Can esports and the metaverse improve health outcomes for those aged 50 years and over?

According to several research papers, the answer is a resounding yes. 

ESG Gaming, an award-winning, regulated, not-for-profit community interest company, is founded on the lived experience of poor mental health and addiction by its founder, Lee Willows.  A seasoned leader within the third sector, Lee has a number of significant achievements spanning his 35-year career. Still, he has also experienced the absolute destruction of what an addiction can do to both himself and those around you. Using this lived experience, alongside a group of distinguished colleagues, Lee and the ESG Gaming team use published evidence, medical and consumer insight and research to develop EdTech and health applications both in the metaverse (virtual reality) and through esports.  

The United Kingdom and much of the developed world face challenges from ageing populations, so ESG Gaming will focus its products on this population, those 50 years and over, setting it apart from many organisations that focus on younger people. 

ESG Gaming’s social purpose. 
ESG Gaming, guided by its Theory of Change, will focus on understanding and producing products that have the potential to: 

1. reduce loneliness and social isolation;
2. provide an alternative, drug-free prescriptionfor depression;
3. reduce the risk factors for dementia.

Targeted at those aged 50 years and over and with an initial focus in the United Kingdom, ESG Gaming is proud to be working alongside a number of partners, including VIVERSE by HTC, Fraser Esports, Esports Insider, MDRx and BathSpa University, to develop THE DOME by ESG Gaming and SILVER ESPORTS by ESG Gaming. Medical and charity delivery partners are currently being confirmed, which will underline our collaborative approach. 

THE DOME by ESG Gaming. Powered by VIVERSE, the multi-award-winning immersive platform that recently added to its awards cabinet by scoring the ICT Champion Awards for VR Platform of the Year and the European Metaverse Awards for Top Metaverse Platform – Consumer is our valued tech partner. THE DOME by ESG Gaming is a virtual world where consumers will experience an immersive and nostalgic dome which will host three specific rooms (i) a Health & fitness room where we will host fitness classes and have interactive educational material on diet, physical and mental health, and fitness; (ii) a Mindfulness Space where meditation, mindfulness and relaxation classes will take place and an opportunity to visit some amazing countries virtually and finally (iii) an Auditorium which will host a variety of special interest events including stand-up comedy, motivational speakers and interactive lifestyle gatherings.  Content for THE DOME by ESG Gaming will be consistently evolved based on consumer feedback, stakeholder insight, our own learning and external evaluation.   

SILVER ESPORTS by ESG Gaming. Is an on-site programme of learning over an initial three days with a specific focus on controlled cognitive stimulation, improved memory, enhanced decision-making, stress reduction, social interaction and hand-eye and physical movement coordination.  Delivered using the latest technology and through esports, the course will also teach participants general IT skills led by gaming / (esports). In addition, SILVER SPORTS by ESG Gaming will allow joint learning with peers, family members, and grandchildren, reducing social isolation and loneliness often felt by older people and bridging the generational gap by sharing life experiences and wisdom.   

What makes ESG Gaming different. ESG Gaming colleagues and partners have one thing in common: We are all driven by gracious and kind leadership and genuinely care about humanity. Furthermore, at ESG Gaming, the care for humanity goes even further. We believe businesses and organisations like ESG Gaming should not profit from developing products that improve the population’s mental health. So, we will (i) restrict personal earnings from everybody employed by ESG Gaming to a maximum of £125k annually, irrespective of the earnings of the organisation; (ii) issue no personal shareholding in ESG Gaming; (iii) invest approximately 75% of our surplus to deliver our social purpose and with the permission of the regulator, donate the remaining 25% to charities involved in esports or mental health with our partner Sweet Cabin. ESG Gaming will, in time, commission a formal clinical trial of our products, which is an expensive undertaking. Therefore, we intend to build our level of reserves to ensure we have both six months of operating costs plus enough income to commission a clinical trial once we achieve scale, reach and relevance.   

Our 2024 plans and how we might support each other. In 2024 we intend to:

1. Launch THE DOME by ESG Gaming, reaching and seeking insight from 10,000 users.
2. Launch SILVER ESPORTS by ESG Gaming, reaching and seeking insight from 1,000 participants.
3. Commission and publish an academic evaluation of our products. 
4. Publish two research papers.
5. Raise £250k donations and £25k in pro-bono support. 
6. Establish one national charity partnership and a local NHS partnership.
7. Build upon our board's diversity and medical insight. 
8. Showcase our products at six global tech or medical conferences.   

We’d love to chat with you if you share our collective vision and if you are interested in supporting us with fundraising, sponsorship or marketing. We also offer many employee volunteering opportunities, brand positioning and ownership, trade press coverage, and some wow moments, such as Parliamentary Receptions. We promise fun, smiles, authenticity, and purposeful social impact that will make your heart glow.