GAMES AID
GamesAid is a UK registered charity (founded 2008) that channels donations from the UK video games industry to small children's charities, using a democratic model where members vote annually on which charities receive support. It raises funds through industry events, corporate sponsorships, and digital platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersEvesham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What GAMES AID does
GamesAid is a UK registered charity (Charity #1081706), founded in 2008, that operates as a non-trading umbrella organization directing funds from the UK video games industry to small children's charities. It functions as the only fully democratic charity in the UK games space: industry professionals join as free members, nominate causes annually, and vote on which small UK charities (those with turnover under £3m and admin costs under 30%) will receive support. Five to six charities are selected each year and receive an equal share of annual funds raised, alongside in-kind support including industry network access and mentorship. The charity has cumulatively raised over £5.65m for beneficiary causes, with £120,000 distributed in 2022/2023 and £150,000 in 2023/2024.
The organization has no proprietary technology stack; it operates a standard digital infrastructure of consumer SaaS platforms. Core fundraising "products" include the annual Charity Selection Service (membership voting), the Events Program (Gala Dinner, Go Karting Championship, Golf & Spa Day, Charity Poker Tournament at Develop:Brighton, and Bowl for GamesAid), the GamesAid eBay Store for selling donated industry merchandise and games, a Membership Program for industry professionals, a JustGiving donation channel, a Benevity-powered Payroll Giving program, and an annual 12 Days of Christmas eBay Auction.
The operating model is volunteer-led: 1-10 paid staff (a General Manager, Operations & Communications Officer, and Operations Coordinator) supported by a board of trustees appointed on fixed terms, alongside an extended ambassador network drawing from across the UK games industry. Revenue is generated through event ticket sales and sponsorship (e.g., Gala tables at £3,495 + VAT, Go Karting team entry at £650), corporate sponsorships covering day-to-day running costs (Sumo Group as inaugural two-year sponsor), individual and corporate donations, digital download bundles with publishers, and proceeds from eBay merchandise sales. Geographic scope is the United Kingdom, with events held across London, Brighton, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Daventry, and Hertfordshire.
GAMES AID firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GAMES AID
- Legal name
- Games Aid
- Website
- https://gamesaid.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- GamesAid is a UK registered charity (founded 2008) that channels donations from the UK video games industry to small children's charities, using a democratic model where members vote annually on which charities receive support. It raises funds through industry events, corporate sponsorships, and digital platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GAMES AID industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Fundraising
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)
Keywords
Where GAMES AID is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evesham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
GAMES AID business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Event-based fundraising: Funds are raised through industry activities including social or sporting events such as Gala dinners, Go Karting championships, Golf and Spa days, Poker tournaments, and bowling events.
- Donations and memberships: Individual and corporate donations and memberships from UK games industry professionals who join as free members.
- Digital download bundles: Revenue generated through digital download bundles with game publishers and platforms.
- eBay merchandise sales: Sales of donated games memorabilia on eBay, including video games, merchandise, collectables, and swag from games industry studios.
- Corporate sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support day-to-day running costs of the charity, enabling all fundraising efforts to go directly to supported charities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gala Dinner tickets and tables |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Go Karting Championship team entry |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Golf and Spa Day packages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Charity Poker Tournament ticket |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bowl for GamesAid team entry |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
GAMES AID product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GamesAid is a UK-registered games industry charity that raises funds through industry events, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, digital download bundles, and resale of donated games merchandise. All proceeds are distributed in equal shares to small UK children's charities (turnover under £3m, admin costs under 30%) selected annually through a member voting process administered by volunteer trustees from the games industry.
Product overview
Games Aid is a UK-based video games industry charity (Registered Charity #1081706) that operates as an umbrella organization supporting smaller charities for disadvantaged and disabled children and young people. As the only fully democratic charity in the games space, it offers a membership program where industry professionals nominate and vote on annual charity selections. The organization's core services include an annual charity selection process, a program of fundraising events (bowling, poker tournaments, golf days, go-karting championships, and gala dinners), an eBay store for donated merchandise, and digital donation channels via JustGiving and payroll giving. The membership program enables industry participation in selecting causes, with supported charities receiving both financial donations and access to the industry's professional network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- GamesAid Charity Selection Service
- GamesAid Events Program
- GamesAid eBay Store
- GamesAid Membership Program
- JustGiving Donation Platform
- Payroll Giving Program
- Merchandise Donation Service
- 12 Days of Christmas Auction
Quantifiable outcome
- Raised over £5.65 million for children's charities since founding in 2008
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use GAMES AID
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
GAMES AID technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
GAMES AID partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- GamesporiumminorE-commerce platform selling video games that partnered with GamesAid for a Spring Sale, donating 1% of every game sale to the charity. GamesAid streams featured titles on Twitch during the sale period.
