In another shining example of what gamers can do when they band together, Blizzard announced that the special sale of the Cinder Kitten in-game pet for World of Warcraft netted a handsome some for the victims of Superstorm Sandy, which hit the east coast of the US late last year:

"Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of World of Warcraft players around the world who purchased the Cinder Kitten pet, we’ve raised a total of more than $2.3 million USD to support the American Red Cross’s ongoing Superstorm Sandy relief efforts."

It should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan video games. Not just playing them or writing about them, but also everything that goes into their design and development. One of my favorite things is concept art. These pieces are often quite amazing and stand on their own as fine art that looks awesome displayed as part of my home decor. I'm positive my wife would agree.

EverQuest® and EverQuest® II Players Contribute During Month-long Campaign

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) joined forces with players of its popular online video games to support the Child's Play 2009 Winter Charity Drive. The fundraising efforts culminated this week with a donation of more than $20,000 to the Child’s Play charity.

 

The month-long fundraising campaign supported Child's Play; an organization that's purpose is to improve the lives of hospitalized children across the nation. SOE donated $10 each time an EverQuest® or EverQuest® II player bought a specific Child's Play virtual item on the Marketplace with Station Cash, SOE's recently introduced in-game currency. The in-game items purchased by players are theirs to keep within the online virtual worlds.

 

"The ability of our players to make a donation of this magnitude in these tough economic times is beyond anything we could have hoped for," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "As we continue to diversify with programs like Station Cash we will be able to offer unique items that benefit not only our players, but other partnerships and organizations such as Child's Play in this case."

 

Founded in 2003, Child's Play is a game industry charity that is dedicated to providing children with toys and age-appropriate games at more than 40 hospitals worldwide.

 

For more information, visit www.childsplaycharity.org and www.station.com.

Source: SOE Press Release