ReedPop’s video and gaming channels have been using their platforms to amplify black voices and raise over $35,000 money in support of Black Lives Matter.

“Following the death of George Floyd in the US, and the rising protests against police brutality and racism, we  wanted to contribute to all the fundraisers that were taking place all around the world, but simply streaming and raising money wasn’t enough” explains Dean Abdou.

“The games industry is extremely poor at diversifying and properly representing people and we needed to pass the microphone over to the people that this was directly affecting and let them talk about the issue” explains Dean. “So we reached out to many talented black streamers and creators in the industry asking if they would like to do a stream takeover on the various YouTube channels we have.”

Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, VG24/7 and Outside Xtra all got involved, with charity guest streams from the likes of Tiana-Mercedes, Stephanie from NNESAGA and ToxiMoxi.  There was also a huge stream on USGamer with a variety of big names in the US games industry. Collectively they raised over $35,000 for NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the US – a tremendous result!

Also in the UK, ReedPop’s event brands MCM Comic Con and EGX demonstrated their own solidary with Black Lives Matter. MCM promoted BLM artists and creators within the comic book community, while EGX shared BLM game developers and creators, leveraging #BlackGameDev to help give them a spotlight through their own social platforms. Both channels also shared recommendations on books to educate their followers about BLM and direct traffic to petitions and fundraising causes.