Entertainment powerhouses Twitch and Sony join forces for Youth Cancer Charity Stream
Inaugural Gaming4Life 30hr charity stream for Sony Foundation’s youth cancer initiative, You Can, live on Twitch from April 29-30, 2017
[Sydney Australia], April 19, 2017 – For the first time ever in Australia, Twitch has partnered with the charity arm of Sony group of companies, Sony Foundation to host a 30-hour entertainment extravaganza live stream fundraiser for youth cancer program, You Can. The marathon stream, commencing 29th April, hosted by some of Australia’s favourite Twitch streamers including Loserfruit, Bajo, Deligracy and JamesTurnerYT with special guest appearances from Sony Music artists and avid gamers such as Alan Walker, Cyrus and LDRU with more to be announced.
The gaming action and entertainment will unfold live on www.twitch.tv/6t4bites over 30 hours with teams of gamers competing to raise thousands of dollars to build youth cancer centres around Australia.
Horizon Zero Dawn, For Honor and Prey are just a selection of titles that will be played on PlayStation®4 during Gaming4Life. The competition will heat up as viewers develop an alliance with their favourite team and show their support through donations to unlock exclusive content or compete in a variety of outrageous challenges.
The global stream will include exclusive content, developer interviews and rare merchandise, including over $30,000 worth of PlayStation and Sony Mobile hardware and accessories. Key event partner, PlayStation Australia has agreed to reward a PS4 20th Anniversary limited edition console to the highest donor over the 30hrs. Plus there will also be prizes from world-class publishers and developers such as Bethesda, Ubisoft, Guerrilla Games and Media Molecule.
Whilst clocking up the hours, the stream will not miss a beat, as Twitch streamers, hosts and Sony Music artists take part in gameplay, humorous challenges, cosplay, gaming trivia, Just Dance dance-offs, and live music performances from the Max Watts live music venue in Sydney.
Viewers can cheer the teams on and watch their favourite games while donating to a worthy cause. Donations can be made at https://tiltify.com/causes/sony-foundation-australia/gaming4life-2017
Since its inception, You Can has committed almost $5 million to building ‘You Can’ youth cancer centres in Australia for young patients aged 15 – 25. Too old for children’s hospitals yet too young for adult wards, these young patients are a ‘forgotten generation’ falling through the gaps in the medical system. This year alone, over 1000 young patients will be diagnosed with cancer in Australia and these Centres will provide age-appropriate treatment and care alongside peers their own age which has proven vital to improved survival rates.
Twitch streamer from The Netherlands, Kees Steenbergen, has already raised over $5,000 for Sony Foundation via his Twitch community and will be travelling to Sydney to take part in the stream, hoping to lead his team to victory.
“I am extremely proud of my community for raising such a huge amount for YouCan. They support and fight for each other every day. It will be an honor and a pleasure to represent the International Twitch community and contribute to this important cause when I arrive in Sydney. This will be my first time in Australia and I’m looking forward to meeting so many talented gamers. I urge every gamer out there to tune in, play along with us and raise some much needed money” said Kees AKA SevenS1ns.
Sony Foundation’s, General Manager, Emma Pechey says that the long-term aim of the ‘You Can’ program is to establish youth cancer centres across Australia.
“Once you turn 16, the chances of surviving certain cancers is halved in Australia,” said Pechey. “Sony Foundation’s You Can campaign is committed to changing this, but we need the community’s help. Twitch streamers are a socially conscious community and with You Can being a youth related cause we hope that Gaming4Life will connect with the gaming community and engage them in our cause by providing entertainment like never before, thanks to the support of our family of Sony companies.”
“We are constantly moved by the passion of the Twitch community in making charity fundraising a staple on our platform,” said Lewis Mitchell, Partner Associate, Australia and New Zealand at Twitch. “To date, over $65 million USD has been raised by our streamers for worthwhile causes, so we are optimistic about our viewers rallying around Sony Foundation Australia’s meaningful charity event.”
Tune in to watch Gaming4Life live from 9am AEST on the 29th April, 2017 on www.twitch.tv/6T4bites
Head to PlayStation Australia’s blog to find out updates more about all activity taking place during Gaming4Life and how to donate.
