The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a huge effect on not only the video game industry, but also movie theatre chains like Cinemark and on schools across the world. Popular Mixer streamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins and his wife Jessica Blevins announced Friday they are donating $150,000 "on behalf of team Ninja" to Feeding America, a nonprofit organization currently providing to food banks and children who depended on school lunches.
In a video posted to Twitter, Tyler said, "To be in the financial situation that my wife and I are in right now is incredible, so one thing we wanted to do was give back as much as we can to a lot of the families that are being affected." The streamer is best known for playing Epic Games' battle royale Fortnite, and doing so earned him enough clout to sign an exclusivity deal with Mixer reportedly worth $20 million.
In their statement, the Blevins say they were inspired by actor Ryan Reynolds, who announced he was donating $1 million between Feeding America and Food Banks Canada on March 16, and The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, who has been recording his show from home and raising money for organizations like Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS, and Save the Children. Tyler encourages anyone else who can afford it to "donate to pretty much any organization or foundation that is going to be affecting families and people around the world."
The coronavirus pandemic, which has over 334,000 confirmed cases across 190 countries as of March 23 according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has been disruptive to daily lives and to the economy. Even GameStop officially closed all storefronts, despite trying to argue for its status as an 'essential business.'
Tyler encourages other influencers to use their platforms to talk about best practices to stem the spread of coronavirus, including social distancing. He also recommends that anyone stuck at home because they lost their job due to the panic that has canceled events like E3 2020 try and "make something positive out of this," like following life-long dreams of creating content for TikTok or YouTube.
With the simultaneous releases of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal last Friday, the Internet has been chock full of people distracting themselves from coronavirus concerns. Other games like Rainbow Six Siege have announced possible content delays as employees move to work from home, so the general public will have to keep playing things by ear and supporting one another however possible.
Sources: WHO, Feeding America, Food Bank Canada, Broadway Cares, Save the Children