As our long-time readers would know, Game Rant and its sister sites recently partnered up with The Starlight Children’s Foundation to help bring smiles and hope to children in long-term hospital care. After a successful campaign, where you helped us raise over $50,000 to bring consoles to these kids, Starlight is continuing its momentum with a brand-new partnership.
As festive season approaches, it is more important than ever to spread cheer and good spirits to children in care and their families. As such, Starlight have partnered with EB Games Canada in a wonderful initiative that will run until the end of 2025.
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Gaming 4 Good helps hospitalized children rediscover their joy and identity through gaming stations. Read more about how you can help our case.
The Starlight Children’s Foundation Knows It’s More Than Just A Game
While hospital care is an essential and, at times, life-saving service for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses, being in an environment of this nature for extended periods of time can be demoralizing for children and their families. This is something Starlight recognized, which is why it is committed to giving these young patients an opportunity to enjoy some of the best parts of being a child, as well as allowing them to continue to connect with their friends and family that aren’t there with them.
In 2024 alone, Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada placed over 100 Starlight Gaming units in hospitals across nine provinces, bringing the power of play to thousands of children. These efforts increased the number of active systems in hospitals to well over 420, which are used over 2,000 times a year, bringing countless moments of comfort and connection for kids facing long or repeated hospital stays.
The benefits of Starlight’s ongoing campaign have been astounding. While the physical health of patients has long been cared for, 83% of hospitals reported lacking the resources to care for the mental health needs of patients. This is where the gaming systems have had a tremendously positive impact. According to participating hospital partners:
- 98% say Starlight Gaming Systems benefit the mental health of their patients.
- 95% have seen positive changes in children’s behavior, including reduced anxiety and restlessness.
- 95% report that the systems make interactions with hospital staff easier.
While consoles and gaming PCs are something gamers use as a hobby or to cap off a busy working day, these systems are helping to heal these kids in ways medicine can’t — through laughter, energy, and connection.
EB Games Canada Joins Forces With Starlight To Spread Holiday Cheer
Coming off the heels of a successful campaign with Game Rant and its sister sites, the Starlight Children’s Foundation continues its efforts to support children in long-term hospital care. Throughout November and December, both Starlight and EB Games Canada have committed to raising $500,000 for these kids, with the hopes of using this funding to continue introducing gaming systems to hospitals, providing patients with something to distract and uplift during difficult treatment cycles.
From November 3 until December 31, 2025, EB Games Canada is committed to donating profits from any console or game trade-ins that are provided by customers, which keeps pre-owned hardware out of landfill, while supporting a very important and essential cause. For each pre-owned game, gear, or console traded in, EB Games will donate 10% of the total value directly to Starlight.
To put into perspective, the Starlight game systems, which include a Nintendo Switch, Pro Controller, Two Joy-Con Controllers, and 25 preloaded games on a colorful, mobile, and easy-to-sanitize unit, cost $5,000 each to make and distribute. So, with the help of EB Games, Starlight is hoping to raise enough funding for at least 100 more systems for these children.
