The Entertainment Software Association Foundation recently raised $800,000 for children’s charities as a result of this year’s annual Nite to Unite event.

The happening took place on October 13 in San Francisco and featured game industry luminaries contributing to the cause by participating in auctions and a casino night. Additionally, the event honored Ubi Soft’s Chairman and CEO Yves Guillemot with the 2009 ESA Champion Award.

ESA President Michael Gallagher said of the event, “This generous giving allows the ESA Foundation to support some truly compelling charitable organizations, including Web Wise Kids, Hope Lab, ThanksUSA and the One Economy Corporation.”

To date the fund raiser has raised over $11.0 million dollars for charities. A video on the ESA website highlights some of the night’s festivities and some of the charitable organizations that will receive donations culled from the event.

VentureBeat has word on a new website that takes some of the guilt out of playing videogames.

GamesThatGive.com donates 70 percent of its ad-driven revenue to charity and keeps a running tally of the total donated to-date (as of this posting it was $1787.73) at the top if its webpage. Charities that benefit include Feeding America, The Wilderness Society, Unicef and the United Way.

Available games include versions of Solitaire,  Sudoku, Gems,  Blackjack, Smashteroids and Bubble Burst.

The site was founded by CEO Adam Archer, a self-proclaimed “backpacker turned software engineer.” On the website’s blog, Archer explained how he hopes the donations will build over time:
 

On GamesThatGive, your micro-donation is the equivalent of a raindrop. The more frequently and the longer you play, and the better you score, the more micro-donations you generate. When you play games on GamesThatGive, when you invite your friends to play as well, when they invite their friends, and on and on, the micro-donations add up.

With 84 bids down and seven days of auctioning left as I write this, a limited edition Xbox 360 which celebrates the release of The Beatles Rock Band is selling for $7,400 on Ebay.

The sale of the beautifully customized console will benefit Doctors Without Borders. From the auction listing:

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison personally selected the charity as the beneficiary of these proceeds.

Kotaku reports that the charitable auction is the first in a series.

If the console auction is too rich for your blood, purchasing the DLC bonus track All You Need is Love on Xbox Live (about $2) will help out Doctors Without Borders as well. All proceeds go to the charity an purchasers will be entered into a context to win one of the limited edition consoles as well as a
Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller.
 

If you've got games that you're not using anymore, don't leave them to collect dust on a shelf. Donate them instead.

Pixel Equity, a new not-for-profit matches donated games and systems up with economically disadvantaged kids. From the organization's website:

Video gaming is a fun and enriching activity, but it remains out of reach for many. Games cost upwards of $50 and consoles cost hundreds, so it’s no surprise that large groups of young people who are interested in playing never get the chance.

No games to send? Pixel Equity will also accept cash donations, no matter how small. That part is kind of sweet because you can actually see how your donation will help reach the amount needed to buy a specific game requested by a child (see pic at left).

There's also a bit of game-oriented fun built into the donation system:

Since this is an organization about video games, we thought that we would make a game out of giving. Every contribution you make will help you gain levels. Each level corresponds to an image of a game archetype, including warriors, clerics, mages, and more, that you will be able to post on your facebook profile by using our facebook app (app coming soon!). Show your friends that you’re making a difference!

Via: Kotaku

The Entertainment Software Association will incorporate a variety of charitable efforts into next month's E3 Expo in Los Angeles.

According to an ESA press release, in addition to all of its usual gaming goodness, E3 2009 will feature:

• Pro vs. G.I. Joe gaming competitions in support of U.S. military personnel
• A t-shirt design contest with some proceeds going to support an L.A.-based homeless mission
• a Red Cross blood drive

For more info, check out the official E3 site. Those wishing to donate blood should sign up online, entering E3 as the sponsor code.

Jennifer Mercurio, a seasoned advocacy attorney who has substantial video game industry experience, has been promoted to the position of Vice President and General Counsel of the Entertainment Consumers Association.

Mercurio, who in the past worked as a lead attorney for game publishers' group ESA, was originally hired by ECA President Hal Halpin in 2007. Of the promotion, Halpin said:

Jennifer’s track record of success speaks for itself along with her commitment to our advocacy mission for gamers. With the growing recognition of the demographic power of gamers we felt it important to expand her role to take advantage of our momentum on issues such as free speech, broadband access, and the rights of gaming consumers.

An ECA press release notes:

In her new role Mercurio will oversee all legal, policy, research, advocacy, action, lobbying, and government affairs for ECA...

 

The promotion signals the increasing influence of the ECA’s government affairs and policy efforts on behalf of gamers following its recent establishment of the ECA Institute, a charitable non-profit that helps develop and implement ECA public policy positions.

