Turning Minecraft players into virtual volunteers whose digital shelters fund real ones for refugees.
In 2020, refugees faced the pandemic without the ability to shelter in place, social distance or get basic supplies. With the Norwegian Refugee Council, we developed Sheltercraft: a campaign to get Minecraft's 150 million players building digital shelters, with corporate sponsors donating for every one built.
In 2020 the world was told to shelter in place, wash its hands and keep its distance. Refugees couldn't do any of it, facing supply shortages, crowded shelters and no room to social distance.
And with everyone absorbed in their own lockdowns, their need was easy to miss. As the world began to reopen, everything was competing for attention.
Working with the Norwegian Refugee Council from April 2020, we set ourselves one mission. Get the world to think beyond its own shelter, and fund one for refugees.
150 million people play Minecraft, a game where you can build literally anything out of simple blocks. Sheltercraft asks them to build something new: shelters for refugees.
Players become virtual volunteers on a dedicated Sheltercraft server, with a shared goal of one million shelters. Every digital shelter triggers a donation from a corporate sponsor toward a real one.
Individuals can pledge too, agreeing to donate for every shelter someone else builds. Hours of play turn into something that matters off-screen.
Gamers build digital shelters on a dedicated Sheltercraft Minecraft server.
Corporate sponsors give toward a real shelter for every one built.
Creators run charity streams on Twitch and YouTube while they build.
Gamers would run charity streams on Twitch and YouTube while they built, bringing sponsors into the conversation. Our research put Minecraft at 32 million viewer hours on Twitch in a single month, so the audience was already there.
We mapped hundreds of Minecraft creators, designed the server world, the website and an influencer pitch video, and built sponsor decks with NRC. The plan was for NRC to approach Microsoft, which owns Minecraft, and other sponsors.
Sheltercraft was developed with NRC between April and September 2020, from the first deck to the influencer pitch video. A public launch is not confirmed.
What if playing Minecraft built real refugee shelters?
The world was told to stay home. Refugees couldn’t. The Norwegian Refugee Council asked Buena to make people look beyond their own shelter, and fund one for refugees.
