League of Legends players now have a new payment method they can use to pay for skins: human blood. It’s not quite a new currency, though, as it’s part of a drive to help the blood supplier of the Netherlands, Sanquin, find a new source of life-saving plasma in the veins of gamers.
Riot is providing Sanquin donors with a Blood Moon Thresh appropriate for the occasion as part of the #MyFirstBlood promotion ahead of the EU LCS Summer Finals. Riot says “anybody who has watched the EU LCS can tell you that securing First Blood is one of the most important objectives on the Rift. Similarly, donating blood in real life is crucial for those in need.” That’s maybe a stretch of a connection, but I won’t argue too much when it’s for charity.
Getting the skin requires a fair few hoops to jump through beyond living in the Netherlands and giving blood. You’ve got to take a selfie at the donation location and send it off to Sanquin in exchange for your Thresh skin. You can find out more via Sanquin’s website, or get the details in English directly from Riot.
League of Legends patch 8.17 is set to go live soon, most notably bringing us the Nunu rework. You won’t have to give up your blood for any of those, but you should probably consider doing so regardless. It’s an easy way to save a life.