A White House official said the United States was "just laying the groundwork" in case the truce reached between the two countries fell apart. But the official expressed confidence that the trade agreement would go forward and that rare earths would flow from China, as agreed.

"There is currently no intention of deploying this tactic," the official said. "It's another tool we want in our toolbox in case either this agreement falls through or any other catalyst throws a wrench in bilateral relations."

Shares of US chip equipment makers that supply plants in China fell when the Wall Street Journal first reported the news earlier on Friday. KLA Corp dropped 2.4%, Lam Research fell 1.9% and Applied Materials sank 2%. Shares of Micron, a major competitor to Samsung and SK Hynix in the memory chip sector, rose 1.5%.

A TSMC spokesman declined comment. Samsung and Hynix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lam Research, KLA and Applied Materials did not immediately respond, either.

In October 2022, after the United States placed sweeping restrictions on US chipmaking equipment to China, it gave foreign manufacturers like Samsung and Hynix letters authorizing them to receive goods.

In 2023 and 2024, the companies received what is known as Validated End User status in order to continue the trade.

A company with VEU status is able to receive designated goods from a US company without the supplier obtaining multiple export licenses to ship to them. VEU status enables entities to receive US-controlled products and technologies "more easily, quickly and reliably," as the Commerce Department website puts it.

The VEU authorizations come with conditions, a person familiar with the matter said, including prohibitions on certain equipment and reporting requirements.

“Chipmakers will still be able to operate in China," a Commerce Department spokesperson said in a statement when asked about the possible revocations. "The new enforcement mechanisms on chips mirror licensing requirements that apply to other semiconductor companies that export to China and ensure the United States has an equal and reciprocal process.”

Industry sources said that if it became more difficult for US semiconductor equipment companies to ship to foreign multinationals, it would only help domestic Chinese competitors.

"It’s a gift," one said.