The horrific events that transpired during the Madden NFL 19 tournament shooting in Jacksonville are still very much on gamers' minds, and developer Electronic Arts is working on ways to help out in the aftermath. In one such effort, EA has officially announced its intention to donate $1 million to the victims and their families.

EA announced the Jacksonville Tribute on Twitter, and is doing more than just donating money. The company is also working on ways to support the victims of the Madden NFL 19 tournament, as well as finding ways to help bring the gaming community together after the horrifying event. As part of the tribute, EA is currently working on creating an open donation fund so that anyone who wants to help provide monetary support can donate easily. Finally, a Jacksonville Tribute livestream will be held in an effort to unite the gaming community. The livestream will be held on September 6th, with EA yet to reveal the exact time or duration of the stream.

EA's funds will go directly to the survivors, as well as the families of Taylor Robertson and Elijah Clayton, who both lost their lives in the Madden NFL 19 tournament shooting. A total of thirteen people were shot, and gunman David Katz ultimately ended his own life. Katz had been a participant in the tournament, and may have turned to violence out of anger due to being eliminated earlier on, according to Steven “Steveyj” Javaruski, who was also taking part in the qualifier.

The shooting has left the gaming community in shock, and this event is placing greater scrutiny on gaming events in order to try and prevent this kind of thing from happening again. Since the incident, evidence has arisen that there were security concerns at the tournament's venue since a year ago, but unfortunately, no action was taken. PAX West has tightened security to reassure attendees that it will be safe, and other gaming tournaments are likely to increase security as a result as well.

While nothing can undo the damage that has been done, EA's actions are commendable. The company has also cancelled the remainder of the Madden Classic tournament qualifiers so it can work with its tournament partners to improve security in an effort to help prevent this from happening again. Gamers who want to learn how they can donate to EA's fund should stay tuned, as EA has promised that more information will be coming soon.

Source: Twitter