Who would have thought that a classic game franchise, 20 years after its debut, could still radiate such heartwarming energy?

At a rural elementary school in Yangtun Town, Jiangsu Province, science and technology classes used to be a “challenge”—with thirteen classes and more than fifty students sharing a single computer, and no advanced equipment available, teachers could only repeat the same explanations over and over, while the children buried their heads in their notebooks, copying code by hand. The tedious numbers and symbols gradually sapped their interest.That is, until a small box called the “Future Tech Box” made its way into the classroom. Seeing a programmable car for the first time, the children’s eyes lit up again as they imagined using it to water flowers and pick fruit.

Lü Xiaobei, who had previously shown little interest in science class, was also captivated by this magical box. With her father away for most of the year and her mother busy at the sand quarry, she often took care of her four-and-a-half-year-old brother on her own, telling him stories every night.Watching the tech car move nimbly, she came up with the idea of building a storytelling robot. Under her teacher’s guidance, she and her classmates actually built a companion robot that could mimic her mother’s voice, creating a very special “voice bridge” between her, her younger brother, and their parents.

And this “little box,” which ignites children’s dreams of technology, was donated last December by players of *Dungeon & Fighter: Innovation Century* and *Dungeon & Fighter: Origin* (hereinafter referred to as *DNF*).

This year, the spirit of generosity among DNF players continues. From August 28 to September 10, during Tencent’s annual nationwide charity event, the “JiuJiu Charity Festival,” DNF on both platforms once again joined forces with Tencent Growth Guardian and Tencent Charity to launch a brand-new event titled “A Stroke of Art, Painting the Future.”

The popularity of this event has once again redefined people’s perception of charitable initiatives in the gaming industry: within less than a day of its launch, over 600,000 players had voluntarily participated in the donation drive.Ultimately, a total of 2.05 million players actively participated in the event. Combined with the 1 million yuan contributed by DNF through the Tencent Foundation, the total amount raised was approximately 2 million yuan, which will support at least 200,000 rural students in receiving arts education.

To be honest, it’s rare to see a game in the tea house that can rally so many players to participate in a charity event in such a short time, which makes one wonder: How exactly did the DNF players pull this off?

01

Harnessing the Power of 1 Yuan

How can we foster a sense of goodwill among players in the game?

DNF’s philosophy is to ensure that donating doesn’t feel like a burden, but rather to make it easy to do through low-threshold, fun activities. Specifically, within the game, DNF ingeniously integrates gaming and philanthropy.

In the “One Stroke, One Future” charity campaign, whether you’re a PC or mobile gamer, donating just 1 yuan will earn you 1 Love Point and unlock the “Hero’s Gratitude Gift,” which includes practical in-game items such as Remi’s Aid Gift Box, a Lucky Charm, or Tuguan’s Mini Jar—seamlessly blending goodwill with the gaming experience.

In addition to making donations, players can also accumulate “Love Points” by highlighting paintings created by rural children—each painting highlighted earns 1 Love Point, and donating Love Points also grants an exclusive certificate of honor.This feature not only rewards players with in-game items but also contributes to the artistic education of rural children through these small interactions. When the server-wide illumination progress reaches 100%, the game developer will provide additional support—on top of player donations—to ensure that at least 100,000 children receive artistic education.

A galaxy created from old newspapers; a corner of a vegetable garden pieced together from roof tiles and small stones; a hometown pasture painted with colored pencils and oil paints; an “astronaut’s dream” painted with acrylics; a cross-cultural dialogue between a prince and a princess drawn with oil pastels…Every painting illuminated in the game tells the story of the schoolchildren’s dreams.

And the kindness shown by DNF players through the “A Stroke of the Brush, Painting the Future” charity campaign will help spark the imagination of even more rural children.

This “A Stroke of Art, Painting the Future” charity event also continues to uphold the principle of “openness and transparency” that Tencent Charity has always adhered to.

Once players’ generosity is pooled into charitable donations, every expenditure is clearly accounted for within a transparent system. As outlined in DNF’s open letter to players, the funds are specifically allocated to address the core challenges of arts education in rural areas: purchasing art supplies, training arts educators, and fostering creativity and self-confidence in rural children through courses and activities.

Not only that, but the implementation plan for the donations includes specific timelines, allowing players to track the progress of their charitable efforts in real time. Through this clear plan, players can also more intuitively see how their contributions will ultimately inspire the boundless creativity of rural children.

From small acts of kindness to collective efforts worth millions of yuan, from the outpouring of goodwill within the game to tangible changes in rural classrooms, DNF players are becoming co-creators of stories about aesthetic education in rural areas in a lighthearted and enjoyable way.

02

The Goodwill of Millions of Warriors

There have long been signs that the “One Stroke, One Future” charity campaign can rally the strength of a million players.

In fact, as a classic game that has been with players for over a decade, DNF has long been involved in charitable initiatives alongside its players. This heartwarming tradition actually originated from the players’ spontaneous efforts.Li Jielu, Head of Marketing for Domestic Publishing Support and Nexon Partnerships at Tencent Interactive Entertainment, recalls that DNF’s early philanthropic story began with a special player: “Xiao Ba,” a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) whose in-game ID was “Bashin, Mo.”

Due to physical limitations, “Xiao Ba” can only play the game using three fingers, yet he has never lost his passion for DNF. Players in the community spontaneously donated to support him,Upon learning of this, the developers not only designed a special NPC named “Xiao Ba” at the entrance to the Duel Arena—allowing him to “witness” every player’s duel—but also released the “Go, Xiao Ba!” title in Selia’s Shop for 1 gold coin. This title restores 88.8 health points per minute, carrying a hidden message of blessing.

