Child’s Play Charity

Love this charity. Thanks for giving children in hospitals video games to play. Thanks to all the video game companies and Penny Arcade Expo supporting this charity.

2012 Review #302:
It’s hard to give any charity that works with children fewer than 5 stars. But when that charity seeks to give kids in hospitals access to movies, video games, toys, and other distractions from their hospital stay, it’s pretty much a guaranteed 5-​star review.
Child’s Play has been active since 2003, and basically, they take in donations from people and from the video game industry (over $ 3mil so far this year alone) and use it to provide consoles, games, controllers, movies, and other toys to hospitals. The hospitals elect to be enrolled in the Child’s Play program. Once a hospital is enrolled, people can either donate products to them through an Amazon wish list, and/​or Child’s play provides products to them using monetary donations. Kids in the hospital can then check out games or use a communal game space. Movies and toys are given to individual children as gifts.
My only hesitation in my 5 star review was if kids are given access to games that are too mature for them (as in, rated M for mature). I’m sure this has more to do with an individual hospital’s practices, than this charity as a whole. And, the more I think about it, if my kid were in for a long hospital stay, and killing some zombies would cheer him up, I’d probably just let him go for it.
PAX– Penny Arcade Expo– often teams up with Child’s Play during PAX Prime and PAX East. A lot of the proceeds from various PAX events help out Child’s Play, and many video game companies support Child’s Play on several levels. When I was at PAX you could even elect to donate items won through raffles directly to Child’s Play. I think this is a great and very resourceful idea; giving away consoles at a video game convention is like giving away toupees at a hair loss convention– most people have them already. So, this way, instead of basically giving someone $ 300, PAX found a way to make a person feel like a winner, by winning the raffle, and benefit this charity and children at the same time. This also makes nerds feel like they’re accomplishing something for the greater good, and we nerds love that.

This has to be by far, my favorite charity on this arm of the galaxy. Thats right, the whole freakin arm of the galaxy stands in charity awe of this one. I mean, common… gamers, giving games… to kids… in hospitals. Take THAT Alpha Centurions for Hunger!