By Zynga
This holiday season FarmVille players are making their “presents” felt. A few weeks ago, we released a new farm in FarmVille called Holiday Lights. We’ve delivered quite a few expansion farms over the years, but Holiday Lights is special – it’s a first-of-its-kind holiday farm centered solely on charity and the spirit of giving. With the help of Zynga.org, 100 percent of Zynga’s share on in-game items, a few dollars here and there, went towards Feeding America. To shine a light on the generosity of the entire community of FarmVille players, the town of Holiday Lights grew bigger and brighter as players made contributions.
We originally set what we believed was a lofty goal: raise $500,000 one dollar at a time. But, days after releasing the farm to players we noticed something that blew us away. Within a week, we were on track to reach the $500k goal. To keep the giving going, we decided to raise the goal to $1 million and within just 20 days, FarmVille players collectively generated $1 million to help fight hunger – which is enough to deliver 9 million meals to those in need this holiday season.
We’ve seen player generosity take many forms in FarmVille over the years.
In fact, 60 percent of FarmVille players have contributed to charities through FarmVille, according to a recent in-game survey, totaling more than $7 million dollars raised to-date. We put some of the most inspiring giving figures we’ve found in the graphic below, and hearing players tell us why they give really warms our hearts.
Like Sheila Cross, from New York: “What better way to spend your existence than by helping others in need. When FarmVille began asking players to donate to charitable causes, I thought it was such a smart way to get more people to help one another. For me personally, I’ve become more aware of causes because of campaigns in FarmVille, and I wish we will all capture the Christmas spirit of giving all year long.”
And Mary Beth Duncan Wilson from Odessa, Texas: I give to charity thru Zynga because I feel like I am getting a chance to pay it forward. I have been helped at various times in my life, and donating through a game like FarmVille gives me the opportunity to give to those in need with confidence.”
As for what’s next, FarmVille is now taking the fight to end hunger globally. This year, as part of Zynga’s second “Oh, What Fun!” in-game holiday charity campaign, players will be able to contribute to Heifer International through special in-game purchases of limited edition FarmVille items.On a personal note, it is both humbling and inspiring to be part of such a dedicated and big-hearted community.
On behalf of all of us on the FarmVille team, thanks so much for playing. Thanks for making a difference. Thanks a million
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