Gaming for Good

The Schifani brothers – Adam, Nick and Paul – have a mission: gaming for a good cause.

In 2015, Adam and Nick Schifani noticed an undercurrent in Memphis culture.

“It’s a great city for sports, but we knew that there was a movement of people into pop culture, too,” says Nick. “Video games, movies, comics ... We thought, let’s start an outlet.”

And so they launched a blog, Nerd901.

In over the last five years, they’ve expanded their team, kicked off a Nerd901 podcast and covered everything from comics and video games to wrestling. Their goal, says Adam, is to build a “positive community.”

“Whatever you’re nerdy about, do it! Be proud of it, run with it,” says Paul Schifani, who creates Nerd901 content alongside his brothers.

They’ve put that positive spirit into action for Le Bonheur, holding annual fundraisers and running gaming days for patients and their families.

“It’s personal for us,” says Nick.

Adam’s 4-year-old son, Nolan, was diagnosed and treated at Le Bonheur for Type 1 diabetes; Nick’s wife, Summer, is a Le Bonheur nurse.

In 2018, the Nerd901 team held a 24-hour Extra Life stream on Twitch, donating all proceeds to Le Bonheur. Extra Life, an online fundraising community, allows gamers to stream in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

2018 was, the Schifanis joke, a “rag-tag operation.”

“We were like, ‘Oh, we know how to turn a webcam on and we have some gaming consoles. Let’s do it,’” laughs Nick.

In one month, the Nerd901 team spread the word to their audience, rallied local sponsors from Old Dominick Distillery to New Wing Order, and jumped in.

With Paul’s apartment as home base, Nerd901 streamed to their viewers for 24 hours straight, playing games and having fun. As guests tuned in, they could choose to donate, receiving everything from shout-outs onstream to sponsor gift cards in return. The team also spiced things up with higher-stakes donation rewards; three of the Nerd901 members had to eat ghost peppers live. 

Nerd901 dived into their first Le Bonheur charity stream and came back up with $2,600 in donations.

In 2019, the fundraiser leveled up.

The team jumped on planning, snagging a lineup of local personalities and donation prizes ranging from raffles for sponsor swag to Grizzlies tickets. A sympathetic donor loaned top-of-theline tech for the stream, offering mics, cameras and color-changing lights. Finally, in November, the day came. 

At the $4,000 mark, Nick had to dye his hair blonde.

Donors breezed past $5,000, scoring a secret goal: an after party at Rec Room, where a small cover charge per guest raised $800.

The 2019 grand total: $6,025.

“It’s funny, because sometimes nerd culture can be viewed as toxic. But when it comes down to it, our audience really has a giving spirit,” says Nick.

Last September, Nerd901 also held a game day in the Le Bonheur family room, playing MarioKart and Super Smash Bros with gamers big and small.

“We had kids ranging from 8 to 17 playing video games with us,” says Adam. “We found out afterwards that some of the older kids, especially, said they really appreciated that.”

Siblings and parents dropped in, too.

Nerd901 plans to keep inspiring their community with the power of play. Not even COVID-19 could keep them from continuing this year’s Extra Life stream.

COVID-19 forced us to do everything remotely, but showed us how we can continue to stream and raise money for a good cause during these tested times. More than anything, we just want to thank the angels who donate.

In six hours, they raised money for the hospital with special guests joining for the stream including Jim Barkeye, goalkeeper for Memphis 901 FC, and Dustin Starr, local celebrity wrestler and emcee of both the Memphis Grizzlies and Redbirds.

“COVID-19 forced us to do everything remotely, but showed us how we can continue to stream and raise money for a good cause during these tested times,” says Nick. “More than anything, we just want to thank the angels who donate.”

The Nerd 901 team supports Le Bonheur through a variety of ways including livestream gaming fundraisers and visiting hospital patients for gaming sessions. In 2019, they raised $6,025 during one 24-hour gaming livestream. Pictured above is the Nerd901 team - Nick Schifani, Adam Schifani, Ernie Carothers, Kevin White and Jose Garcia (back row, left to right) with Paul Schifani, Katee Forbis and Sean White (front row, left to right).