Help animals by playing computer games

A few weeks ago, a supporter known as Ellie4K hosted an online computer game competition on the streaming channel Twitch and raised over £5800 for The Humane League UK.

The game was Age of Empires II, where players build a village and an army, and battle it out. The aim is to either wipe out your opponent or make them resign.

The competition drew in some of the best players from across the globe and was watched by thousands. We were given the chance to appear live to share our mission to end the abuse of animals raised for food and talk about the importance of donations.

This was the first time The Humane League UK had been a chosen charity for an online gaming fundraiser and we were really excited and honoured.

After the competition finished, we caught up with Ellie to find out why she chose online gaming and why she chose to support farmed animals.

Here’s her story.

Why did you decide to become Vegan?

When I moved to Europe from Canada, I had to wait a few months before my EU citizenship was reinstated. As I couldn't work, I spent my time visiting family, traveling, and of course, on social media. One evening someone shared 101 Reasons to Go Vegan with me and I watched that, followed by Gary Yourofsky's Best Speech You Will Ever Hear.

I became aware of the societal conditioning I've been subjected to and the injustice animals face and, since then, my world has changed. I knew from that moment that only by living vegan could my actions finally align with the morals I already held. I became vegan for the animals.

What got you into streaming?

Before the pandemic, I spent a lot of my time doing animal rights activism with my local chapter of the Animal Save Movement.

I helped organise three weekly street actions, but once lock-down started, the actions stopped and my activism switched to online. Due to the extra time on my hands, I got back into playing Age of Empires II again. Twitch naturally came to mind as a way to combine the two.

What made you choose The Humane League UK?

The sponsor of Ellie's Charity Invitational 2 (ECI2), VeganSugarDaddy, is (and this may come as a surprise!) also a vegan.

He does a lot of animal rights activism in his personal life and it was important to him that the charity ECI2 chose to support was effective and efficient at helping animals. We saw that The Humane League had excellent charity reviews and cost-effective programs.

What advice would you give to someone starting out on Twitch and, in particular, fundraising for a charity through streaming?

The biggest piece of advice I can give to new streamers is to be a content creator first, and a gamer second. Unless you are a pro at the game you play, people are more likely to watch you for your personality and the entertainment you bring them.

As for charity streams, I recommend having built up at least a small community beforehand and set realistic goals for the size of your channel. And while charity streams may help you grow your channel, please don’t let that be the primary motivator as genuineness goes a long way in the online world.

What is your next big goal in terms of streaming?

I would love to host an S-Tier pro esports tournament (top level events that involve the most renowned players from across the globe) for charity and get donations coming in from some of the largest companies in the esports scene.

I am currently also working on growing my YouTube channel, but editing videos takes a lot more time than just doing them live!

How you can get involved

A huge shoutout to Ellie and everyone who donated during the live stream event. We are touched that we have such innovative and passionate supporters. I hope this inspires you to join the movement and, like Ellie, combine your compassion for the animals with your passion in life.

If you have any ideas, suggestions or questions about how you can turn your passion into support for animals raised for food, we'd love to hear from you.