Twitch-Backed Charity Drives Raised $17 Million In 2015

The online video community, and its gaming sub-culture in particular, is known for its generosity. In 2015, however, that generosity reached new heights. Video game live streaming platform Twitch announced that the charity campaigns its community ran over the past 12 months combined to generate more than $17 million dollars in donations to more than 55 charitable organizations.

Twitch revealed that massive figure in a post on its official blog. “We wanted to take this time to celebrate these achievements and provide some insight into the accomplishments the Twitch community as a whole achieved during 2015,” reads the post. “Up from 12 in 2014, there were 25 individual fundraisers that raised over $50,000 each, and more than 60 that raised over $1,000. Our top five events combined raised over $13 million of this year’s total.”

The most significant charity event on Twitch in 2015 was the platform’s yearly contribution to the Extra Life organization. Through a combination of video game live streaming marathons, Twitch users collectively raised more than $7 million for Extra Life, which assists children at local hospitals.

There’s still time to add to Twitch’s record-breaking total. One of the main drives still running is The Yogscast’s annual Jingle Jam, which offers games in exchange for charitable donations. You can find more information about this year’s Jingle Jam by clicking here.