Gaming to clean the seas

Online gaming communities and content creators are working together to raise money for Team Seas before the end of 2021.

On October 29th, popular Youtubers MrBeast and Mark Rober released videos to promote their newest fundraiser, Team Seas. Like MrBeast’s last fundraiser in 2019, Team Trees, TeamSeas has set their goal to raise $30 million before 2022. The money that will be raised will be split evenly and given to two non-profit organisation charities, Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup. Content creators from all over the world are helping to do their part and raise money in unique and creative ways, with all of them sharing the link to the Team Seas website to donate.

Ocean Conservancy as an organisation focuses on making the ocean a safer place for animals to inhabit. Starting in 1972, they have increased over time their perspectives and what they aim to do, creating more opportunities to help the oceans and keep them clean and safe. They currently have 7 programmes that they focus on, most of them anyone all over the world can get involved with from helping to combat climate change to cleaning up beaches.

The funds raised from Team Seas will help fund their International Coastal Cleanup to help create Trash Free Seas®. This event has been going on for over 30 years, with 153 countries taking part in local clean-ups. With research showing that 59% of sea birds and 100% of sea turtle species have been found with plastic in them, coastal clean-ups are essential to aid the wildlife. More international beach cleans will create a safer, natural environment for local and endangered species.

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organisation that aims to tackle the growing problem of rubbish flowing into the sea. Boyan Slat, CEO and founder of the organisation, created The Interceptor to combat rubbish that cover the river mouths. The Interceptor is designed to be scalable, energy neutral and connected to keep it functioning 24/7. Slat says in an interview with Mark Rober that ‘ultimately we want to help ourselves out of business‘ as progress should be made to come up with long term solutions to the issue. Currently, the government of the Dominican Republic is working with the organisation, with their Interceptor being operated by the Dominican Navy.

The funds from Team Seas will help to mass produce The Interceptor and place them at the mouth of every rubbish filled river in order to stop them from flowing into the sea. With three currently placed in high-ratio rubbish areas, their aim is to be able to place them at the 1000 most polluting rivers in order to combat the problem at the source. As the 1000 river mouths is the cause of more than 80% of river plastic in oceans, being able to tackle the source will provide many benefits to both the local communities and the rest of the world.

Although the campaign has been going for a short time, the funds raised have almost reached halfway at this point. Many people from the gaming/YouTube/streaming community have risen to the challenge and made videos and fundraisers in unique ways. From map building in Roblox to challenges on games like Fortnite, the community has found different ways to help, while staying on brand. The Minecraft community has especially been active, with server events and adding modifications to the game has been at its height.

For American Youtuber and streamer Rekrap2, the server he and his friends are on held an event to clear up blocks scattered around their world, all while being chased by another player. With just under 400,000 subscribers, he and his community are engaging and doing their part to raise money for Team Seas.

When asking his opinion on the project, he was more than happy to offer his input on how the community is coming together:

“I think it's amazing to see the different bubbles of YouTube come together to support this project. There are animation videos, songs, and gaming events that show how diverse yet connected YouTube can be. I've gotten some backlash that my video is garbage because cleaned up trash in a video game, but I don't see it that way. I'm supporting the environment by raising money and spreading the word.”

He also talks about what he feels the most important part of this project is:

“To me, the importance of this movement comes from it's collaboration. When else can you get the entire internet to support a good cause? This project is a statement from the YouTube community that we are willing to put the money where our mouth is to change the world for the better. That is why I support it.”

When commenting about the Team Seas project in general, he says:

“In my mind cleaning up trash can only be seen in a positive light. People argue this project will not make a difference, and that's probably true. The world has an assortment of environmental problems and 30 million pounds of clean up might not make a dent, but that's no reason not to support it. Environmental problems are complex and hard to solve. Almost every step towards a better future will be tedious and have weak impact, but it's progress nonetheless.”

With both big streamers and upcoming big Youtubers like Rekrap2 doing what they can to do what they love while raising money, gaming as we know it can be viewed in a more positive way. With previous lockdowns and limitations to physical fundraisers, the gaming community have been able to step up to the plate to show that not only are they a waste of time, but doing good in the world for so many people.