Can playing more Roblox make your kids more philanthropic?
That鈥檚 what the nonprofit Comic Relief US hopes, announcing Tuesday its new Kids Relief initiative to encourage giving and community building with a new virtual world on the social gaming platform. The on Roblox will also serve as a fundraiser for Comic Relief鈥檚 real-life programs battling poverty in America, especially those empowering young people in that fight.
Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief US, told The Associated Press that the Roblox virtual world and the entire Kids Relief initiative is designed to 鈥渟upport young people鈥檚 ability to drive change.鈥�
鈥淐hildren and young people have a deeper understanding that they have the power to make change,鈥� said Moore. 鈥淭hey have the power to gather together and link their arms to do something to change the world tomorrow. They鈥檝e got the mindset that adults don鈥檛 have -- that they can do it.鈥�
Comic Relief US is behind high-profile fundraisers like Red Nose Day, which uses entertainment and celebrities to help generate donations. 鈥淪olarpunk Simulator,鈥� which takes place in a 鈥渇uture world where nature, technology, and people live in harmony鈥� will be no different, with Jack Black appearing as the spaceship captain and Roblox influencers acting as team leaders in the virtual world to get participants to work together toward a common goal.
The launch goal will be a special virtual concert by on April 7, but there may be different goals in the future.
Zach Letter, co-founder and CEO of Wonder Works Studio, which built the experience for Kids Relief, said the idea for the launch is a metaverse twist on the classic grade school fundraiser 鈥淧enny Wars,鈥� where classes compete to see who brings in the most pennies in a week. Instead of pennies, the teams on Roblox are collecting parts of a spaceship together. And instead of a pizza party or extra recess, the winners get to enjoy the concert.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those games that has a lot of audio and visual feedback, so it鈥檚 really satisfying to play and you always feel this sense of power over collecting the materials,鈥� Letter said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to be shoving charity in someone鈥檚 face and make it feel overwhelming and that it鈥檚 all about the donations. We really want kids to have a great time here and educate themselves.鈥�
Items available in the 鈥淪olarpunk Simulator鈥� virtual store will be part of the fundraiser for Kids Relief, Letter said, whether they give the players special powers in the virtual world or allow them to customize how their avatars look.
BoyWithUke, the singer-songwriter who just released his latest major-label EP 鈥淎ntisocial鈥� last month, said he is excited about being part of the initiative.
鈥淎s someone who grew up in poverty, I think this is a mission I can strongly stand behind,鈥� said BoyWithUke, who hides his identity behind a plastic mask with LED lights. And he said he likes the idea of bringing his fans, including his more than 7 million TikTok followers, into the metaverse on Roblox because 鈥測ou can be whoever you want.鈥�
Comic Relief鈥檚 Moore said the Kids Relief campaign is the first initiative supported by the nonprofit鈥檚 Innovation and Growth Fund, which hopes to raise $10 million within three years. The group hopes new ideas supported by the fund will generate $1 billion in social impact to alleviate intergenerational poverty.
鈥淲e want to create more opportunities to have a connection with audiences that are frankly becoming more and more fractured and more and more distracted with everything that鈥檚 going on in the world,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淲e are really thinking about where NextGen audiences are gathering and how we create an experience that鈥檚 going to be organic to where they are 鈥� to be able to engage and delight and fundraise all at the same time.鈥�
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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP鈥檚 collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP鈥檚 philanthropy coverage, visit .
Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press
