Cologne, Germany – July 11, 2019 – ESL, the world’s largest esports company, today announced a partnership with Gamers Outreach, a charity organization providing gaming equipment, technology, and software to help children and teenagers cope with treatments in hospitals, as part of ESL’s new “Gaming for Good” initiative. Together, ESL and Gamers Outreach will launch an awareness, fundraising, exhibition, and integrated campaign in conjunction with Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Chicago on July 20-21, which will continue with various ESL events in the future.
ESL’s brand purpose is to create a world where everybody can be somebody. ESL is committed to using its position as the world’s largest esports company to demonstrate how gaming and esports can benefit great causes and organizations, such as Gamers Outreach.
“‘Gaming for Good’ is a natural progression to fulfill our brand purpose, and I believe it is important that industry leaders like ESL set the tone and use their brand for the good of society,” said Rodrigo Samwell, Chief Marketing Officer, ESL. “Partnering with Gamers Outreach will allow ESL to support children in hospitals, where gaming can help serve as a connection to the outside world, the motivation to fight a condition, and dream to become somebody. We are committed to working with Gamers Outreach to create awareness and fundraising campaigns that supports the organization’s programs through IEM Chicago and beyond. We call upon all gamers and esports athletes to join us at IEM Chicago to use gaming for good.”
Starting on July 11, ESL will host an IEM Chicago ticket fundraiser, where up to $10 from each ticket sold will be donated directly to Gamers Outreach. In addition, Gamers Outreach will have an exhibit booth onsite at IEM Chicago, where fans will have the opportunity to learn more about the charity and find out how they can volunteer. ESL and Gamers Outreach will also explore opportunities through Gamers Outreach’s Project GO Kart and Player 2 initiatives, in which volunteers build and deliver custom game stations for children that are unable to leave their hospital rooms during treatment and recovery.
“As longtime esports enthusiasts, our team is beyond excited to work with ESL in a formal capacity,” said Zach Wigal, Founder, Gamers Outreach. “Hospitalization can often be a lonely, isolating experience for patients receiving treatment, but on a daily basis, we see the incredible impact games have on the lives of families. Video games are tools that help normalize healthcare environments, and our organization is committed to making video game content available and easy to manage. Games help produce a sense of joy, facilitate socialization, and can even assist with treatment. This partnership with ESL is an incredible opportunity for the community to make a difference in the lives of gamers receiving medical care. We’re proud to work with the team at ESL to raise awareness and support for Gamers Outreach programs.”
Much like ESL’s grassroots beginnings, Gamers Outreach was founded by a group of high school gamers near Ann Arbor, Michigan while volunteering at local hospitals. ESL will help to raise awareness and proceeds to support Gamers Outreach and their network of nearly 200 hospitals and more than 1.25 million children.
The partnership with Gamers Outreach is part of ESL’s “Gaming for Good” commitment to its current and planned corporate social responsibility initiatives. Gamers Outreach fundraiser tickets for IEM Chicago will go on sale on July 11. To purchase these tickets, please visit the IEM Chicago 2019 ticketing page and follow @ESL and @GamersOutreach on Twitter for the latest updates.