Esports tournament organiser Blast Premier has pledged $12,500 to SpecialEffect, a UK-based charity that uses gaming tech to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
The Counter-Strike tournament organiser started putting fines aside that were deducted from teams during the 2020 Fall Season and Global Final – and gave them to charity.
Blast – which has offices in London – spoke about the good work SpecialEffect does.
Andrew Haworth, commissioner for Blast Premier, said: “We’re delighted to be able to donate last season’s Blast Premier Fall Season team fines towards such an important and worthy cause in the form of SpecialEffect’s life-changing work.
“We know first hand the good gaming and esports brings to millions of lives around the world, but not all of us are fortunate enough to be able to readily access it and that’s where their brilliant work comes in, by ensuring those with disabilities don’t miss out on the good gaming can bring to their lives.”
“This is an astonishing donation and we simply can’t thank the team at Blast enough for such a wonderful and innovative gesture.”
Mark Saville, SpecialEffect
The donation will help SpecialEffect continue its life-changing work and engage with more participants by developing and purchasing bespoke technology, in order to help bring those living with disabilities closer to the world of gaming.
Every system SpecialEffect recommends or loans is personalised, from modified gaming controllers to eye-control systems.
Depending on their condition, gamers can use voice controls, accessibility switches or a chin joystick, or use a customised controller.
Mark Saville, communications support at SpecialEffect, said: “This is an astonishing donation and we simply can’t thank the team at Blast enough for such a wonderful and innovative gesture. It’s a donation that will help us bring the magic of gaming into many, many lives worldwide.”
BBC recently broadcasted the CSGO Blast Premier Series.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
