Animal Crossing: New Horizons raises funds for T1D research in Omnipod Bay stream
Five content creators who live with type 1 diabetes will explore the island, stream it, and raise some bells for T1D research.
JDRF, a global organization that finances Type 1 diabetes research, collaborated with Insulet Corporation and Nintendo to include diabetes representation in the popular Nintendo Switch game Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Omnipod Bay
Insulet selected JDRF to be one of four non-profits featured on the island, which was designed to be a welcoming, family-friendly place where players may see their T1D experiences reflected in the game.
Players may complete an obstacle maze to get entry to a secret area, walk the catwalk in their new diabetes-friendly attire, sing at a concert, snap selfies in spots littered with diabetes jokes, and break a hidden code to earn an in-game gift in Omnipod Bay.
“My brother and I both live with T1D, and we grew up playing video games. If we’d seen this type of diabetes representation in a game as kids, it would have meant so much,” says Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., CEO, JDRF International.
“JDRF is proud to partner with Insulet for this unique experience, and we are excited for the diabetes community to explore Omnipod Bay,” he added.
Great representation in Animal Crossing
On the island, JDRF and three additional advocate partners (Beyond Type 1, Children with Diabetes, and Kyler Cares Foundation) have kiosks with bespoke T-shirts and caps for sale. Players may also build avatars that look like them by downloading 15 in-game clothes, such as insulin pumps and diabetic supply packs.
JDRF Game2Give, a program that mobilizes the video gaming community to generate money for treatments, will introduce Omnipod Bay today at a live stream and fundraising event. Five T1D-affected content artists will go to the island, play in party games, and collect money while live-streaming the event on their Twitch feeds. Tune into JDRF’s Twitch channel to see Omnipod Bay for the first time or visit their Tiltify page to donate. They have a $15,000 fundraising target.
Using the dream code DA-9645-5879-6910 in-game, players can visit the diabetes-themed island Omnipod Bay in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
