Twitch broadcasters raise $8M for charity

The community of broadcasters and livestreamers on Twitch's video platform have raised more than $8 million towards various charities, Twitch announced this morning.

Twitch notes that these funds were raised organically by its community for organizations of their choosing and not by Twitch itself. These charities include the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity and many others. Groups and events that have used Twitch to run their own streams for charity include AbleGamers, Desert Bus for Hope and Speed Demos Archive's speed running marathon SDA Charity Marathons.

The company expects this number to increase "exponentially" on Nov. 2 during the Extra Life 2013 video gaming marathon. During Extra Life, Twitch will host a dedicated spot on its homepage to direct viewers to the channels of broadcasters participating in the event. Twitch notes that more than 4,500 Twitch users have signed up for Extra Life 2013 to date.

"Twitch is changing lives by connecting kids in need with gamers who care," founder and director of Extra Life Jeromy Adams said in a press statement. "What better community to answer the call for help for kids than one that has never lost touch with their inner child. Twitch is game-changing."

"When you look at the causes the Twitch community rallies behind, it covers the entire spectrum," added Justin Wong, Twitch director of partnerships. "Whether it's for natural disaster relief, autism, cancer, a friend-or even a stranger-in need, there is a game-playing humanitarian making a difference."