By sjj_admin 
Originally published on GameOnAus.com in Oct 2021
Movmeber has come a long way since its beginnings in 2003. Focusing on testicular cancer, prostate cancer and mental health, Movember has funded over 1,250 men’s health projects in less than 20 years.
We hear at Game On Aus love gaming. You know what else we love? BLOODY GAMING! But we also love giving. We all need help at some time and gamers are good at giving. Look at events like Games Done Quick and Aus Speedruns and how much gamers give to the charities they support.
One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young Australian men.
Game On Aus as a whole and myself in particular are big on mental health. It’s what sparked the It’s Okay To Just Play initiative and what our Pax Aus 2021 panel was about. We need to look after ourselves and each other especially with the events of the last couple of years.
This time of year is hard for me. It’s around the anniversary of a very serious accident I was in when I was a teenager. It was very traumatic. I spent 10 weeks in hospital initially with many surgeries for recovery. 22 years later and I still wear the scars of that accident even if time has lessened them. Somehow the anniversary always makes it worse. Then you throw in job worries and personal insecurities, late October becomes a very stressful time for me.
I look after my mental health better now than I’ve ever done though and have support around me to help me through it. Which is why I always appreciate movements that support mental health.
You can help too. Game On Aus has a Movember team page that you can donate to. You can also contribute by joining our team and either growing a moustache, walk 60km, or set your own challenge, like I did last year with a 24-hour stream for GOA.
That’s why I do Movember. Why do you do it? Let us know on our social media!