As the good boys and girls who make it onto Santa Claus’ nice list every year will tell you, it’s always better to give than to receive. That’s a mantra Team Fortress 2 players would appear to live by, with the community’s latest fund raising exercise – Tip of the Hats 2016 – raising a stack of cash for a very good cause.
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For those not in the know, Tip of the Hats is a now annual fundraiser designed to raise money for Children’s Oncology Services, which offers camps and other educational and programs throughout the year that – in the words of the organisers – “allow children with cancer to just be kids”.
This year’s three day (albeit not continuous) marathon took place over the weekend of Friday September 16 through to Sunday September 18. Members of the Team Fortress community were able to donate in-game items throughout that were then converted into cash for the charity.
In all, more than $180,000 was raised over the three day event, adding to the $320,000 Tip of the Hats has cumulatively raised in the past.
The entire event was streamed live on Twitch (and, indeed, can still be watched now), with merchandise also available for a further ten days. I can’t force you to go and buy any of it, but Iwilltell you that you’d look damn fine in one of those Tip of the Hats t-shirts. Seriously, it would really suit you.