after a controversy, Internet users make the organizers bend over the choice of the beneficiary association

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A foundation decried by Internet users and some big names absent: more than a week after the announcement of the holding of its 5th edition on September 9, 10 and 11, the Z Event 2022 is trying to overcome its false start. After nearly 130,000 online votes, five associations have been selected to benefit from donations from spectators of the next charity marathon around the streaming of video games. Sea Shepherd, the Bird Protection League, WWF, Time for The Planet, and The SeaCleaners take the place of the GoodPlanet Foundation. The end of a controversial sequence, where the pressure of Internet users has shaken up the organization.

On July 4, the announcement is a surprise. a tweet : “You didn’t expect to see us again so soon, admit it”. A video made of archival images, on a half-touching, half-epic soundtrack. And in capital letters, gray and green: “The Z Event is back”. After a record edition in 2021, with more than 10 million euros in donations for Action Against Hunger, the announcement caused a stir on social networks. But quickly, a flood of Internet users tick on a first thing: the programming. Of the sixty streamers supposed to perform the show during the 50 hours of live streaming on Twitch, major figures are missing.

Historical frameworks, such as Gotaga, the Player of the Attic or Squeezie (who had already missed the previous edition) are no longer on view. But also newcomers from last year like Amine, RebeuDeter, or Inoxtag, who electrified the Z Event 2021. Disappointment for Internet users. Some cry sectarianism, others racism. In a thread (series of tweets), the co-creator of the marathon, Adrien Nougaret (known as “Zerator”), justifies these absences by “scheduling issues”. And some of the creators concerned end up deflating the controversy. “We were all invited back for the most part, tweets RebeuDeter the very evening of the announcement. It’s just that it does not fit the schedule of some and that there have been 1 or 2 very rare cases of refusal.

A few days after the announcement, video game streamer Maghla explains on his Twitter profile. “I refused in relation to the association which did not suit me”. Gradually, a wave of criticism swept over the foundation selected to receive the Z Event 2022 donations, GoodPlanet (created by Yann Arthus-Bertrand in 2005). Greenwashing with companies like Total, links with the banking sector, polluting NFTs: accusations against the association committed to the environment abound on social networks.

Albande Godard, Executive Director of the foundation, announces in a video on July 9 : “Because the ecological cause should not suffer from unnecessary controversy at a time when it is time to act, we have decided to withdraw from the Z Event 2022”. On the organizational side, an online voteopen to all, is launched on Sunday at 2 p.m., with a preselection of 22 associations, “capable of managing such a sum”, and all committed to ecology. 72 hours later, five of them are retained (against only one historically). Without the questions of Internet users disappearing. Zerator concludes the sequence in yet another tweet : “Whether you like the 5 associations or not, we will be very attentive to the use of the funds. We will not change the past / present of an association. Compromises and concessions”.


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