Celebrating its 10th anniversary with over $20m raised for charity prior to this year’s event, Jingle Jam has built up a huge following with warm and wholesome broadcasting over the festive season. Popular events have become yearly traditions for many - such as watching terrible Christmas cat videos, crashing trains, feeding cows and failing to cook Christmas dinner.
The event is broadcast on twitch.tv/yogscast and hosted by members of the Yogscast and their friends and features some of the most popular creators on Twitch and YouTube including Lewis and Simon, Sips, The Spiffing Brit, RTGame and many more. For the first time this year, any creator keen to join in with the Jingle Jam can set up their own fundraising streams, with their audiences also able to receive the games collection in return for donating to charity.
This year’s Jingle Jam Games Collection is the biggest yet: with 56 games worth over £650 ($875), and is available to anyone who donates over £35 ($47) here. Spanning all genres from co-op smash-hits Unrailed and Embr to critically-acclaimed storytelling adventures Heaven’s Vault and Tales of the Neon Sea. There’s award-winning picross Murder by Numbers, arctic survival in Project Winter and decently-priced graphics cards in PC Building Simulator.
There are many more - the full list is here - and Jingle Jam fans will be especially pleased to hear that viking strategy masterpiece Northgard is included this year.
Jingle Jam 2021 runs until the 14th of December on fundraising platform Tiltify with the Jingle Jam Games Collection limited to 100,000 copies. Delivered via e-mail as individual keys to be redeemed on Steam - the games can be given away or shared over the holiday season, but must be activated before the start of 2022.
“Developers and publishers have been incredibly generous this year - the value of the games collection is immense,” said Lewis Brindley, co-founder of The Yogscast. “Wildermyth and Just Die Already, two of my favourite games released this year, are worth it on their own but there’s another 54 great games. I’m delighted to have such a cool reward for those kind enough to donate to charity!”
“Jingle Jam really does show the games industry at its very best, and we’re once again thrilled to be a partner,” adds Rich Keith, CEO, Fourth Floor. “It’s wonderful seeing so many content creators and companies come together for such fantastic causes, and we hope we’ll raise a record amount. Plus the streams are always tremendous fun – all of us here at Fourth Floor will be tuning in for the two weeks.”
"Our team at Chucklefish and the developers at Robotality are so pleased to be supporting this year's Jingle Jam Games Collection with our title Pathway. These are 14 fantastic charity projects and we can't wait to see how much is raised this year,” said Katy Ellis, Head of Marketing at Jingle Jam supporter Chucklefish.
"Every year, the Jingle Jam demonstrates how content creators and their communities can have a powerful impact on causes they're passionate about,” said Michael Wasserman, CEO of Tiltify. “Once again, Tiltify is proud to be the fundraising platform for the event. None of this would be possible without the humbling generosity of the gaming industry, and the amazing job Yogscast has done to create a truly epic Jingle Jam games collection.”
“Each December The Jingle Jam unites the Twitch community around the gaming content they love most while providing an opportunity to give back - this year to an amazing 14 charities,” said Anthony Pakronsis, Director of Partnerships for Northern Europe at Twitch. “That is why we are delighted to support this event once again and we know 2021 will be the best year yet!”
“We’re delighted to be a partner of the Jingle Jam and work with its charities each year,” said Grahame Gallacher, Director at Jingle Jam partner Honest PR. “There’s such a wide range of charitable causes for people to support, from social justice issues to mental health and disability access. It blows me away the positive impact these charities have on so many lives.”
Over fifty Jingle Jam streamers are involved in special events - such as cooking, painting, poker, karaoke and more. In addition, this year will see community streams across the world raising funds for their chosen charitable project.
The variety and scope of projects for Jingle Jam 2021 covers everything from national to global issues including disabled access to gaming and sport, cancer research, tackling structural racism and inequalities, LGBTQ+ issues, environmentalism and sustainability:
Access Sport: Access Sport is a charity meeting the urgent need to improve children and young people’s health and wellbeing, working solely with young people in deprived communities and with a strong emphasis on young disabled people.
Autistica: Autistica is the UK’s national autism research charity. They focus on giving autistic people the opportunity to live long, happy, healthy lives.
Call of Duty Endowment: The Call of Duty Endowment helps veterans find high quality careers by supporting groups that prepare them for the job market and by raising awareness of the value vets bring to the workplace.
Cancer Research UK: Cancer Research UK funds scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner. They also provide cancer information to the public.
End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities: End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities works to tackle structural racism and inequalities, following a threefold increase in hate crime and rising racism, against East & Southeast Asian communities during COVID.
Global’s Make Some Noise: Make Some Noise improves the lives of disadvantaged people in our communities by working with small charities across the UK.
ILGA World: ILGA World – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association - is a worldwide federation of more than 1,700 organisations from over 160 countries and territories campaigning for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex human rights.
Lifelites: Lifelites is the charity which gives life-limited and disabled children using hospice services across the British Isles the chance to play, be creative, control something for themselves and communicate, through the magic of assistive technology.
Mental Health Foundation: Improving the wellbeing of gamers by funding groundbreaking research and help people understand, protect and sustain their mental health.
SpecialEffect: By using technology ranging from modified joypads to eye-control, SpecialEffect finds ways for people to play to the very best of their abilities. They put fun and inclusion back into the lives of people with physical disabilities by helping them to play video games.
The Grand Appeal: The Grand Appeal, the official Bristol Children’s Hospital charity, are committed to saving lives and supporting families at the children’s hospital.
The Open Bionics Foundation: Open bionics is a company developing affordable, assistive devices that enhance the human body. They’re on a mission to make 3D prosthetics beautiful, functional and more accessible.
War Child: Aiming to reach children as early as possible when conflict breaks out and stay to support them through their recovery - keeping them safe, helping them learn and cope with their experiences, and equipping them with skills for the future.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation: WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins, defending them against the many threats they face through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, science, and rescue.