World Record Charity Streaming Event on Twitch Raises Over 10 Million Euros for Environmental Associations
The Z Event – A World Record For Charity Streaming on Twitch
Gen Z loves to go to festivals and events. These are the perfect places for brands to get on their radar and win their loyalty.
Adrien Nougaret and Alexandre Dachary, known as the streamers ZeratoR and Dach, have created a charity event for gamers to support a cause. This year, the event has raised more than EUR 10 million for environmental associations.
What is the Z Event?
The Z Event is a French-language gaming charity marathon that takes place each year. It raises money for an environmental cause. The 2021 edition raised over 10 million euros, a world record for a charity stream on Twitch. The money raised helped buy a new containerised waste recovery unit for the SeaCleaners association. This unit, called MOBULA Z in honour of the donors, is already in operation in Indonesia.
The organizer of the Z Event is streamer Adrien “ZeratoR” Nougaret. He started the event in his living room in 2016. It quickly grew to include many well-known personalities from the French gaming community, such as rappers Bigflo and Oli and actor Alain Chabat.
This year, negative reactions online prompted ZeratoR to cancel his partnership with the GoodPlanet foundation. He then announced that the donations would be divided equally between five associations, voted on by the public: Sea Shepherd France, Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux [fr], WWF France, Time for the Planet and The SeaCleaners.
Who are the Streamers?
Streamers have come together from around the world to raise money for charity during this marathon of gaming. During the 2021 event, they broke the previous record, raising over EUR10 million for various organisations like Action Against Hunger.
Adrien Nougaret and Alexandre Dachary, known as ZeratoR and Dach, unexpectedly started the Z Event in their living rooms back in 2016. The event has now grown into an annual event, bringing together hundreds of streamers in Montpellier (Herault) to collect donations for charities.
The team of organizers consists of a group of people who “just play silly games”, to quote the main organiser Zerator. They are mostly gamers who rose to fame thanks to their entertaining content, including TikTok clips and vlogging. Other notable members include KingJasro, a Mobile Legends player who has amassed a huge following with his engaging personality, Kitz Cua, who streams first-person shooter games and creates useful guides for new players, and Demenishki, an art streamer and VTuber.
What are the Charities?
A key challenge for charities is that Gen Z wants to make a difference. They want to support causes that align with their values and beliefs. They also prefer interactive and gamified approaches to philanthropy.
Adrien Nougaret and Alexandre Dachary (also known under the pseudonyms ZeratoR and Dach) unexpectedly started Z Event in their living room back in 2016. It was a video game streaming marathon in aid of the Ethiopia famine crisis.
The 2021 edition raised 10 million euros, a world record for a French gaming charity marathon. It was in aid of Save the Children, French Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres as well as four separate associations tackling environmental issues such as Sea Shepherd France.
To motivate their communities, the streamers set donation goals and challenges, from improvised rodeos to legendary karaoke and even a wacky wrestling match. The SeaCleaners team thanks the many streamers who included our fight against plastic pollution in their goals or who organised cleaning actions or awareness actions during this edition.
What is the Format?
Originally created in 2016 by Adrien Nougaret and Alexandre Dachary (who work under the pseudonyms ZeratoR and Dach), the Z Event is a francophone charity project hosted on Twitch. The event brings together French streamers to collect donations that support a particular cause. Past editions have raised funds for the Save the Children, the Red Cross, Medecins Sans Frontieres and four associations acting in environmental protection.
Earlier this year, Dach and ZeratoR announced that the 2023 edition would be the last one in its current format. They wanted to switch to a more ecological theme, and wanted the event to be less public.
The announcement generated a lot of negative reactions online, and the decision was ultimately reversed. The event will return to its original format in 2023, but the list of participating streamers will be slightly smaller. The money raised will be divided equally among five associations, chosen by a vote. They are Sea Shepherd France, Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux, WWF France, Time for the Planet and The SeaCleaners.
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