In times of crisis, we see different communities band together and lend a hand in humanitarian efforts to aid those in need — gaming communities included. In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine — an act of aggression starting a premeditated war — many Ukrainians are in danger and are seeking refuge.
As Final Fantasy XIV players ourselves, we want to highlight an effort started by a group of FFXIV communities called the FFXIV Peace Drive. It’s a fundraising campaign where all donations go to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The IFRC, alongside other Red Cross organizations, will be aiding and providing the humanitarian needs of Ukrainians still in the country and in the surrounding areas.
The joint campaign has already begun and is being led by Fey’s Temperance, a Discord community and resource that specializes in guides for Healer roles in FFXIV. They’re partnering with other FFXIV community groups such as FFXIV Europe, Akhmorning, and Creator’s Guild for this charity drive.
You can contribute directly to the FFXIV Peace Drive Tiltify donation page. FFXIV players are also encouraged to take part in the event itself, which revolves around helping new players complete content for their first time. You can join the Fey’s Temperance Discord channel to get all the information on the event and participate.
Play FFXIV and raise money for charity. For more info. Check our discord.
This is in partnership with @ffxiv_eu @ffcreatorsguild @akhmorning and our passionate content creator partners.
You can also directly donate here: https://t.co/glBhGJNBgM pic.twitter.com/G7lMrI5guY
— Fey's Temperance フェイ・テンパランス (@FeysTemperance) February 24, 2022
In summary, here’s how the event works. Participants must help other players clear in-game content for the first time. They then need to submit a screenshot in the Discord channel as proof they were in a party that had at least one (1) player who cleared the instance for the first time (there are several in-game indicators for this). Clears for different types of content will raise the total donation amount by different increments. The organizers of the event will contribute a total based on the accumulated dollar amount from all valid submissions. Participants can submit as many clears as they want as long as they’re in line with the event’s rules. Straightforward donations can also be made through the aforementioned Tiltify campaign page, which will raise the donation cap from the event itself.
The FFXIV community groups involved in this event have led several other charity efforts in the past, such as fundraising for cancer research, and were able to raise several thousands of dollars.
Fey’s Temperance admin who goes by Yuni provided the fundraiser’s details on Discord, adding, “War is terrible. Let’s work together and aid the ones in need.” Submissions and contributions for the FFXIV Peace Drive will be open until March 7.
A prominent figure in the FFXIV community is also caught in the middle of the crisis. Popular streamer and content creator ZeplaHQ, who lives in Ukraine, recently fled the country during the Russian invasion. She’s been documenting this on Twitter and published a video earlier this month talking about the situation. She’s currently safe in Poland.
During this time, it’s important to be extra cognizant of what’s happening and how people are being affected — this includes being judicious about getting and sharing information, and if you intend on donating, taking extra steps to make sure your aid is going to the right sources. There are other support efforts you can look into as well — Zepla herself pointed to a Reddit thread with a number of charities (sourced by journalists at the Kyiv Independent) that you can support.
