You can now donate the Rewards points you earn by playing Xbox to your choice of three COVID-19 related charities.
Microsoft started giving players the option to donate their Microsoft Rewards points to the CDC Foundation earlier this month, and the company says that players have contributed "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to the organization since then. Building on that philanthropic success, Microsoft will allow players to put their points toward the United Nations Foundation and GlobalGiving in their coronavirus response efforts as well.
You can earn Microsoft Reward points on Xbox by signing up through the app on your console or visiting the official site. Once you do, you'll earn points by playing games, with bonuses for completing special punch cards and Xbox Game Pass quests. That's all cool, but what good does a bunch of video game points do for the charities? Simple: for every 1,000 points you contribute, Microsoft will donate one real dollar to your charity of choice. You can donate straight from your Xbox One dashboard or within your Microsoft Rewards app.
Letting players turn their reward points into real-world contributions is one of the many ways video games are contributing to real-world coronavirus relief efforts. Other fine examples include Rockstar donating 5% of all of its Red Dead Online and GTA Online revenue from April and May, Master Chief's voice actor giving away all his Cameo proceeds for the month of April, and Razer repurposing some of its production facilities to make protective gear for healthcare workers.
While you're feeling good about your donation, you can also feel good about Phil Spencer saying Xbox Series X game reveals aren't too far away.