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPT: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.

Evan Patrick Bell, a 13-year-old gamer, died last month due to a malignant brain tumor.

But he won't be forgotten.

The Jacksonville News reports that a new video game room being constructed at Wolfson Children's Hospital will be hamed after Evan, thanks to a campaign which raised more than $50,000 for the purpose.

[Hospital board member Karen] Wolfson met the boy and his family while Evan was being treated at the hospital and she wanted to help by starting the effort to name a new game room for Evan. The $50,000 goal was established last month, when the effort began and Wolfson wanted to raise the cash by Tuesday, Evan's 14th birthday.

The new game room will honor Evan, who was a video-game aficionado. The $50,000 is a "philanthropic contribution in his name," Wolfson said. While the hospital had planned to build the game room, the contribution pays for the naming.

A start-up charitable foundation is seeking your used games.

Donate Games is focusing its efforts on orphan diseases - debilitating, often fatal, but frequently overlooked because they affect only a small slice (less than .05%) of the global population.

How can used games help? A press release explains that Donate Games will re-sell the games it takes in:

Are you tired of trading in your used games at retail stores for pennies on the dollar? Are you looking for a new site to purchase used games at low prices? Do you want to help change the lives of people around the world?...

 

Donate Games is a new charity dedicated to funding research for orphan diseases and supporting those affected by them through the donation and resale of used video games. In addition to raising funds for research on these rare disorders, Donate Games will promote awareness and provide advisory services to the general public.

Donate Games was created by Jim Carol, described as a veteran of the IT industry, and his wife Cynthia. In 2006 their son was diagnosed with Philadelphia Chromosome, a rare form of leukemia. Although their son's disease is now in remission, the Carols were moved by the suffering they saw:

We were lucky. “Treatments and community support really made a difference for [our son]. But, we met others at the treatment centers that had little hope, suffering from even rarer life-threatening conditions, without research funding, effective treatments or support networks. By launching Donate Games and connecting with the vibrant gaming community so near and dear to my own professional background, now we can help them, too.”

The organization is currently accepting game donations but has not yet begun to re-sell. Penny Arcade's Child's Play and publisher Electronic Arts are listed as partner organizations.

The Entertainment Consumers Association has announced today that it is launching a new, nonprofit organization.

The ECA Institute will address research, programming and policy development needs related to video games. The ECAi will also feature a charitable component. From the press release:

At its core, the ECA Institute’s work will inform the development of Entertainment Consumers Association’s public policy positions and encourage and influence public debate on the issues most pertinent to gamers today.

ECA President Hal Halpin commented on the new initiative:

We’re very excited about the launch of the Institute, as it provides a whole host of new services and support toward very important issue areas to us. The Institute enables us to work with existing and new supporters in different ways than the Entertainment Consumers Association can and, as a result, will make advancing the wants and needs of gamers more effective. It is an interesting collaborative environment that will yield some truly impressive results and affect change in wholly new and compelling ways.

Here are some specific as to the ECAi's activities:

Research and Polling: Research on issues reflecting ECA Institute’s strategic priorities, including: First Amendment rights, universal broadband, Network Neutrality, and consumer protection.

Publications: All ECA Institute research reports will be peer reviewed by internal and external subject experts.

Technical Assistance/Expert Consultation: Support the ECA’s advocacy efforts with expert consultation, rapid response analysis and technical assistance.

Scholarships and Other Educational Programs: Develop and foster game education programs and assistance to students through scholarships and financial aid in accredited schools. The Institute will also support the efforts of new and existing games-related charities.

Public Representation: The ECA Institute will contributes to and help shape both public discussion of its priority issues and decision makers’ understanding of gamers’ needs and concerns.

For more info, check out the ECA Institute website.

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPT: The Entertainment Consumers Association is the parent company of GamePolitics.

Joystiq reports that Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity raised an amazing $1.4 million for sick children during its recent fund drive:

The annual Child's Play charity fund is known for accumulating outlandish quantities of money from the gaming community -- this year was no exception. Button-mashing altruists not only met the charity's lofty $750,000 goal, they nearly doubled it, bringing in a total of $1,434,377...

...generous gamers surpassed last year's impressive $1.3 million haul (and in the middle of a recession, no less)...

This week's Child's Play Charity Auction Dinner raised more than $200,000 for worthy causes, reports Gabe of Penny Arcade.

Among the items auctioned off was the rather impressive statue at left depicting an Orc from World of Warcraft on his mount.

Simply awesome - both the event and the statue...

As we move into the season of giving, it's heartwarming to learn that a top exec with EA Vancouver is giving back to his community in a major way.

As reported by the Globe and Mail, senior VP Rory Armes (left) is among Canadian execs who have gotten involved with Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, a nonprofit which connects businesses with social service organizations.

