Coming up in December, I have this exciting opportunity. I will be hosting my first game day with LIFT, an after school program for at-risk students from our local elementary school. Many of these students are struggling with math and reading, so games can help educate them while being fun. I was so excited when approached to do this, that I instantly purchased some games to teach and extra copies to donate to the LIFT program. I will post more about the LIFT program and my experience later, but this donation of games got me to thinking. If you are like me, you will be receiving games for Christmas and giving games as gifts to friends and family. As a freelancer, reviewer, or game industry professional, you also likely have received numerous games throughout the year as payment, as gifts, or for review. Many of us have been blessed with quite the growing collection of tabletop games.
I don’t know about you, but I have some great games on my shelf that I am just not playing anymore. I also, sadly, have my own shelf of shame with a few games that are gathering dust and haven’t even been played yet. Rather than gathering dust on my shelves, those games could bring a lot of happiness to others who cannot afford all the games that we acquire throughout the year.
This holiday season, please consider donating some of your unplayed and gently used games rather than trading them or selling them to acquire more games. There is also opportunity while shopping. If you find an amazing sale price on games during Black Friday or on Amazon on CyberMonday, think about purchasing an extra copy or two to donate. Your generous donation allows you to share your love of the gaming hobby with others. Your gift of a game could lead to a family finding the joy of game nights, youth finding a new hobby that also educates, or retirees enjoying time together around a table. Your donation could even lead to someone finding a career in the game industry as a freelancer, designer or publisher.
Local organizations and charities that could benefit from your game donations:
- After School Programs
- Boys & Girls Clubs
- Local Libraries
- Retirement Homes
- YMCAs
Your donation could even lead to an ongoing volunteer relationship with the organization. Perhaps you and your game group could host a game night during the after school program, play games with retirees once a month, or volunteer to maintain the game collection for your local library.
The more I get involved the game industry, the more I want to share my passion for gaming with others. Donating and volunteering are two ways I can share my passion for the hobby with others. If you have an incredible experience donating games or volunteering your time as a gamer, please share about it. I would love to hear those kind of stories throughout the year.