It’s the season of giving, which makes it the perfect time to take a look back at some of the biggest and best charitable promotions of 2015.

Twitch

Twitch recently released an infographic that details some of the record-breaking charitable contributions made using the platform in 2015. The Twitch communities managed to raise a total of $17 million across 55 different assisted charities, an increase of $11.1 million from the previous year. In addition, the amount of streams raising at least $50,000 for such causes have doubled over the previous year, up to 25.

Top charitable campaigns include Extra Life for Children’s Miracle Network (over $7 million), Games Done Quick for Doctors Without Borders (over $2.8 million) and Gaming for Good for Save the Children (over $1.3 million raised).

It’s just proof positive that gamers, even those that make a living playing games on Twitch, can take the time to give back to charitable causes. It’s a win-win scenario, and one that should continue to thrive for years to come.

Charity Infographic FINAL

Call of Duty Endowment

While Activision easily makes millions with its popular Call of Duty franchise year after year, it does give back to veterans through its charitable Call of Duty Endowment foundation. This public benefit foundation got its start back in 2011, following the company’s Call of Duty XP event, where all ticket sales were donated to assist veterans in finding work and establishing careers.

Every year, the Endowment group has done very well, with millions of dollars raised through events and sales of special items to fans, like special dogtags, challenge coins, and other branded goods sold through retailers like Gamestop and Costco. A number of other campaigns held in 2015 helped boost charitable earnings into the millions. 

One particular tournament took place back in November, when several pro players took part in #TheRace, streaming live from the offices of Treyarch, the developers of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Fans watching the event managed to raise $200,000, which Activision matched dollar for dollar. $50,000 was also raised through a number of sponsors, bringing the overall total to nearly half a million dollars.

There was also a great promotion hosted by Omaze, in which donors were entered into a drawing for the opportunity to have their likeness appear as a zombie in Black Ops III. It managed to raise millions of dollars for the group. Many celebrities took part in the promotion, including voice actor Nolan North, who offered to give one of the winners an outgoing voicemail message recorded in the voice of his Call of Duty character, Dr. Richtofen.

Additionally, several celebrities also got into the Omaze promotion by pretending to be zombies, leading to some humorous results. These included Metallica frontman James Hetfield, web superstar iJustine, and actors from the game, including North.

 More events for the Call of Duty Endowment are likely to keep going next year, especially with the forthcoming launch of Activision’s World League tournament, which should be underway in just a few days’ time.

QuakeCon

While the yearly Bethesda-hosted QuakeCon event is a great place for fans to discuss everything from Doom to Fallout 4, it’s also an ideal place for fans to give back in a number of ways, as various charitable organizations take part in the event. 2015 definitely followed suit. 

Leading the charge was the American Red Cross, taking blood donations in a drive to help those that needed it. Those that took the time to donate got a Bethesda-related gift for their efforts. This year’s event reportedly saw a huge line of fans willing to donate throughout its four days, just like when it was first introduced in 2014 to promote the blood-soaked horror game, The Evil Within.

In addition, a number of other charitable partners joined in, including Take This, Dallas Pets Alive, Extra Life and Big Brothers & Big Sisters of North Texas.

An event such as QuakeCon is an ideal place for charitable partners to take part, as thousands of fans easily contribute back to their respective communities, while at the same time still having fun with games and other events provided by Bethesda. Look for these partnerships to continue enduring with 2016’s QuakeCon and beyond. 

Insomniac Games

Finally, the developers of the forthcoming Ratchet & Clank have been rather busy this year. Along with preparing its big PlayStation 4 exclusive, it also released its first PC title, an action puzzle game called Slow Down, Bull that would be a direct contributor to the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

The game features a stressed out bull character vying for a more peaceful, art-creating lifestyle, running through streets and trying to collect as much crafty pieces as he can find. It’s a fun game for all ages, and one that packs a lot of joy and good feeling in for a relatively low price. 50 percent of the game’s overall proceeds go to the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which works to improve the health of children and families around the world. 

Although Insomniac Games didn’t have any promotional partners on the project, it thrived anyway, mainly due to a strong social push by the publisher, including livestreams, development blog posts, and social media.