On Thanksgiving Day, We Thank Gamers Who Give Back
On Thanksgiving Day, We Thank Gamers Who Give Back
November 22, 2007
Here at GamePolitics, we'd like to wish every reader a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day, even those who don't celebrate this uniquely American holiday.Yes, we live in a world wracked by war, poverty and disharmony. But gamers have much to be thankful for. Games have never been better, more exciting, more educational or had a greater impact on society at large.
While we give thanks for our games, let's take a moment to reflect on these gamers who are giving back:
The Contra Costa Times reports that more than 800 gamers gathered last Saturday for a giant LAN party for the benefit of the Get Well Gamers Foundation and the Alameda Food Bank:
The contest, organized by NVIDIA and Electronic Arts, also gave die-hard gamers the first opportunity to play new games and test out software and other PC components that are expected to be among the hottest-selling items this holiday season...
Get Well Gamers, by the way, is run by GP regular (and occasional contributor) Ryan Sharpe.
In one of the most imaginitive approaches we've seen to raising money for a worthy cause, four Canadian gamers will play Desert Bus, an unreleased, completely monotonous mini-game, for as long as the donations keep coming in. They hope to raise $5,000 for Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity:
Not only are you donating to Child’s Play but you are also making a bunch of idiots up in Canada play a very boring and never ending game... You could donate twenty dollars through the Child’s Play Website, or you could donate your money through our website, your money is going to exactly the same place but you get to force us to play Desert Bus for just that much longer.
The boys start driving tomorrow. Make a donation and keep their monotony going.
Don't forget Fun For Our Troops, a nonprofit which aims to send games and systems to our military personnel in Iraq. Read the full GamePolitics report on this terrific group here.
PlayStation 3 owners can help just by leaving their PS3 turned on.
Stanford University's Folding at Home project harnesses the distributed processing power of home-based PS3's in research computations aimed at curing disease.
Finally, Gaming4Others is raising money for Child's Play by holding online game tournaments.
UPDATE: We neglected to mention the 2008 MMO Calender, which benefits St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. GP purchased the 2007 version, and it's fabulous. The 2008 calendar includes the following MMO's: Age of Conan, Dark Age of Camelot, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Eve Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Star Wars Galaxies, Stargate Worlds, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft...
UPDATE 2: Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA)prez Hal Halpin dropped GP a line about Gifts from Gamers, another organization devoted to getting games and systems to U.S. military personnel overseas.
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Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
You are a one trick pony aint ya? Almost as as bad as JT himself. You harp on about JT in every post you make, and you still don't sound well informed.
@ GP
Thanks for a story that paints gamers in a good light!
*looks in last article*
Nice going man, YA JINXED US.
I'm actually from Burlington, and I'm in fourth year physics at Waterloo.
November 22nd, 2007 at 11:38 am
Maybe Jack Thompson could come on to say happy Thanksgiving to gamers.
Except he might be having a bad Thanksgiving Day because he lost his case recently."
Nah, he is making his new case agnainst video games. Someone almost choked on a piece of turkey and he is trying to sue The Sims as the reason.
Your point being what? He's done so much good for gaming at large that I really don't care.
Is GWG still having issues?
And, er, i don't mean to be pedantic, but Thanksgiving isn't unique to the U.S.A.; check the Wikipedia entry for more info. :)
Happy whatever!
Except he might be having a bad Thanksgiving Day because he lost his case recently.
For all non Americans, Have a nice day.
I do not leave a comment about Jack Thompson every time I post.
I was just leaving a little teaser about Jack to cheer people up.
I have seen people post alot more about Jack then me you idiot.
Your just a troublemaking retard that makes no sense, so shut up.
You seem like the dumbest poster on this sight so stop talking bad to me.
Have a good one everybody!
no, i don't think i will pal. did you space your post out like that so you could read it better? Seems like another post where mention JT, you could have just had a go at me, but no, you mention him again. Perhaps it is a condition and i shall just feel sorry for you.
We get Boxing day instead I guess, which is like Black Friday except its the day after Christmas, and we is basically and extension to the Christmas period so we can watch the cricket :P
They also have a wikipedia article, too. :) THey're based out of the Hamilton area, and still a pretty small organization, but we're all doing what we can to get the word out. They had a few pretty sweet gigs, too, they were at nDex a few weeks ago, they were at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival, doing as much as they can to get the name out.
If you're from the area, or if you just love helping sick kids and getting them some entertainment for their hospital stays, go ahead and donate. :)
I was going to point this out myself, just because I know a few people from other countries that have gotten ticked off at us treating it like it's our own holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :D
Can't we all just get along?
I don't care who started it, I'll turn this car around right now!!
Don't make me reach back there!
Just practicing for when my daughter acts up. Happy day to everyone regardless of what you are celebrating.
You made me have horrible, horrible flashbacks **slaps head to remove childhood trauma**
Well played.
As for those who do celebrate it but are not from the US, Dennis was partially right as today the US is the only country celebrating Thanksgiving right now.
I will donate what I can.
On a side note, it is snowing!!!!!! Guess I will have to stay in tonight and play Mass Effect!
Anyways, happy Thanksgiving everyone. Even if you don't celebrate it... BE HAPPY ANYWAYS! :-)
Oh, GP - that picture is AWESOME!
Just kidding. It's one of the strange things in canadian/U.S. holydays.
My high school's JROTC program is participating in the Fun for Our Troops organization, and has probably also had the largest amount of food delivered to the food drive since I started going here.
- Cecil475
Happy thanksgiving to my fellow American GPers.
Have a great day to those who don't celebrate thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Gamer or not! :D
Somebody will proberbly choke on their turkey, Jack is currently busy (because he has no friends to share the day with) preparing a lawsuit against Nintendo blaming the choking incident on the murder simulator: Cooking Mama
That's a horrbile thing to say, he's still a human being.
I'm a little slow today. :S
Happy thanksgiving all you Americans!
There. Are all the whiners happy, now?
Onto the article. It's always good to see good deeds being done. Giving aid to those in need, or supporting those far from home truely helps us all. And if you can get the inside scoop on upcoming releases or force some guys to play the worst game of all time, all the better. :)
@ ConstantNeophyte
I literally just beat Assassin’s Creed. It’s awesome. They are going to make a sequel! They have to. The gameplay, graphics, and story all blew me away. So many surprises. I almost agreed with a few of the villains. At least, I almost agreed with their motives. I won't say anymore. And the revelations at the end... OK, you have to play it. I'd hate to ruin it for ya.
http://www.gamingwithchildren.com/2007-11-22/a-day-of-thanks/#more-277
--Ryan Sharpe
First of all if you are not Jack forgive me, but Jack has been posting under many "anonymous coward" names recently. But that being said if that is you Jack: Ha, fail. Nice try though trying to drive a wedge in like this. Do you honestly think by discrediting others that it will make your side look any more desirable? "Oh no, Gamerdad went to the Superbowl, there is only one thing we can do! We must help Thompson rape our freedoms in the ass!"
Gamerdad did have a heart attack, so thats true. And medical bills are expensive so they needed the money, so I still don't see where the lie is. Furthermore when you almost die it puts a new spin on things and maybe he wants to see the Superbowl before you know, actually dying.
Or after a heart attack should he have just sat around the house and waited for death? Sheesh, let the poor guy live a little.
Stop being a grinch in a topic meant for giving thanks.
What business is it of your's Thompson?
That money was willingly donated ot him and is therefore his, what he does with it is his business, not the business of a hearse chasing soon to be ex lawyer who is cursing his luck that one of his "enemies" survived.