zylTV is a young streamer whose Twitch channel consists of him playing the popular battle royale game Fortnite, as well as speaking in social streams and occasionally playing other games. zylTV regularly streams for 10 or more hours per day, but he's not streaming for such long periods of time just for his own benefit. On the contrary, zylTV has turned to Twitch streaming as a way to raise money to help pay for his father's stage 4 cancer treatment.

zylTV's father was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer that has since spread to his lungs and liver. Doctors give zylTV's father only a 20% chance to live, but zylTV hasn't given up. He has managed to raise over $13,000 since starting his Twitch streams, blowing through his original goal of $5,000. The hope is that zylTV's efforts will allow his father to get the treatment he needs to at least extend his life, as well as cover travel expenses.

In a clip that has been viewed by over half a million people, zylTV showed his father what he had been doing and explained how he was raising money through Twitch streaming. zylTV made sure to capture his father's reaction live on stream.

In the past, the gaming community has been well-known for being charitable. For example, the biannual Awesome Games Done Quick events have raised millions of dollars for a variety of charities. And in another instance, Destiny fans managed to raise a whopping $500,000 for St. Jude Children's Hospital.

Some organizations have been made specifically with video game charity in mind. The AbleGamers Foundation, for instance, is an organization that connects gamers with disabilities with technology that helps them better enjoy video games. The AbleGamers Foundation also works directly with video game developers to ensure that games are designed with gamers with disabilities in mind.

As the video gaming industry continues to grow, it's likely that more charity organizations will utilize games as a means of raising money. Individuals like zylTV may also turn to video gaming to raise money for their personal causes, as opposed to using traditional means of crowdfunding like Go Fund Me.

Fortnite is out now in early access for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Source: Medium