With endless stories about the deteriorating mental health around the world caused by a number of economic, health, environmental and other factors, today we instead have a story about a small effort to combat it from Gears of War.
The Coalition, the developer that helms the series, has announced on the official Xbox news site that a small portion of money generated from the series will go towards the cause of suicide prevention.
“Today, we are proud to announce that The Coalition will donate 1% of net revenue from all Gears of War games and merchandise to organizations working to prevent suicide and combat loneliness through mental health advocacy. This is a multi-year commitment our studio is making to give back to our community and create real-world impact. We are proud to announce Crisis Text Line as our first partner. As we continue to grow and evolve this program, we hope to be able to partner with more organizations around the world,” the announcement reads.
This statement also includes contact information for Crisis Text Line by sending an SMS with the text “PAUSE” to 741741 or a WhatsApp to (443)-SUPPORT.
While these lines are open all hours of all days, they are only available to those in Canada, Ireland and the USA. A more comprehensive list of similar services around the world, including South Africa, can be found here.
Merch shown off here includes T-shirts – both real and digital – featuring iconography from Gears of War and the slogan “Never Fight Alone”.
Never Fight Alone is the name of a programme by Crisis Text Line which includes checking up on family and friends to make sure they’re doing okay and using the aforementioned communication lines to speak to volunteers.
“Wear your support with the 2022 Never Fight Alone benefit tee from the Xbox Gear Store or Game Planet for those in Mexico. Designed by our close friend, Luke Preece, all proceeds from the purchase of this special edition tee will go directly to Crisis Text Line,” reads another point from the initiative list.
Those in the USA who are part of Microsoft Rewards can also donate their points over this weekend to Crisis Text Line.
