Fighting Gamers Raise over $200,000 for Breast Cancer Research
Earlier this month, we let you know about Evolution 2013’s donation drive for the eighth game to make the main stage. It eventually came down to three games. Skullgirls, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo. For a month, these games have been battling it out for the last slot at Evolution 2013. Last night, at 12 a.m. PST, a winner was declared.
The winner is Super Smash Bros. Melee! It will return to Evolution for the first time since 2007. The Super Smash Bros. Melee community alone raised over $94,000. The runner-up, Skullgirls, raised just over $78,000. In third place was Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo with nearly $40,000. Together, all the games raised somewhere in the area of $230,000 for breast cancer research. Nearly a quarter of a million dollars was raised in 30 days thanks to competitive gaming.
Now, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who donated. I am greatly moved by the community’s generosity and its heart. Certain news outlets can take shots at the Fighting Game Community as a whole for the words of only one person (think Aris from 2012’s Cross Assault) and not do their research. When it comes down to it, the community gives back to their members and to the communities they live in. In April 2011, the community came together to organize Fight for Relief which raised funds to help victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In April 2012, a notable member of the community, Daniel “Clockwork” Maniago, organized Fight for Youth. Fight for Youth was a charity tournament organized for after school programs for a school district in southern California. When Ray “Knives” Ruballos’ mother’s house burned down in December, the community came together and donated what they could to help this man and his family get back on their feet.
So, to the community, thank you for showing the world that we’re more than the words of a few people. The at the link below, you can find links to the individual donation pages to see the final totals.
