From: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...eogames19.html
By Kevin McCullough
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Flying in the face of stereotypes of self-involved, antisocial video-game players, the creators of a popular Seattle webcomic are working with the gaming community to make the holidays bright for seriously ill children.
Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins write and draw Penny Arcade, a webcomic devoted to video games. This holiday season, they organized Child's Play, a charity drive gathering toys for Seattle's Children's Hospital. Since Thanksgiving, they have received more than $125,000 in toys and cash donations.
Child's Play is putting the media's negative portrayals of video games to shame, and showing the world that gamers are good people, too.
Child's Play was inspired, in part, by negative media portrayals of people who play video games. One egregious example of the vicious scaremongering that is levied at gamers is a recent article published in Everett's Daily Herald, "Violent video games are training children to kill," which linked playing video games with developing the attitudes of serial killer Gary Ridgway.
Krahulik and Holkins knew differently. They knew the simple joy that games can bring to children, and they knew that gamers would pitch in for a good cause. "Child's Play is an opportunity for gamers to come together and help, as a community," Krahulik said.
Child's Play is, as Krahulik puts it, "a gamers' charity," so many of the donations are video games. But far from the violence-obsessed stereotype, gamers are donating kid-friendly games with no mature-rated or graphically violent games.
Holkins observed that donated games are often modern releases of classic games. Gamers are taking the opportunity to share precious parts of their childhood with children who need some joy.
Donations for Child's Play are collected through an Amazon.com wish list. Every day, hundreds of donations arrive to Child's Play from all across the country and as far away as Europe and Australia.
When Krahulik's garage could no longer contain the donations, local game developer Amaze Entertainment stepped in and donated warehouse space to store them.
On Monday, the truckloads of toys will be delivered to Children's Hospital, and distributed to game rooms and patients.
The success of Child's Play is showing gamers' positive side to the world. Far from the dangerous time bombs that stereotypes portray, Child's Play has demonstrated the generosity of the gaming community. As Krahulik says, "We're good people. We've been waiting for the opportunity to show it."
While reactionary mother's groups and opportunistic lawyers try to portray gamers as antisocial deviants, the gamers themselves have opened their hearts and wallets to make the lives of sick children a little more bearable during this holiday season.
Child's Play demonstrates the real values of the gaming world: fun, community and generosity.
Information about Child's Play can be accessed at http://www.penny-arcade.com/childsplay/. Donations are no longer being accepted due to shipping times. Based on the success this year, however, Krahulik and Holkins are making Childs Play an annual event, as well as increasing the size and scope of the charity.
I spent $30 in donations, how about you guys?
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