It was this experience that made the DNF team deeply realize that a classic game could still radiate such heartwarming power. As a result, the DNF team began to follow the players’ lead, organizing various charitable activities to embrace the goodwill of countless players.As Li Jielu said, “It’s not that DNF organizes charity initiatives and invites players to participate; rather, DNF players inherently possess this warm spirit of giving, and we’ve simply built a platform to bring that spirit together.”

Just as DNF players are familiar with the phrase, “Today is another day full of hope,” these hopeful DNF players are also eager to bring hope to others.In 2024, the DNF PC and mobile games, in collaboration with Tencent’s Growth Guardian and Tencent Charity, launched the “Spark in the Wilderness, Ignite Dreams into Light” campaign: Players who donate 1 yuan online will receive a special in-game gift in return.

Once again, the charitable spirit of DNF players has been demonstrated: in just 15 days, 600,000 players across all servers participated, raising over 600,000 yuan in donations and collecting 1 million “Little Red Flowers.”At the same time, DNF made an additional donation through the Tencent Charity Foundation to support 100 schools. Ultimately, working hand in hand with players, the initiative provided technology courses to 160 schools, and has so far supported 203,000 teachers and students in their learning.

At the DNF IP Carnival held in December of that same year, players had the chance to experience the “Tech Car”—which brings technology classes to rural children—firsthand in the charity interactive zone.Countless players made a point of stopping by, even willing to wait in line to try out the “Tech Carts.” They probably never imagined that the small gestures of kindness they had casually shared in the game had long since borne surprising fruit far away:

When the “tech cars” donated by DNF players arrived at schools near the Yuqiao Reservoir in Jizhou, Tianjin—an area plagued by frequent drowning accidents—the students modified them into smart vehicles capable of performing various functions, such as detecting wildfires and triggering alarms when someone falls into the water.After collaborating with Tencent engineers to optimize the design and utilizing YOLO World technology, the vehicles were further upgraded into small boats capable of patrolling the water.

Meanwhile, the "Science Kits" that arrived in Fuyü City, Jilin Province, were turned by the children into science and technology projects capable of tracking the movements of Amur tigers using sensors.

"Little Cars" have even opened up new avenues for the integration of technology and culture. In Yiganqi Town, Xinjiang, Dola dance instructor HursidanYiming has used Tencent’s Future Technology Car and AI vision modules to develop an intelligent evaluation system for the Daolang dance, addressing the current challenges of performance evaluations—which are heavily reliant on manual, subjective judgment and lack standardized criteria.

The imaginative ideas of these rural children left players in awe: they never expected that a simple, off-the-cuff gesture in the game could spark such ingenious ideas.

These heartwarming stories have also been passed down by word of mouth within the player community, further fueling everyone’s enthusiasm for charitable causes.

It was precisely because of the unexpected results of the technology classes that players, driven by this enthusiasm, became even more wholeheartedly engaged in the “One Stroke, One Future” charity campaign.

As soon as this year’s “A Stroke of Art, Painting the Future” event was announced, some participants said their hearts melted when they saw the children’s drawings, and one person even asked, “If possible, please let me donate 500 copies on my own.”

Players have been leaving comments in the community, saying, “That one yuan donation was well worth it—I can see real, tangible change,” and “I hope there will be more events like this in the future—they’re fun and meaningful.” Every comment reflects the players’ genuine commitment to charity.

Official data also confirms this enthusiasm: in less than a day after the event launched, more than 600,000 players made donations.At the same time, 2.05 million players participated this year—a 29% increase from last year’s 1.59 million—and nearly one million made donations, up 58% from last year’s 600,000. Players and the game developer collectively donated approximately 2 million yuan and earned an additional 7.3 million Tencent Charity “Little Red Flowers.”

This also means that the spirit of kindness within the DNF player community has never faded; that sense of unity—the willingness to bring hope to others—has continued to grow quietly.

03

Kindle a spark and ignite boundless hope

“You’ll find that all it takes is a single spark to ignite boundless imagination.”Li Jielu’s words could not be more apt when describing DNF’s initiatives in the field of public welfare. When players’ small gestures of goodwill coalesce into millions in charitable donations, and when rural children use old newspapers to create the Milky Way or use roof tiles to sketch vegetable gardens, what we see is not merely a rise in numbers, but an emotional resonance that bridges the virtual and the real.

We often ask, “What is the true significance of games?” Are they merely tools for passing the time, or simply a form of entertainment? DNF players have proven through their actions that a classic game that has endured for 17 years—nurtured by the collective love of its players—can unleash a power that goes far beyond that—— They are not only heroes within the game; they have also transformed this power into a bridge connecting cities and rural areas, players and children, allowing the seeds of aesthetic education to take root and sprout where they are needed most.

Players accumulate "love points" by donating 1 yuan or "lighting up" artwork. While receiving in-game rewards, they join millions of fellow players in advancing the cause of charity. This "do good while playing" model infuses the connections made in the virtual world with real-world warmth.

Teahouse believes that the collective goodwill of DNF players has opened the door to arts education for rural children.In the near future, we may see more of the urban-rural educational gap bridged by the collective power of gamers: a place where paintbrushes and code intertwine, where tradition and technology merge, and where warmth and courage from the Continent of Arad abound.