How can you turn time into money? Nicolò Santin and a group of young Italians found a winning formula for using games as fundraising tools. By designing video games for companies, who want to support non-profit organizations as a CSR activity and by letting the gamers choose where to donate, the creators of Gamindo implemented a positive cycle.
Gamindo launched its app in February 2020 with 5,000 users and now there are more than 15,000, who can choose from 12 games to support 22 non-profit organizations.
Cristina: Playing, today we’ll make donations to nonprofit organizations without spending a euro from our pockets, thanks to a new video game platform, which converts time into money. Hello Nicolò, how many and what kind of games have you developed?
Nicolò Santin: Over 10 games of logic, memory, running and adventure. We’re focusing a lot on educational games also in relation to Covid and the SDGs.
Cristina: How do donations work?
Nicolò Santin: Donations are possible thanks to the companies on the platform. They commission the games and thanks to the budgets they set aside, people can make donations by assigning the “gems” they receive while they play.
Cristina: It also guarantees you economic sustainability because you’re still a startup, right?
Nicolò Santin: Absolutely. The development of the game guarantees us economic sustainability but the platform’s mission is to allow anyone to donate by playing. It has a social and an environmental impact too.
Cristina: It’s an excellent CSR tool for companies. How many and what kind of associations are you supporting?
Nicolò Santin: We have already supported over 20 NGOs, from Buzzi Hospital to EMERGENCY and Plant for the Planet, with whom we planted over 100 trees on Earth Day, and it was possible thanks to the users and to their matches, who chose who to donate their gems to. This all means a lot to us. We donated 1,000 euros to the Buzzi Children’s Hospital in Milan and Antonella will tell us more.
Antonella: It was a pleasure to collaborate and thanks to Oggy’s video game our OBM Onlus improved hospitality for the families.
Cristina: What is the average age of your players?
Nicolò Santin: 25-30 years old.
Cristina: So old?
Nicolò Santin: Yes, people believe that gamers are teenagers, locked in their rooms, while actually the average age of gamers in Italy is 34.
Cristina: Thanks Nicolò. In recent weeks, the WHO launched the #PlayApartTogether initiative. Video games are estimated to be the favorite entertainment for 2.3 billion people worldwide and this story proves that there can be an important social and therapeutic value as well. This platform fulfills SDGs 8, 9, 11, and 13. Occhio al futuro
On air May 30, 2020
