Summer has come to a close along with Q3, which means it’s time for us to update the Gamers Outreach community on the status of our list of goals so far this year.
For a full look at our 2025 objectives, kindly refer to our annual report. This year, we’re looking to upgrade our infrastructure and throughput, expand Save Point, and continue supporting wishlist hospitals. Before we go over those, however, we wanted to talk about how we’re continuing to improve our GO Karts going forward.
GO Kart v3.1 and other changes
Nearly two years ago, we launched GO Kart 3.0 and have since shipped hundreds of units to hospitals around the world. We’re happy to announce a new and improved iteration of the GO Kart will begin shipping later this month!
While maintaining mostly the same look, the GO Kart 3.1 incorporates several small but meaningful design enhancements to improve safety, durability, and ease of use for hospital staff. These alterations were based on feedback from our healthcare partners, and we hope to continue our strong partnerships with this feedback.
Key improvements to the GO Kart 3.1 include but are not limited to a new grommet to prevent unnecessary insertions through the bottom of the GO Kart, a stronger monitor pole for durability, and an additional keylock for added security.
In addition to the GO Kart’s material and design enhancements, to account for rising fulfillment costs (including the rising costs of games, consoles, and accessories), shipping, labor, and other market conditions and factors outside the foundation’s control, the overall cost of the GO Kart will increase from $3,500 to $4,000.
All GO Karts will continue to come equipped with a monitor, a game console of the hospital’s choice and two controllers with over 10 games pre-installed, as well as adaptive controllers upon request) and all necessary power, video, and charging cables.
Warehouse Updates
In the Q2 update, we mentioned that we signed a three-year lease on a warehouse in Ann Arbor. Not only does that make planning for Gamers For Giving easier, but this facility will serve as our central hub for shipping, storage, and volunteer engagement, helping us bring gaming more quickly to hospitals around the world.
Our operations team has begun preparing the site and is awaiting installation of electrical outlets as well as an internet drop as we continue building our core infrastructure. The power and internet will be pivotal for things like supporting fulfillment, Save Point prizes, and making upgrades to improve our GFG network configurations.
Save Point
We have some exciting and awesome Save Point updates to share, primarily with each machine’s contents! Our business development team has also been hard at work at securing more prizes for the Save Point machines.
The only thing better than a cushion is a Transformers cushion, thanks to Symbiote Studios!
In addition to those fun cushions above, our newer Save Point additions include over 900 plushies from Symbiote Studios and board games from Chip Theory, including Neighborhood Hide & Seek and Tangram Adventure. We have also recently acquired a wide range of gaming and geek culture socks, one of our most popular items for self-expression in the hospital, so there’ll definitely be something for everyone when it comes to Save Point prizing!
The new backend software development we mentioned in Q2 is ongoing, and we still anticipate it to go into effect early next year. If you or any healthcare facilities you know of might be interested in having their own Save Point machine, definitely make a request here to be added to the Save Point Wishlist!
Player 2
Our Player 2 Program is going strong!
We currently have 51 volunteers that are active or going through orientation, with 19 hospitals currently participating in the program.
We’re always looking for more Player 2 participation. So if you’re interested in volunteering or know a hospital interested in enrolling in the program, definitely check out the Player 2 page!
Recent Deliveries
With all of the activity we’ve had so far this year shipping GO Karts, we have been eagerly awaiting this next shipment to come in to replenish supply. In the meantime, we do have some photos of new GO Karts in new locations to share, so we hope you enjoy this selection of them below!
fr. Iron Galaxy
Orlando, FL
fr. HCS Grassroots
Augusta, GA
fr. CoServ
Propser, TX
fr. CivGive
Springfield, OR
fr. American Eagle Foundation
Syracuse, NY
fr. Hermitcraft
Glasgow, Scotland
Last quarter, you might remember us mentioning that we made our first GO Kart delivery to Japan. Since then, a couple of their hospitals sent beautiful photos and the staff of Tohoku General hospital sent us a heartfelt letter!
fr. Hermitcraft
Osaka, Japan
Sendai, Japan
You can read more about it in our Halo World Championship blog, but the visit we made to Seattle Children’s with Master Chief was definitely a key Q3 highlight! We got to visit with several kids at the hospital and even took part in Teen Night, which allowed us to play all sorts of games with the patients.
New Country Unlocked: South Africa
Last, but certainly not least, we’ve entered another new country!
Sitting at Nelson Mandela Children’s in Johannesburg, this GO Kart is the first of hopefully many in South Africa. Thank you and congratulations to our friends at Chaos Crew for making that delivery possible!
The quest continues!
As the year begins to wind down, there are so many ways to help us keep bringing smiles to the kids! Whether it’s by you kindly making a donation or volunteering at an event or streaming during an event like Spooktacular, here are some of the best ways to contribute!
Be A Part Of Monthly Gifting!
Our monthly giving program, The GRID, exists for those looking to provide their support to Gamers Outreach programs year round, and we keep making it better! By becoming a member and making a monthly donation, you’ll have the ability to witness the impact of your support over time.
Everyone in our monthly giving program is a huge help. Monthly donations help maintain and repair GO Karts, restock Save Points, and keep programs running strong — all while providing you with exclusive updates and behind-the-scenes stories from our team. One day, we hope our Monthly Giving grows to a point where it can raise enough for a GO Kart every quarter, but we’re not quite there yet. Joining now would bring us another step closer.
Follow our socials!
There’s no easier way to get involved with Gamers Outreach than staying informed through our social channels. Be on the lookout for more impact updates, future activations, and wholesome fun!
Until next time!
Keep helping others level up!
The Gamers Outreach Crew