WG NA Charity: doing it right

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Hello everyone,

as some of you remember, I recently criticized Wargaming Europe for just dumping a load of cash on a massive charity. Some of you agreed, some of you disagreed with me, but that’s not the point of this post. The point of this post is the fact that Wargaming (not EU, but NA) can do it right (well, right in my eyes anyway).

Chieftain recently posted on his Facebook page about a little kid named Kurt. With his own words:

So, this is Kurt: A lad who has had an unfortunate coming of age far too young, dealing with Leukemia when most of us, when we were ten, were more wondering about things far more frivolous. Anyway, it turns out he was playing World of Tanks in the hospital, so to thank him for trying to recruit the hospital staff into players, we invited him up to the office, and then down to the local tank museum. He seems to have enjoyed himself.

kurt1

You can find more pictures of the event as long on Kurt’s FB page.

This is something I can actually appreciate – taking an actual person, who needs and deserves help and helping. I think this is the right way and I really appreciate what WG NA has done. I hope WG NA will continue doing this and perhaps WG EU can learn here a thing or two about really bringing a smile to a child’s face.

kurt2

38 thoughts on “WG NA Charity: doing it right”

  2. I like both the charity and the fact that you give them credit for it ^^ was a little afraid you’d continue to simply bash WG just for bashing^^

    • Contrary to popular belief, I don’t do that. For example, I really like the IS-6 mission concept and I posted that several times on various places, such as WG EU forums, because it’s a good idea – and I bash when there are things to bash. The fact WG EU has screwups doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate when things are done right, like in this case.

      • That was not exactly what I wanted to say. I just think one might get the impression for example because of the complaint (not only by you, but by a lot of people) about WoWP planes in the holiday specials. Usually i completely agree with you ^^

        Oh and by the way, I loved your article about FTP/subscription games, any chance of reading more of this general game-related stuff?

      • “Think of the poor – it’s free.” The problem with “helping actual specific people” is that it’s basically placebo for your conscience which does crap all about the actual isses.

        Case in point, that’s *exactly* what charity was for centuries – it didn’t exactly meaningfully alleviate the crushing poverty most folks lived under.

        • Youre wrong dude (watchy)!
          Just try to answer the question: how will you help everyone?
          mmmh, i think, if you really want to, you have to start helping “someone”, right?
          So helping all… is maybe not a matter of one person, maybe … of all.
          charity by all, helps all.
          aha … the socialsystems.
          welcome to reality!

    • It’s one thing to help one kid lavishly (like the Batkid thing). Quite another to take him to places he has an interest in.

    • There once was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore, as he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day and he began to walk faster to catch up.
      As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man, and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something, and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
      He called out, “Good morning, what are you doing?”
      The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
      “I guess I should have asked: WHY are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
      “The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them then they’ll die.”
      “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. There must be thousands of them on this beach alone. You can’t possibly hope to make a difference!”
      The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “To THAT one, it made a difference.”

  6. Now imagine being an exnom member and raging at this kid in-game. Wishing him cancer and stuff. Damn it sucks to be a douche.

    • Dude, i was just gonna comment about people like that. Wishing someone cancer, and then realising who you insulted can be really awkward. That is why the Hall of Shame is a GOOD edition to the FTR page. So people like that get exposed.

    • That kid must be like “Joke’s on you, I’m already deathly sick!”. Of course if he has bad sense of humor like me ^^

      • He’s ok guy, but imo he isn’t too much involved in all this. We see more of Chieftain eventhough he is from NA than Challenger who is at EU. He is kind of too passive.

        • Its pretty apparent that whatever the EU bunch do you will bash them so, as for the Challenger Umm he organised the Warchild Charity which I personally thought was a fantastic idea and helped loads of people, so passive well I couldn’t disagree more.I see him on loads of events and he has always been the first to help out our Clan.

          • By the way if you have a chat with Challenger its fascinating, he has more Operational experience on Tanks than anyone I have ever met and some amazing stories.

  9. Its good that they decided to help him out but i am sure they could have taken a few more as well……..
    It seems ever so slightly suspicious.

      • Have you ever dealt with sick kids? I have, and while the doctors know the things that they need to do to give him his best chance, it’s still a long hard struggle for them and their family. Things like this are a real highlight for those kids, and help lift their spirits in tough times. No, it doesn’t “solve” the problem of childhood disease, but it does help people who are in need, and trust me, that need is very real and profound.

        -Uncle of a Leukemia survivor.

        • It may be seen as cheap PR thing for Watchman, but to be honest, when people have it in their heads that someone or something is irredeemable, they will never change it even contrary to the facts given to them.

          It’s stories like this that makes me smile. And WG NA (back before I went to SEA) had always been good with their charity events.

          I thought nothing could’ve topped that story of the girl being driven in a Lamborghini Aventador (specifically colored pink for the event) by Richard Hammond, but damn. He got to go to a tank museum with The_Chieftain. I’m quite jealous and I hope this is enough to have him rise above his sickness.

  10. Respect level for Chieftain has gone from legendary to out of this world, it’s good to see people like him are the ones representing the WoT community :)

  11. This is still pointless charity. Just like the kid that got to play Batman with a thousand people involved this summer in San Francisco. Meanwhile, hundreds of children in the first world perish under horrible conditions, because it’s not worth helping them.

    So this placebo-charity can suck it.

    blow a load of cash on ONE kid, and spread it through all mass media to show how great you are, ignore everyone else.

    • I took this from Moonrider up above give him credit for this NOT ME
      There once was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore, as he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day and he began to walk faster to catch up.
      As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man, and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something, and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
      He called out, “Good morning, what are you doing?”
      The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
      “I guess I should have asked: WHY are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
      “The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them then they’ll die.”
      “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. There must be thousands of them on this beach alone. You can’t possibly hope to make a difference!”
      The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “To THAT one, it made a difference.”