- Curve GamesminorSupported the first GamesAid Gala Dinner event as a sponsor.
- Publisher CollectiveminorSupported the first GamesAid Gala Dinner event as a sponsor.
- Antsream ArcademinorSponsor of the second GamesAid Gala Dinner.
- BastionminorSponsor of the second GamesAid Gala Dinner.
- Hangar 13minorSponsor of the second GamesAid Gala Dinner.
- Motorsport GamesminorSupported the GamesAid Go Karting Championship event.
- Criterion GamesminorSupported the GamesAid Go Karting Championship event.
- Splash DamageminorTournament sponsor for GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament at Develop: Brighton 2026.
- Reforged StudiosminorTournament sponsor for GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament at Develop: Brighton 2026.
- Kudos GamesminorTournament sponsor for GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament at Develop: Brighton 2026.
- Wizards of the CoastminorTournament sponsor for GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament at Develop: Brighton 2026.
- NTIminorTournament sponsor for GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament at Develop: Brighton 2026.
- Develop:BrightonminorVenue sponsor for GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament. Tickets only available for Develop:Brighton delegates.
- eBayminorPlatform for GamesAid eBay store selling donated video games, merchandise, and memorabilia from the games industry.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
GAMES AID competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Games for Change: A larger, established nonprofit driving social impact through games and interactive media. Broader geographic remit but overlaps with GamesAid's positioning of games as a force for positive social outcomes, particularly for young people.
- War Child UK: UK children's charity with established games-industry partnerships (e.g., War Child Aid video-game bundles). Broader mission but directly competing for the same UK games-industry corporate-sponsorship and digital-bundle real estate as GamesAid.
- British Red Cross: A major UK charity with established corporate-partnership and payroll-giving infrastructure that GamesAid's newer partnerships (Sumo, GG Insurance, Benevity) explicitly emulate. Comparable for the corporate-sponsorship and payroll-giving GTM motions, although mission is far broader.
Direct peers
- AbleGamers Foundation: A US-based charity similarly leveraging the video games industry to fundraise for disabled young people, with a comparable mission of using games for therapeutic and accessibility outcomes. Most directly comparable as a games-industry-aligned charity serving disabled children and young adults.
- SpecialEffect: A UK-registered charity using video games to help disabled young people, overlapping directly with GamesAid's beneficiary focus and UK geography. Comparable as a games-and-disability charity sharing the same donor ecosystem.
- Lifelites: UK charity providing gaming and assistive technology to children in hospices and was itself a GamesAid beneficiary in 2022/23. Comparable as a UK children's charity whose funding is heavily dependent on industry-aligned fundraising.
- Child's Play Charity: A gaming-community charity that distributes donations and gifts to children in hospitals and similar settings, sustained by the games industry's fan and studio donor base. Closely mirrors GamesAid's model of channelling industry goodwill into children's-charity impact.
Emerging players
- Take This: A US games-industry-affiliated nonprofit focused on mental health, with parallel community events and industry partnerships. Comparable as a smaller games-industry charity fundraising through community events for social-impact beneficiaries.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
GAMES AID social profiles
Digital presenceGAMES AID compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
GAMES AID financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GAMES AID leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles27 records
GAMES AID funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GAMES AID M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about GAMES AID
What does GAMES AID do?
GamesAid is a UK-registered games industry charity that raises funds through industry events, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, digital download bundles, and resale of donated games merchandise. All proceeds are distributed in equal shares to small UK children's charities (turnover under £3m, admin costs under 30%) selected annually through a member voting process administered by volunteer trustees from the games industry.
Is GAMES AID a public or private company?
GAMES AID is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was GAMES AID founded?
GAMES AID was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is GAMES AID based?
GAMES AID is headquartered in Evesham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does GAMES AID make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Event-based fundraising is the primary driver. The others are donations and memberships, digital download bundles, eBay merchandise sales and corporate sponsorship.
Who are GAMES AID's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Games for Change, War Child UK and British Red Cross. Direct peers are AbleGamers Foundation, SpecialEffect, Lifelites and Child's Play Charity. Take This is listed as an emerging player.
Does GAMES AID have an API?
No public API is recorded for GAMES AID.
What industry is GAMES AID in?
GAMES AID's product category is Charitable Fundraising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support). Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 7900.