A Belgian non-profit organisation initiated an innovative campaign embedded within popular video games to encourage organ donor registration among younger demographics, Euractiv reported.
“Virtual Donors”, developed by Leuven-based Re-born to be Alive, integrates directly into Minecraft, Fortnite, and Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay experiences.
The campaign leverages gaming mechanics where players who lose in-game lives can grant up to eight extra lives to peers, mirroring the real-world impact of organ donation, where one donor can save eight lives.
Though Belgium operates an opt-out system presuming consent for organ donation unless formally objected to, Re-born to be Alive stresses that explicit registration remains vital.
“We want to reach younger audiences through experiences that speak their language,” NGO founder Stephanie Keustermans explained.
This addresses a critical gap: families retain legal authority to block donations if a potential donor’s wishes are undocumented. The campaign’s customised gaming modules, accessible internationally to all players regardless of age, transform entertainment into life-affirming advocacy.
Fortnite and Baldur’s Gate 3 were strategically selected as Belgium’s most-played and most-streamed titles respectively, boasting millions of daily global users.
Belgium leads the eight-nation Eurotransplant network with 31 donors per million inhabitants, the highest rate among member states including Germany, Austria, and Croatia. Despite this achievement, 1,470 patients remain on transplant waiting lists nationally.
