GameGround Powers Up an Online ‘Run for Democracy’ to Raise Awareness and Money in Support of Global Freedoms

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GameGround, the social gaming app that makes it easy for players to discover new games, new ways to play, and to compare and compete with each other, is calling on all those who care about freedom to rally and run for democracy. GameGround’s online Run for Democracy is a charity initiative to raise awareness and money to support democracy and online freedom around the globe. Inspired by the great runs that raise money for the world’s most important causes, GameGround will recruit people from all over the world to run within Canabalt, the independent videogame by Semi Secret Software that anyone can play on their PC via web browser. The donations will go to the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide. Anyone can sign up for GameGround to Run for Democracy at www.gameground.com/rfd/.

Run for Democracy will kick off on Friday, March 11, the first day of the 2011 South by Southwest Festival (SxSW) in Austin, TX, where GameGround is sponsoring the official game developer lounge. GameGround will contribute $1 for every runner who participates in the run - up to $10,000 - and will also incentivize runners to contribute donations themselves. The online run will end when runners have circulated the globe 2.5 times (a cumulative 100,000,000 meters online) or when GameGround and its users have raised $100,000, whichever comes first. At the end of the run, NDI’s board will match all donations as is their standard practice, bringing the potential amount raised to a maximum of $200,000 and effectively doubling the impact of GameGround’s efforts.

“Recent global events were sparked by Internet and social outlets. As a social games company made up of online enthusiasts, GameGround believes in freedom of speech and borderless communication, and we feel it is our responsibility to help make sure that nothing like the recent Internet blackouts in Egypt and other countries or any other limits on access to connectivity, expression or information can take place again,” said Doug Vance, VP of Marketing & Product, GameGround. “We feel it is only fitting to support democracy with the most democratic run ever that lets anyone and everyone participate; it doesn’t require training, or even going outside. Our goal is to connect people around the world in supporting people’s right to access the Internet, communicate with each other, and achieve more open and democratic societies. We were surprised to find that many organizations that support democracy are running out of funds during this critical period and decided to use our love for games to support them.”

The main character of Canabalt is on a constant run through obstacles and breaking walls, a symbol for the fight for democracy the initiative supports. GameGround pledges to do the same and asks any and everyone who can play the accessible and fun Canabalt to join the fight.

Anyone can join GameGround for free and run, and GameGround will incentive runners to also contribute donations. Everyone who donates $5 will receive a digital wallpaper commemorating the Run for Democracy. The first 250 people who donate $10 will receive the digital wallpaper for download, plus they will be recognized on the GameGround leaderboard, and will also receive a limited-edition Run for Democracy pin. The first 100 people to donate $25 will receive all of the above, plus a special Run for Democracy T-Shirt. In addition, SxSW attendees who sign up for the run at GameGround’s booth at ScreenBurn will have the chance to walk away with a limited edition SxSW-exclusive Run for Democracy shirt.

At the conclusion of the run, the player who has run the longest cumulative distance will receive a Platinum Badge for the 2012 SxSW Festival.

Game players of all types can download GameGround and join the Run for Democracy at http://www.GameGround.com/rfd/. Upon joining and downloading the app, participants can instantly start the run and keep track of their running distance as well as the cumulative efforts of all runners. Other than Canabalt, GameGround supports web games, Facebook® games, PC games, and Xbox 360® games, and offers its users ways to discover and explore new games, compare scores amongst friends to see how they stack-up, and forever save and share their greatest achievements and triumphs in their favorite games.

For more information and to download GameGround, please visit http://www.GameGround.com, become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/gameground or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/gameground.

About GameGround

GameGround is a social gaming app for discovery of Web, PC, Xbox and Facebook games, allowing its users to compare, compete and share their accomplishments in their favorite games. The lightweight app saves not only what games its users are playing, but also what they are achieving, enabling it to provide new missions, rewards, high score incentives and ways to showoff achievements amongst friends. GameGround is a private company, headquartered in New York. To learn more about GameGround visit http://www.gameground.com.