From the newspaper report:

For Mr. Armes, a commitment to help Vancouver's at-risk youth seemed like a natural fit... His mid-October tour took him to the Potluck Cafe, the Urban Native Youth Association, PLEA Community Services Society of B.C., and Directions Youth Services.

"It drove a point home," says Mr. Armes. "Most of us have teenaged children and we could identify with the problems faced by the kids we met. In our case we could see an immediate fit between what they need and what we can provide."

That fit included making the Potluck Cafe a sort of unofficial caterer to Electronic Arts, and donating used computer equipment and software to Directions Youth Services.

"They told us they needed things that would help boost the self-esteem of the kids they dealt with," Mr. Armes says...

"We are also offering paid time off through the week to any of our people who might want to spend the hours from, say, two to four teaching these kids how to operate the software," he adds.

GP: Kudos to Rory Armes and EA!

Via: Our sister-site GameCulture

Comedy troupe LoadingReadyRun has launched its second annual Desert Bus for Hope charity drive.

The gimmick here is that LRR members control the annoyingly monotonous Desert Bus simulator continuously as long as their mostly gamer audience continues to make donations.

A live stream shows the "drivers" at work (see pic). The game is reportedly part of the never-released Penn & Teller's Smoke & Mirrors, originally intended for the Sega CD system.

As a bonus, none other than actor Wil Wheaton (he's an ECA member!) will be checking in with the Desert Bus crew later today.

What They Play has a detailed explanation of the diabolical way in which the Desert Bus fundraiser works:

Viewers are asked to donate money via the Desert Bus website, and as the dollar total rises, so does the length of time the team must continue driving the bus... In order to limit the event to a few days, each additional hour costs more in donations than the previous hour did, until they become prohibitively expensive.

 

Despite this limitation, though, last year’s event ran 108 hours long. Viewers are encouraged to participate by e-mail, or by live internet chat, where they can ask questions of the crew, make requests, and become an active participant.

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPT: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.

In a just-released statement the parents of Brandon Crisp say that they plan to create a foundation to help unpriveleged children have the opportunity to play sports.

Although it was known that the Crisps would release a statement today, the focus of the proposed foundation is a bit of a surprise. Some believed that the family would target video game addiction, which was initially blamed for Brandon's disappearance by his parents. The oft-repeated game addiction theme gathered much traction in the Canadian media as well.

The 15-year-old gamer will be buried on Friday.

The full text of the Crisp family's statement follows:

The story of our son's disappearance and tragic outcome has touched the hearts of families throughout our community and across our Country.

 

We are so very proud to have parented such a wonderful, caring and beautiful son who has touched so many hearts.

We take great comfort in our time of grief, knowing that his story has and will continue to have a profound impact on parents and children alike, that more time will be made by families to share precious time together. Life and love should never be taken for granted.

 

To honor Brandon's name we will be creating a foundation to support under privileged children throughout our community and across Canada to play minor sports they may not otherwise be able to afford. An interim donation account has been set up with the CIBC as the Brandon Crisp Trust Account, Donations can be made at any CIBC branch across Canada.

 

The support we have had from so many has been completely overwhelming and has made an everlasting impression on our family. 

Penny Arcade has kicked off the 2008 campaign for its amazing Child's Play charity, and Chris Morris at Forbes serves up some history detailing how the PA guys popularized the concept of gamers giving back:

It's funny what a little righteous anger can do. Five years ago, Mike Krahulik, co-founder of the popular Penny Arcade Web site, read yet another editorial decrying video games as tools of violence that desensitized America's youth.

To combat the bad press, he and partner Jerry Holkins decided to launch a charity drive that encouraged readers to send them games or cash, and they would pass the donations to Seattle's Children's Hospital...

They ended up receiving $225,000 in video game and toy donations, along with another $26,000 in cash... To date, Child's Play has raised over $3.5 million in cash and toy donations. The charity has gone from improvised effort to nonprofit organization. And recipient hospitals have grown from one to 40.

GP: What an outstanding thing to do. While there are a number of other gamer-centric charitable efforts, it's fair to say that Child's Play sets the standard.

That's why it's so unbelievable that in 2005 Jack Thompson tried to have the Penny Arcade guys arrested.

As we look forward to Veteran's Day tomorrow, we're reminded that serving with the military in Iraq or Afghanistan must be very difficult, indeed. Our troops face constant danger and are far removed from their families and the things they enjoyed at home.

But a Philadelphia-area woman, Stefanie Doctor Shea, works hard to bring at least one of the comforts of home to the front lines: video games.

