A Youtuber, a Politician and a Gorilla Walk Into a Stream

It’s not a joke and it really happened. Leftist Youtuber Hbomberguy (real name Harry Brewis) livestreamed himself playing Donkey Kong 64 for 57 hours between Jan. 19th and the early hours of Jan. 21st.

He ended up raising more than $340,000 for UK-based charity Mermaids, which provides support to transgender youth and their families.

Brewis, who creates videos on a variety of subjects, first proposed the livestream in a video about speed running, a subsection of the video game community that attempts to complete games as quickly as possible under a variety of conditions. Donkey Kong 64, released by developer Rare in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, is infamous for its length and for the immense number of collectable items, all of which Brewis resolved to collect in a “101 percent completion speed run.”

Mermaids was chosen as the recipient after Graham Linehan, an Irish comedy writer and anti-trans bigot, organized an email campaign that resulted in the suspension of a UK-lottery grant that would have gone to Mermaids.

The stream itself was a sight to behold, with a who’s-who of leftwing internet content creators, video game developers and trans-rights activists all joining together in a voice chat as Brewis simultaneously marveled at their success and fought back exhaustion and frustration with the 20-year-old game.

As the stream grew in prominence, a number of celebrities tweeted out links to it.  Others, like whistle-blower and activist Chelsea Manning and Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, made surprise appearances on the stream itself. Ocasio-Cortez, between discussions about marginal tax rates and the government shutdown, declared “trans rights are civil rights are human rights.” A common sentiment expressed by every guest on the stream.

The usage of video game livestreams to raise money for charity is not a new concept. GDQ (Games Done Quick), a semiannual speed running event, regularly raises money for disaster relief, cancer research and Doctors Without Borders. LoadingReadyRun has run an event called Desert Bus for Hope since 2007 to raise money for Child’s Play, a charity begun by Penny Arcade in 2003 to provide toys and games to children in hospitals.

What’s significant about Brewis’s event is the nature of the benefactor and the participants in the livestream itself. The previous video game charity efforts are commendable, and the millions of dollars they have raised have not gone to waste, but they were given to universally acceptable causes with no serious opposition: cancer research and disaster relief.

However, trans rights are not fully implemented or protected, and individual trans people face discrimination and hardship at every turn. Case in point, bigots like Linehan are actively trying to harm groups assisting transgender youth.

Additionally, Brewis’s stream gave a platform for many trans people to speak about what they consider important, from issues directly affecting trans people, like barriers to transition, to issues that impact everyone, like energy and transportation policy.

Most of all, the efforts of Brewis, along with his friends and companions who worked hard to make that charity stream happen, proved that progressive and leftwing charities have an audience who are ready and willing to seek out positive change in this world. It might have been found on Twitch watching a sleep-deprived Briton control a polygonal gorilla, but money and awareness was raised for a progressive cause all the same.