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?

With its corporate raids and virtual intrigues, EVE Online is perhaps the most cutthroat of MMOs.

But its devotees, it seems, are pussycats in real life.

A press release issued this morning by the Get-Well Gamers Foundation reports that the official fan club of EVE publisher CCP, The Camarilla, raised $4,000 for the charity by holding silent auctions and raffles of donated items during gatherings.

CCP exec Val Massey commented on the donation:

The generosity of The Camarilla continues to amaze us. It's entirely to their credit that this donation was made possible. Get-Well Gamers is such a worthy cause and we are in awe of their tireless efforts to bring some much-needed fun to young people who need it most. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to act as a conduit to connect these two incredible groups.

GWG president (and longtime GP community member) Ryan Sharpe praised the EVE Online community: 

Given the recent economic climate, especially in Iceland where CCP calls home, this is a particularly poignant donation. We cannot begin to thank CCP, White Wolf and The Caramilla for their generous support of Get-Well Gamers and other worthy causes. They truly show how online communities can be used as a force for good.

 The Get-Well Gamers Foundation accepts donated console games and equipment as well as hand-held systems and the games which it then re-distributes to children's hospitals. Donations are tax-deductible.

Bloomberg reports that Electronic Arts is considering allowing the highest bidding player to become the cover athlete on its best-selling Madden NFL franchise.

All money received from the winning bidder would go to NFL charity partner the United Way.

The news comes by way of EA Sports president Peter Moore, who told Bloomberg:

I bet you can find 50 players that would say, `I'd pay good money [to be on the cover of Madden]. The league does a lot of work with them to make them realize how lucky they are and a lot of them have come out of poor circumstances and they give back...

 

Our research tells us we don't see a huge up-tick or down-tick depending on who's on the cover -- [gamers are] buying Madden.

A clever online game offered by Peritus Public Relations of Louisville, KY challenges players to predict which states will be carried by Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama in November 4th's presidential election.

Peritus will send $1,000 to the winner's favorite charity. And, no, your PS3 acquisition fund is not among the list of eligible charities...

I registered and gave it a try. It's fun to use the interactive map of electoral votes to make a prediction, although the registration process was slightly intrusive. Why do they need my address? Confession to Peritus: I lied.

Here's some info from the press release:

We are a firm of veritable political junkies... We created this game because we wanted to inject some fun into the political season while benefiting a charity at the same time. We felt by creating a game that was essentially unprecedented, and entertaining we would be able to reach to people who are generally politically apathetic. So we asked ourselves, why can’t politics be fun for everyone?

The Peritus Pundit gives the user an opportunity to compete against a national audience of political enthusiasts in picking the next President of the United States. The winner picks a charity of their choice and our firm will donate a $1,000 to the organization...

Destructoid Editor Jim Sterling hopes to raise $5,000 for charity for Sarcastic Gamer's upcoming Extra Life marathon, and he's offering a bonus if he does.

Sterling promises that if he reaches his goal, he will play SingStar, Sony's popular karaoke game, for 24 hours straight and do it live on the web. From his post:

Just think about this for a moment. That's twenty-four hours of singing. If we exceed $5000 by a significant amount, I'll even take requests. You might be able to force me to sing Total Eclipse of the Heart for an entire hour...

 

Think about it -- I might die. If you want to be able to tell your grandkids that technically you killed Jim Sterling, then give, give, give and make your dreams a reality. 
 

The Extra Life marathon takes place on October 18th. From Sarcastic Gamer's website:

On Saturday October 18th, 2008 gamers from around the world will come together for 24 hours to raise money and awareness for the cause of pediatric cancer.  Cancer is the number one cause of non-accidental death in children.  Together, we’re going to stand with the families from around the world who come to Texas Children’s Cancer Center in Houston, Texas for lifesaving treatment.  Texas Children’s Cancer Center serves kids worldwide regardless of their family’s ability to pay.  This generous philosophy means that your support is crucial to ensuring not only the development of new cutting edge cures, but also to provide care to kids from all corners of the globe.

GP: It's gonna be like a train wreck. I know I should look away, but... Anyway, I've signed up. Anyone else in? Click here to make a pledge.

Citizen Sugar reports on a new, web-based game offered by the British Red Cross.

Traces of Hope is designed to raise awareness of the plight of children in war-torn Uganda:

Players aim to help Joseph, a boy whose home and family has been torn apart by rebels, find his missing mother. The game site says: "He has a satellite phone, you have the web – together you’ll make a great team. Time is running out; guide Joseph through sickness, fire and violence as together you follow his traces of hope."

