A series of gamers have taken to Reddit to ask the likes of Blizzard, Bungie and Niantic to sell special in-game skins that donate proceeds to Australian bushfire relief.
WippitGuud seemed to kick off the trend, first asking, “Hey Blizzard, any chance of whipping up a couple of firefighter skins for Junkrat and Roadhog to raise money for the Aussie wildfires?”
The original poster reminded players that Blizzard has used this idea to support charities in the past, pointing out a special Pink Mercy skin that donated proceeds to breast cancer research.
The request led fellow players to add to the idea, suggesting Junkrat’s weapon should fire bullets made of water, and that Roadhog’s famous hook could be a firefighter’s hose instead.
The trend caught on quickly, with another Redditor, Night__lite, asking Destiny 2‘s Bungie if armor ornaments could be offered with proceeds supporting bushfire relief.
Over on the Pokemon Go subreddit, user ThePopojijo asked if developer Niantic could do something similar, creating an exclusive lure spawn for Aussie-focused Pokemon Kangaskhan.
While most on the subreddits applauded the suggestions, others did not.
“Just donate. There is a charity page that already has over $20 million donated,” wrote DredgeofRivia, likely referring to a Facebook campaign started by comedian Celeste Barber. “Don’t need to get something in a game to take the initiative to donate money for nothing to help a troubled situation.”
How you can donate yourself
While in-game goodies are nice, the seriousness of the Australian bushfires facing our nation leads us to side with DredgeofRivia. With that in mind, here are a couple ways you can help with bushfire relief.
Nationwide
- Givit is accepting donations of items across the county
- Donate to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund
- Donate to the Salvation Army’s Bushfire Appeal
- Donate to St Vincent de Paul’s Bushfire Appeal
New South Wales
- Donate to the RFS
- Donate to the RFS through Celeste Barber’s Facebook campaign
- Donate to the families of RFS firefighters who’ve lost their lives fighting the bushfires
- Donate to the NSW Wildlife Informatoin, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES)
Victoria
- Donate to the CFA
- The Bendigo Bank Bushfires Disaster Appeal has been endorsed by the Victorian Government
- Donate to the Mallacoota Fires Support Fund
South Australia
- The Kangaroo Island Mayor’s Relief Fund has been endorsed by the SA Government
- The State Emergency Relief Fund
- Donate to the CFS
Queensland
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