Take a moment as you prep for the long holiday weekend to see if you can find a moment to sit down and spend some time watching people play video games in the name of supporting a great cause. Take This, a non-profit charity that aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and provide support inside and outside of the gaming space, is hosting a weekend-long live stream featuring a rotating cast of guests.
Starting on Saturday at 12pm ET with Take This co-founder (and Digital Trends contributor!) Russ Pitts, the streams run through the rest of that day and the next, ending on Sunday at midnight (ET). The guests will be playing games as they chat on any number of topics. The goal is to have some good times while educating viewers, and hopefully generate a little donation money in the process.
Here’s a rundown of the weekend’s schedule:
- Saturday 12pm ET — Russ Pitts — Chibi-Robo
- Saturday 2pm ET — Susan Arendt — Tomb Raider
- Saturday 4pm ET — AbleGamers Craig Kaufman &Steven Spohn — TBD
- Saturday 6pm ET — Jacqui Collins — TBD
- Saturday 8pm ET — Anthony Carboni — TBD
- Saturday 10pm ET — LoadingReadyRun — TBD
- Sunday 12am ET — Phil Kollar – TBD
- Sunday 2am ET — Sean Sands — Kerbal Space Program
- Sunday 4am ET — ???
- Sunday 6am ET — Sarah LeBoeuf (with Luke Brown and Josh Henderson) — TBD
- Sunday 8am ET — Dan Hevia — Destiny
- Sunday 9am ET — Jim Sterling — TBD
- Sunday 11am ET — Dr. Mark Kline — Hearthstone
- Sunday 12pm ET — Shane Liesegang — Skyrim
- Sunday 2pm ET — Julian Murdoch — League of Legends
- Sunday 4pm ET — Kevin Dent — TBD
- Sunday 5pm ET — Ashley Esqueda — TBD
- Sunday 6pm ET — Jeff Green — Dark Souls 2
- Sunday 8pm ET — Elisa Melendez — TBD
- Sunday 10pm ET — Russ & Susan — Diablo 3
Take This was founded in 2012 by Russ Pitts and Susan Arendt, both game journalists, and Dr. Mark Kline, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist. The organization’s broader efforts are mirrored in the focus of the weekend streams: Raise awareness and provide support, in a number of different ways. Streams like this help to raise awareness, but agents of Take This also work on the ground at events like PAX to offer safe, calming spaces — AFK Rooms, as they’re called — for anyone who needs it.
Even if you can’t donate, tune in to the stream if you’ve got some time this weekend. You’re bound to learn a thing or two, and you’ll watch and listen as knowledgeable folks talk and play the games that they love. Check out the stream at TakeThis.org, or watch it direct on the charity’s Twitch page.
