Gamers Raise $2 Million For Turkish And Syrian Earthquake Relief

The gaming community has been rallying together in support of those affected by the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, raising more than $2 million for disaster relief through participation in a popular program launched last week by Humble, the Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle. The proceeds will be going to the charities Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, and Save the Children.

Turkey and Syria were struck by a devastating earthquake last month which took the lives of more than 50,000 people and made many more homeless, leaving countless families without food, water, and shelter. The earthquake which reached a magnitude of 7.8 caused sweeping devastation, reports of collapsed buildings and widespread power outages coming in almost immediately.

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Several other initiatives along the lines of the Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle have already taken place, Bungie for example starting a fundraising campaign to help victims of the disaster. The company’s employees, partners, and the gaming community were all invited to contribute. According to Bungie, more than $200,000 were collected in just a single day. The proceeds were all donated to Direct Relief and the International Rescue Committee.

The bundle in question includes a wide variety of popular Games including XCOM 2, Payday 2, and System Shock 2. Humble has included several indie Games as well, most notably a series of titles from Turkish developers including Cats and the Other Lives, Pill Baby, Soulflow, Rym 9000, and Izmir: An Independence Simulator.

The impact of the earthquake has been felt across the region, entire communities being devastated and left in desperate need of assistance. As the humanitarian crisis continues to grow, many around the world have been calling for a concerted effort to provide help and support to those affected. When the region will fully recover is a question that none can truly answer.

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