 

By placing clues for the game around the Internet, the game creators hope to blur the boundary between the game and the real world conflict. Since atrocities in the region often go unnoticed, perhaps this educational entertainment will help some wake up.

Cnet Asia has more:

After registering your email, Joseph contacts you and the game begins... The game is part of the Civilians and Conflict Month, a media blitz to raise awareness on the plight of those displaced and separated from their families because of war.
 

The Entertainment Software Association, which lobbies on behalf of U.S. video game publishers, announced last week that it would award $1 million in grants to nine non-profit organizations. The money will be distributed by the organization's charitable arm, the ESA Foundation.

Most notable among the recipients is the Minneapolis-based National Institute for Media and the Family. The watchdog group, headed by Dr. David Walsh (left), is best known for its annual video game report card. At times it has been a harsh critic of the video game industry. In 2005, for example, NIMF tagged the ESRB with a failing grade in the wake of the Hot Coffee scandal.

According to an ESA press release, NIMF will receive funding to "develop an on-line e-learning zone for using the latest interactive technologies to help kids and adults understand the issues and potential areas of concern with the Internet."

GamePolitics has requested comment from NIMF.

Of the ESA Foundation grants CEO Michael Gallagher said:

We are pleased to help these organizations address such critical social issues. The creativity and commitment of these recipients gives us a glimpse into the countless ways technology, including video games, can be used to improve the quality of life of our young people.

Additional details on the grant awards are available on the ESA website. Aside from NIMF, other recipients include:

• Animation Project, Inc.
• HopeLab Foundation
• PAX (not the game conference)
• ThanksUSA
• WGBH
• Web Wise Kids
• Federation of American Scientists
• One Economy Corporation

The ESA Foundation has announced that legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto will be honored with the 2009 ESA Champion Award at the charitable organization's annual Nite to Unite for Kids on October 22nd in San Francisco.

ESA CEO Michael Gallagher lauded Miyamoto in a press release:

Miyamoto-san truly has defined video games as we know them today. With his remarkable creativity and passion for fun, family entertainment, Miyamoto-san and his team at Nintendo have produced many iconic games that appeal to audiences of all ages.

Past champions include George Lucas, as well as GameStop’s Dan DeMatteo, Electronic Arts’ Bing Gordon, Toys ‘R Us’ Michael Goldstein, Nintendo's Howard Lincoln, Sega's Isao Ogawa, Sony Computer Entertainment’s Ken Kutaragi, and Electronic Boutique’s Jeffery Griffiths.

GameDaily reports that website GamersGive has been established to assist victims of Hurricane Ike.

The GamersGive site links visitors to the Hurricane Ike relief page of the American Red Cross. Free2Play games provider GamersFirst, a part of the K2 network, is behind the gamer-centric relief effort.

Gamers have been quick to respond to past disasters such as 2005's Hurricane Katrina.

Gamers who want to test their skills at the upcoming Austin Game Developers Conference will be making a charitable donation at the same time.

Twenty buck entry fees for the Level Up Charity Games competition will be donated to the ESA Foundation. Said Marc Mencher, CEO of competition sponsor GameRecruiter:

We have a long-standing commitment to supporting the educational needs of minority and female students who are interested in being part of the video game industry. By providing this support to the ESA Foundation’s Scholarship Program, we hope to allow deserving individuals to further their education and expand workplace diversity within our industry.

The September 17th competition at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin is open to all gamers. Featured titles include:

• Rock Band 2
• Madden 08
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl
• I-Play Bowling

Sure, they're a bunch of suits, but when game publishers do good things, honor is due.

Such is the case with the industry's successful "Nite to Unite" dinner/auction which took place last Wednesday. The event raised more than $800,000 for various charities. ESA honcho Doug Lowenstein commented:
 

The annual Nite to Unite dinner is about competitors joining in a common cause on behalf of children, and for me it is truly the most gratifying night of the year on the industry calendar. Each year, as a result of the unwavering support throughout the industry, we are able to make a real difference in the future of thousands of young people.

Proceeds will benefit Web Wise Kids, HopeLab, Working Achievement Values Education, and PAX. The ESA Foundation will also used funds to create a scholarship program designed to support minorities and women who are pursuing academic opportunities in gaming.

An ESA press release on the event can be found here.