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Gaming for Good: David Beckham’s Esports organisation, Guild, joins the IET’s Difference Makers campaign to shine a light on sustainability

Published: Fri 27 Aug 2021

Fortnite, the global gaming phenomenon played by over 350 million people, isn’t an obvious choice when it comes to making a positive impact on the planet.

But that’s all set to change as our 150th anniversary Difference Makers campaign has partnered with the Guild Esports organisations which is co-owned by David Beckham, to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and sustainability through the action-packed world of competitive videogames.

Harvesting wood is a fundamental part of Fortnite, with players gathering materials to build cover, give themselves a height advantage and win games. But they are now working together to create a Fortnite tournament with a unique difference!

The closed tournament will kick off on Friday, 27 August 2021, and will see players compete in a normal PVP (player-versus-player) match but with the aim to chop down as many trees as possible.

Why? Because for every in-game tree cut down during the tournament, our Difference Makers campaign will be planting one in real life.

And that is not all, we’ll also be calculating the carbon footprint of the tournament – running all those gaming PCs and streaming it out to the world – and will be offsetting it to ensure a net zero environmental impact.

This once-in-a-lifetime event will pitch some of Guild’s best Fortnite players and biggest content creators against Guild’s young Academy students – with participants discussing transferable skills and how a love of gaming can be a gateway into the world of STEM.

Players are competing for more than just the win; they’re also making a positive impact on the world around them.

Tune in with the young people in your life from 5pm today (Friday, 27 August) via the Guild esports Twitch livestream.

The IET’s Difference Makers campaign is to celebrate the charity’s landmark 150th anniversary in 2021. The aim is to connect with passionate young people who want to make a difference, educate them on STEM and ultimately improve our world by making it more sustainable.  

Help us spread the word by sharing the campaign with the young people in your life! Find out more about the Gaming for Good tournament and get inspired over on Twitter and Instagram.