FundbyGamers: Gamifying Fundraising

According to market researcher DFC Intelligence, the video game industry is going to hit $70 billion by 2015. What if we could use part of that revenue to fund good causes and world-changing video games? You may feel the game industry nowadays lacks originality and innovation, but the truth is quite the opposite.

At the 2011 Game Developers Conference last week, everyone seemed to have interesting ideas to share — from new ways to play games to new trends such as gamification; the possibilities are endless.

The only problem is that the publisher funding model is broken, and it has become too risky to try new ideas. This is why Hilvl wanted to create this fundraising platform. Plus, not only will the platform be used to raise funds for game projects, but it also will be used to raise funds for charities and nonprofits. They also are tired of mainstream media’s negative portrayal of gamers, and with your help and believe the fundraising platform can help fix the negative press!

There are still many people who believe video games are turning kids into outcasts or, even worse, pathological killers. Again, it’s the opposite. Gamers really can help save the real world just as much as they save the world in games. It’s just that most gamers haven’t realized they have that potential. From stories like Child’s Play raising more than $2 million for children’s hospitals to Farmville players raising $1.5 million for Haiti, gamers have made a lot of impact.

Now, imagine how much total impact we could have if there were an open platform that would support hundreds of game projects and causes like Child’s Play. HiLvl has been doing marketing for many big online game companies and already have revenue-sharing deals with many of them. That means for every dollar spent they get up to 50 percent of that revenue; now they want to use that money to fund projects and causes. Imagine ... even just 1 percent of the $70 billion industry is a lot.

You can find out more at www.fundbygamers.com. If you or someone you know is working on an interesting project or cause and would be interested in getting funded by gamers, send an e-mail to change@fundbygamers.com. The HiLvl’s ad network can help you reach more than 100 million gamers worldwide and provide you a fun, additional way to raise money for your project or cause.

If you are working in the industry and would like to become a guest adviser, join our LinkedIn group here (1,000+ members so far).