How Minecraft Players Are Funding Stem Cell Research
Online video game streaming service Twitch is hosting a 24-hour Minecraft marathon to benefit the National Stem Cell Foundation. The Saturday, June 6 charity marathon, called Reason2Play, is slated to feature top Minecraft players. According to a release by the NSCF, the Minecraft players said they'd log 10,000 hours on the intensely popular video game in order to help fund stem cell science. During the marathon, Twitch will promote the Reason2Play effort and ask viewers to make donations to the NSCF. The foundation likens Minecraft's use of blocks to create structures in-game to stem cells being the "building blocks of the human body.", "Mastering Minecraft requires a great deal of ingenuity, creativity, and social cooperation," said Dr. Paula Grisanti, the chair of the National Stem Cell Foundation, in a statement. "Not only that, it has proven to be a highly successful educational tool all over the world.", "Reason2Play is a terrific opportunity to make the connection to stem cell research and treatment among gamers because they value skill, innovation, and dedication," added Grisanti. The company behind Minecraft was acquired by Microsoft last year for 2.5 billion. At the time, the 10-year-old daughter of Fortune's Jennifer Reingold penned a letter to CEO Satya Nadella about the game.