Penny Arcade Child's Play Charity

[elvis]

http://www.childsplaycharity.org/

Childhood should be about playing games and having fun. Sadly, there are millions of kids around the world stuck in hospitals suffering from all sorts of awful conditions, some even terminal.

Billions of dollars every year get pumped into research and treatment, and some things just take time before they are cured. However a lot of treatment is painful, and kids also spend a lot of time waiting in their hospital beds. Not fun. What is often missed is the mental health and well being of these kids. Cancer research will save lives, but the depression suffering by those waiting for it is something that many people forget about.

Child's Play is a charity that donates games, puzzles, toys and other things direct to sick kids. Click on a hospital of your choice, buy a toy and it gets shipped direct. No "administration fees" or any of that crap. Just toys heading direct to sick kids to make their days of suffering that little bit more bearable.

Give what you can, because kids don't deserve to be lying in bed sick. Show the world that gamers care.

And if your hospital isn't on the list, call them and let them know about it. Urge them sign up for 2006. I'm hoping to get a few Aussie hopsitals on the map by 2006.

-elvis (parent, donor, hippy).

[subcons]

Saw this on G4 the other day.

Sounds like a really great charity.

[elvis]

I think they started back in either 2001 or 2002, I forget which.

It started with 2 hospitals in the US, and now has dozens around the world. The PA guys are bloody saints, and deserve medals for the stuff they do for kids.

It just goes to show all of these people who claim gamers are nothing but violent anti-social people are speaking pure rot.

Have a read of some of the letters they've recieved from both kids and parents. It's almost enough to make a grown man cry.

[Minzoku]

This is the third year they're doing it. They've raised almost half a million dollars already! Wow!

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Thing is though - if the Jack Thompsons of this world weren't going around labelling all videogames as pure evil, would Penny Arcade still be going out of it's way to prove them wrong?

[Ghegs]

Thing is though - if the Jack Thompsons of this world weren't going around labelling all videogames as pure evil, would Penny Arcade still be going out of it's way to prove them wrong?

This is the third year they're doing it.

I don't remember hearing anything about Jack Thompson three (or even two) years ago. So yeah, I guess they'd still be doing this even without him.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

if the Jack Thompsons of this world weren't going around labelling all videogames as pure evil

i.e. - the negative press that gaming has been recieving since Mortal Kombat 1 and probably a bit before that.

[Ghegs]

if the Jack Thompsons of this world weren't going around labelling all videogames as pure evil

i.e. - the negative press that gaming has been recieving since Mortal Kombat 1 and probably a bit before that.

Ah, right. I still say they would. They're decent folk, and decent folk don't do nice things just to prove other people wrong and spite them.

[elvis]

Thing is though - if the Jack Thompsons of this world weren't going around labelling all videogames as pure evil, would Penny Arcade still be going out of it's way to prove them wrong?

Who cares? Half a million bucks worth of stuff is heading to sick kids across the world. I couldn't give a stuff *WHY* it happened. I'm just happy that it *IS* happening.

Over a million bucks in 3 years. That is fantastic. I'm going to make it my goal to get at least 1 Aussie hospital on the list for 2006.

Good work to all who donated. Even a $10 toy will make a difference to some sick kid somewhere in the world.