‘Kindness’ Will Be Featured as the Word Of The Day To Encourage Players To Join the #BeKind21 Challenge

Today, Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq: ZNGA), a global leader in interactive entertainment, announced its iconic game, Words With Friends, is continuing its partnership with Born This Way Foundation in honor of the non-profit organization’s annual #BeKind21 campaign. As part of the collaboration, Words With Friends is featuring ‘Kindness’ as the Word Of The Day on September 1, kicking off the first day of #BeKind21 and encouraging players to pledge to 21 days of kindness.

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Born This Way Foundation and Words With Friends Come Together for Global #BeKind21 Initiative (Graphic: Business Wire)

The #BeKind21 movement was created by Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit organization co-founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, which supports youth mental health and works with young people to build a kinder, braver world. #BeKind21 calls on participants to practice an act of kindness each day from September 1 to September 21 to build kinder, more connected communities that foster mental wellness. Now in its fourth year, #BeKind21 has quickly grown into a global phenomenon, bringing millions of people together to help build a culture of kindness.

"We are honored to receive Zynga's support in making 'Kindness' the Words With Friends word of the day for #BeKind21. Through our work, research, and mission, we've learned from young people that they believe experiencing, and even witnessing, more kindness in the places they live, work, and play will help to improve their mental wellness," said Cynthia Germanotta, President and Co-Founder of Born This Way Foundation. "#BeKind21 has a significant role to play in nurturing empathy, solidarity, hope, and wellness."

This marks the second year Words With Friends has teamed up with Born This Way Foundation to amplify the importance of prioritizing one’s mental health. In addition to the Word Of The Day takeover, players can sign up for #BeKind21 directly in the game. Players can also track their daily acts of kindness throughout the 21 days by downloading a customizable calendar provided by Born This Way Foundation.

“Acts of kindness can come in many different forms, and can be as simple as inviting a friend to play a game,” says Bernard Kim, Zynga’s President of Publishing. “We’re honored to be a part of #BeKind21 to help inspire our players to weave large or small acts of kindness into their everyday lives, to help create a lasting impact.”

Launched in 2009, Words With Friends has grown from a popular mobile game to a global pop culture sensation. Since then, the franchise has expanded to new platforms like Facebook Messenger, launched a hit sequel with Words With Friends 2, and brought innovative new ways to play to people around the world. The franchise’s successful twelve-year journey has been powered by player connections made through quick and clever wordplay that has become a touchstone in fans’ lives.

For more information about #BeKind21, please visit: https://bornthisway.foundation/bekind21/, and find resources provided by the Born This Way Foundation. To join in on the campaign, follow Zynga on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and follow Words With Friends on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Click here to join Born This Way Foundation’s community, and follow the Foundation on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.

For supporting still and video assets, visit: https://bit.ly/BeKind21_WWF

ABOUT ZYNGA

Zynga is a global leader in interactive entertainment with a mission to connect the world through games. With massive global reach in more than 175 countries and regions, Zynga has a diverse portfolio of popular game franchises that have been downloaded more than four billion times on mobile including CSR Racing™, Empires & Puzzles™, Hair Challenge™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, High Heels!™, Merge Dragons!™, Merge Magic!™, Queen Bee™, Toon Blast™, Toy Blast™, Words With Friends™ and Zynga Poker™. With Chartboost, a leading mobile advertising and monetization platform, Zynga is an industry-leading next-generation platform with the ability to optimize programmatic advertising and yields at scale. Founded in 2007, Zynga is headquartered in California with locations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.zynga.com or follow Zynga on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or the Zynga blog.

ABOUT BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION

Born This Way Foundation, co-founded and led by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, supports the mental health of young people and works with them to build a kinder and braver world. Through high-impact programming, youth-led conversations, and strategic, cross-sectoral partnerships, the Foundation aims to make kindness cool, validate the emotions of young people, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. Learn how the Foundation encourages people to practice kindness towards themselves and their communities at bornthisway.foundation and its storytelling platform Channel Kindness at channelkindness.org.

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