Over the last week, we’ve received more direct requests from hospitals seeking GO Karts than any week in Gamers Outreach history.
In many children’s hospitals, almost all patients are now restricted to their rooms due to COVID-19. With limitation of visitors and restrictions on patient activity, hospitals are in need more than ever of the consoles and equipment we provide. Staff are looking for ways to help kids stay active, and gaming has a big role to play.
Today, we’re proud to share news The Coalition has made a massive donation in support of Gamers Outreach programs – contributing 200 Xbox One X consoles to our inventory of supplies. These consoles will be equipped to outbound GO Karts in support of providing hospitalized kids with access to play.
GO Karts (Gamers Outreach Karts) are portable video game kiosks built for hospitals. Each unit is equipped with a gaming console, monitor, controllers, and assortment of games. Thanks to GO Karts, healthcare workers can easily manage and provide games to kids who have limited activity options. Currently deployed across more than 200 facilities, we estimate our collective fleet can support between 1.5 – 2 million play sessions for children annually.
In addition to the donation of consoles, The Coalition has created a custom Gears of War skin, “Johnny COG Gear,” to help raise money in support of Gamers Outreach programs. Designed by one of our longtime volunteers, Josh “Johnny Quad” Marshbanks, profits from the sale of this in-game character will enable us to sustain and expand our work in hospitals over these coming months.
If you’re a Gears of War fan, you can purchase Johnny COG Gear in-game now. Our very own Zach Wigal sat down with Guy Blaze to talk about the skin, and hear from Josh on what inspired the design.
We want to send a massive thanks to the team at The Coalition for helping to make our work possible. These 200 consoles will exist in hospitals long into the future, and could help facilitate as many as 580,000 play sessions for kids each year. Our whole crew is appreciative of this donation, especially during a period of time when gaming is keeping more kids active than ever! Thank you all for your support!