Shepherd U Stream-Team in American Cancer Society Gamers Tourney

What if we told you that you can help fight cancer by playing video games or watching games being streamed? It’s true. You can! It’s a perfect activity for the present pandemic restrictions. On April 2, the Shepherd University stream-team is joining the launch of the American Cancer Society’s first College Streaming Tournament. This initiative seeks to engage new American Cancer Society volunteers and fundraising within the fast growing live-streaming community.

The Shepherd University stream-team will raise funds for the Virtual Relay For Life of Shepherd University which begins April 1 at 4 p.m. and features a whole month of Relay For Life activities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has gone virtual to safeguard the health and well-being of all the Relayers. See www.relayforlife.org.

How it works: The tournament pits 64 colleges against each other in a bracket-style contest to determine which school’s “streamers” can raise the most support each week and throughout the duration of the six-week challenge. Fundraising goes from April 2 – May 13. Campus volunteers and staff are encouraged to seek out experienced live streamers to represent and support their favorite school in the fight against cancer.

There is no limit to how many streamers a school can recruit. Whether streamers are current students, alumni, future-students, or just fans of the school, anyone can participate as long as their fundraising is performed via their live-stream channel and utilizes the fundraising page they create at gamersvscancer.org/cst.

Prizes: The top four champion fundraising schools will receive prizes and the individual streamer who raises the most money throughout the tournament will win a brand-new gaming chair. Various random prizes will be awarded to streamers throughout the tournament. Based on their fundraising totals, streamers in the tournament will be eligible to earn official Gamers vs Cancer merchandise.

Streamer basics: A streamer is someone who has their own live-stream channel and broadcasts regularly to an audience of fans, followers, or subscribers. Most live-streamers can be found on platforms/websites such as Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, or Facebook. Many streamers who would want to play in the tournament will play a video game while interacting with their audience. The audience can see the game screen, as well as the streamer.

For more information about the tournament, contact Penny Horner at penny.horner@cancer.org or view the College Streaming Tournament Toolkit.

“Bring your best game to our mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer! Whether you’re a gamer, developer, publisher, esports org, or creator, you can make a difference because the American Cancer Society recognizes gaming as a potential force for good,” says Penny Horner, American Cancer Society Senior Community Development Manager.

The Shepherd University stream team supports the American Cancer Society ability to attack cancer in dozens of ways, each of them critical to achieving a world without cancer – from developing breakthrough therapies and innovative research, to building supportive communities that come together to help those affected by cancer with access to treatment. The American Cancer Society empowers activists to raise awareness and develop game-changing approaches to address the cancer burden for all people.

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About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of 1.5 million volunteers saving lives in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society's efforts have contributed to a 23 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. We're finding cures as the nation's largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at (800) 227-2345 or visit cancer.org.