As GamePolitics first reported on Veteran's Day, 2007, Stefanie takes a very personal interest in how our military personnel are faring overseas. That's because her husband, Sgt. Michael Shea, spent the last year with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq before returning home recently (Stefanie and Michael are pictured at left).

But while Stefanie's hubby may be back, the nonprofit organization she founded, Fun For Our Troops, is still engaged in its mission. A just-issued press release offers Stefanie's thoughts:

In our first year we were able to provide gaming relief to over 200 deployed troops and several Morale, Wellness, and Recreation (MWR) stations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We hope to continue the momentum this Veteran’s Day and in 2009.

SPC Joseph Burris adds:

As a soldier, I just wanted to say thanks for Fun for Our Troops. Words cannot describe the feelings I get when I see people like you selflessly donate time, money, and energy just to make our lives a little better. Something as simple as a videogame can mean a lot to a soldier who has nothing more to look forward to than another dusty day on convoy.

The Sheas are gamers themselves. While waiting for Michael to be deployed last fall, the couple spent a good deal of time playing the Wii. Stefanie attended PAX for the first time in August of this year.

Fun for our Troops is seeking tax-deductible donations of new or gently used game systems, video games, PC games or MP3 players as well as gift cards for distributors of games and gaming systems. The organization can also make use of monetary donations which are used primarily toward shipping costs and purchasing used gaming systems.  

Donations can be sent to:

Fun for our Troops, Inc.
506 Corporate Drive West
Langhorne, PA 19047

...or via PayPal.

Last month GamePolitics covered Sarcastic Gamer's Extra Life marathon, a charity event held for the benefit of Texas Children's Hospital.

Despite tough economic times, Sarcastic Gamer now reports that gamers came through in a huge way, with $115,000 raised. A joint press release issued by the hospital and the website gives more details:

Thanks to your support, over $115,000 was raised to fight pediatric cancer.  The funds raised will help provide critical dollars for research in childhood cancer as well as provide support to the families and patients being treated at Texas Children’s Cancer Center.  And hopefully everyone had fun at the same time!

The ESA Foundation, the charitable arm of video game publishers trade group the Entertainment Software Association, announced this week that it raised $750,000 for various children's charities at the organization's annual Nite to Unite.

The sold-out event was held on October 22nd in San Francisco. Legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto (left) was honored with the 2009 ESA Champion Award.

ESA CEO Michael Gallagher commented on the spirit behind Nite to Unite:

The video game industry’s commitment to giving back is stronger than ever. For ten years now, Nite to Unite has been the premiere industry event dedicated to children’s causes and honoring its creative visionaries. I’m honored that so many distinguished individuals and organizations attended.

As many gamers know, Gary Gygax (left), the famed creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away earlier this year.

By way of honoring the man and his achievement, the folks behind GenCon’s yearly charity auction decided to donate the proceeds to Gygax’s favorite charity, the Christian Children's Fund.  The auction, held at this year's GenCon, raised more than $17,000.
 
Unfortunately, according to a post on Live Game Auctions, the CCF refused the donation when it found out that the money would partially come from the sale of D&D merchandise.  GenCon instead donated the money to the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that enables family members to live nearby their hospitalized loved ones.
 
A curious member of the Giant in the Playground forum e-mailed the CCF about its decision and received the following reply:

Christian Children’s Fund made the decision to decline the gift from GenCon, LLC as the request presented to us gave the appearance that CCF (the organization) was an endorser or supporter of a gaming convention, which CCF was not.

 

As [with] many non-profit organizations, CCF is selective in its endorsements or support in order to maintain the integrity of its name and logo. We cannot lend our name to an event for which we have no involvement. This decision should in no way be interpreted as CCF holding an opinion on Mr. Gygax, gaming enthusiasts or the game Dungeons and Dragons.

GU Comics offers an amusing take on the situation.
 
-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen

The fabulous MMO Calendar is back for 2009.

If you are into MMOs, do yourself a favor and grab one. They're just $12.95 and proceeds benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

They tend to sell out quickly, so don't wait too long to order.

Here's some info from the MMO Calendar press release:

With the help of some wonderful MMO developers we have put together our 3rd annual one-of-a-kind calendar featuring autographed artwork from the hottest released and upcoming MMO's!

MMO Calendar 2009 proudly includes:

    * Age of Conan
    * DC Universe Online
    * Dofus
    * Eve Online
    * EverQuest II
    * Free Realms
    * Guild Wars
    * Pirates of the Burning Sea
    * RuneScape
    * The Agency
    * Warhammer Online
    * World of Warcraft

...As always, 100% of the proceeds of the sale of MMO Calendar go directly to the amazing people at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, helping them in the fight for children's lives. Is there a more noble cause anywhere?