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Christmas Cheer Entertainment Games

Child's Play Collect Almost Half a Million Dollars 32

Gamasutra reports on good news from the annual Penny Arcade-sponsored Child's Play charity drive. The organization has announced they've already reached $495,000 in donations this year, with several days left to go in the drive. Almost $230,000 came in last week alone. Next Wednesday, they'll be hosting the annual Charity Dinner, which last year netted the organization $82,000 and (this year) is certain to put them over their goal of $500,000. From the article: "Among those items up for bid at the event will be a new Wii console autographed by the Nintendo of America's president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime, a speaking line in the upcoming hotly anticipated Halo 3 for the Xbox 360, a PlayStation 3 console, and an appearance in a Penny Arcade comic strip. Additional items expected to be part of the sold out auction include original Penny Arcade artwork, tickets to the Halo 3 launch party, an Xbox 360, a Microsoft Zune ultra pack, Alien Hominid skateboards, ATI Radeon X1900XTX video cards, and Pirates of the Burning Sea treasure packs."
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Child's Play Collects Almost Half a Million Dollars

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  • I thought someone was donating money for another Chucky movie...
  • What do you think the odds are of an AC decrying this as "Slash-vertisement?" Anyway... Just a petition for those who actually can spare funds this season... give to this charity. I love the setup, and it makes you feel good. The feelings "warm" and "fuzzy" come to mind.

    "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." -Emerson
  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 09, 2006 @05:10PM (#17178178)
    All of the money raised will be donated in Jack Thompson's name.
  • Even though I am banned on their forums, I think this is great. I have dreams myself of opening a warehouse of games, where kids can come in and play all sorts of video games in a social setting(non profit). Basically I have to get my act together to accomplish it though.
    • by Durrok ( 912509 )
      What the heck did you do to get banned from their forums?
      • If his nick on PA was CrazyJim, he was banned for spamming links to some batshit crazy jesus-freak site.
        • Also for talking about ROMs.

          For anybody who doesn't visit the PA forums, the rules (which are quite clearly posted at the top of each sub-forum) state that we aren't supposed to talk about ROMs or emulation unless otherwise OKed by a Mod. Also, anytime somebody is banned, it's publicaly documented in a "Who was Banned and Why" thread.
      • I got banned for posting a link to a joke about Pluto the website: Asteroid 14340 or something. I called it Laeao or something. It was just a joke, but they have rules about posting links to websites that I forgot. Really the admins had it out for me for a while.
    • There are probably lots of local Boys and Girls clubs or other such organizations that would love anything you can give them. It seems like it would be a lot more practical to work inside an existing structure than to try to create something from scratch. Go to a place where kids like to hang out and see what you can do to collect old video games. In general, the trade-in value for used games is horrible at places like EBGames, so it seems like you could find some people willing to do this. Also, most c
  • Public perceptions (Score:5, Insightful)

    by EzraSj ( 993720 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @06:20PM (#17178978)
    Gee, I wonder if this will make mainstream news? Maybe it will be noted right beside that new study that says we're all murderous bastards [msn.com].
    • I don't know about that.. but as soon as I'm done playing this super-fun game, I will KILL you!

      -GiH
  • 2004 was last year? (Score:3, Informative)

    by Antony-Kyre ( 807195 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @06:32PM (#17179072)
    Enough said.
  • Yikes (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    On the next "Ask Slashdot":

    "How do I start a children's hospital?"
  • by MobileTatsu-NJG ( 946591 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @08:46PM (#17180188)
    I'm using this site to do my Christmas shopping this year. Sounds a little funny, I suppose. But the truth is I spent several years trying to find presents that were meaninful to them. After the fifth or sixth year, I just wasn't able to find anything they needed or wanted.

    One Christmas I hit upon an interesting idea. I took my entire Christmas budget for them and focused it in a different direction. The company I was working at had a Christmas tree with cards from needy children describing what they wanted most for Christmas. I plucked a number of the cards off the tree, went down to Toys R Us, and bought up a bunch of stuff. I then wrote a letter to each member of my family, described the charity to them, and told them why I thought of them when I got that gift. Each 'gift' was chosen in the context of a particular family member attached to a good memory from the past. For example, I found a 'wish' for a bicycle. I told my dad that I remembered when he bought a bike for me as a child and that I wanted to pass that happiness on to somebody else.

    I recieved the most heartfelt phone call from my uncle that year. The entire family was really touched by the gesture and the phone was passed around so everybody could let me know. That was the most successful Christmas shopping I had ever had. Surprisingly, it was also the most stress free. I put more time into writing the cards than I did searching for and purchasing the gifts. Plus... well darnit, it just felt good.

    This year, I'm more or less following the same theme, only I'm using Child's Play this time. What makes this a little different from what I did the last time is that the games you purchase for this site go into a hospital library. All year round those games will get a lot of use from a lot of kids. In other words, a gift from here will likely benefit a child recovering from a broken leg or something 6 months from now. I think my family will appreciate that. I think they'll also appreciate the letters that'll come along with this round. I couldn't really find a suitable game-related gift for my aunt and uncle. So I'm doing something different for them. I think they'll appreciate the extra consideration.

    I can imagine there's lots of people here on Slashdot that have the same Christmas trouble I do and I wanted to suggest this as an alternative gift. It's far easier, far more meaningful, and goes a longer way.

    Kudos to Child's Play.
    • Reading this was just awesome. Excellent story, and what an excellent gift for your family.
    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by carnifex0 ( 120168 )
      Child's Play has become a Christmas Ritual for my daughter and I - both last year and this (she's 5 now) we have sat down at the computer with the Wish List for our hospital, and I let her choose what we want to send. This year we sent a Barbie Princess DVD, a My Little Pony DVD, a board book, and Five dozen D-cell batteries.

      I'm not sure why she chose batteries, but she has recently learned that some of her toys don't work when they run out, and she's very concerned about having enough to go around...
    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by MBraynard ( 653724 )
      That's pretty obnoxious to give people a gift of giving to a charity of YOUR choice.
  • Giving games to a hospital is a bad idea. It ultimately rests on the principle that the hospitals need games more than equipment or additional staff. I am sure some hospitals do, but it takes away the hospitals power to choose what resources they most need and spend donations accordingly.

    • by njfuzzy ( 734116 )
      The items bought directly for the hospitals are via Amazon Wishlists created by hospital staff. The hospitals are choosing what they want, and it appears to be toys and games to help make the kids happier.
    • by AvitarX ( 172628 )
      Enjoyment helps hasten and improve the odds of recovery, but is also a very easy thing to cut out of the budget.

      Toys and games are exactly the type of thing hospitals need to be donated, since otherwise they may end of with none (of course I don't recomend just giving them whatever, but the wish list should help).

Riches: A gift from Heaven signifying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." -- John D. Rockefeller, (slander by Ambrose Bierce)

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