( CNN ) -- By now , both the rules and deadly consequences of NekNominate -- the online drinking game of one-upmanship that has already resulted in at least five deaths -- have gone viral . The game has players sharing videos of themselves downing boozy concoctions , usually mixed with something daringly repulsive , and challenging their friends to top the result . In recent weeks , a new version of NekNominate has started to make the rounds , this one inviting people to do an act of good will . It has gone under many headers ; some folks have reappropriated NekNominate , others call it RAKNominate ( for Random Acts of Kindness ) . The charity-driven trend originated in South Africa , where a handful of people horrified by the drinking game decided to give it a new slant . One of those who started the trend was Brent Lindeque , a brand activation specialist who was NekNominated by a friend . Rather than getting drunk , he decided to use his nomination to feed a homeless person . `` I 'd only viewed two [ NekNominate ] videos . One was of a gentleman from England urinating into a cup . He added beer and drank it all down . The second was of an aggressive man who bit the head off a chicken -- a baby chicken -- and swallowed it before he drank his beer . I could n't understand why people were putting something so ridiculous online , '' he recalls . `` When I was NekNominated , I wanted to do something different that could be filtered into my circle of friends . If I fed one person , hopefully the people I NekNominated would do the same , '' he adds . He did n't imagine the video would get much traction beyond his circle . He was wrong . Since posting it on YouTube last month , Lindeque 's video has garnered over 755,000 views . He has also attracted an additional 7,000 Twitter followers . He has since used the video as a launchpad for a social media campaign ( # changeonething ) , a weekly radio segment and , perhaps soon , a charity foundation . `` The foundation will hopefully go live in March . It 's kind of a dating site for charities , where they can have a profile and list their needs on a micro level , '' he explains . So far , thousands have been inspired by his video ( he estimates that he has already received over 100,000 emails from people who have continued what he started ) . Big brands , including Nandos and South African Breweries , have also followed suit . `` One beautiful story I was sent was from a man in England who went into a grocery store and bought a bunch of food . He saw a homeless man and gave him the food , then asked him to hold the camera while he took off a jacket his father had given to him and gave it to the man , '' he recalls . The movement has struck a particular chord in South Africa , where others , oblivious to Lindeque 's efforts , have taken a similar stance with NekNominations . Ashton Hayes , a digital marketing strategist , decided to use the concept to help rebuild his neighbor 's house after a fire incinerated the roof . `` The fire happened in December , and by January , nothing had been done . There were a few funds that had been raised , but not enough to repair the roof , which had burned . That 's when the idea came to NekNominate and help her out that way , '' he recalls . He created a video profiling his neighbor , Elizabeth , who also looks after 14 orphaned children in her Cape Town home . At the end , he NekNominated all of South Africa to do their part . In two days , he 'd raised the required funds -- $ 4,000 . One of the most touching stories he heard was of a 10-year old boy who donated the money he was saving to buy a Lego set to help Elizabeth rebuild her home . Local store Builders Warehouse was also nominated to chip in , and they responded by donating the tools to get the job done . `` The reason this works so well in South Africa is because there 's so much need for this sort of thing , '' Hayes speculates . `` People here are looking for ways to help out , and the answers are n't always right in front of them . This gives them an excuse , and there 's also a sense of urgency about it , because they have to complete the nominations within 24 hours , '' he says .
South Africans are using the NekNominate drinking game to do good deeds . Ryan Lindeque started the game by posting a video of himself feeding a homeless man . Ryan Hayes NekNominated South Africa to feed his neighbor in her apartment .