Sony Online Entertainment Fundraises for Child's Play

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that it's partnering with gamer-driven charity Child's Play again in an effort to raise up to $50,000 for its "2nd Annual Virtual Fundraising Drive."

From December 17th through January 17th, SOE will donate $10 to the charity each time a player purchases or gifts special Child's Play virtual items in the MMO's EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Free Realms using Station Cash (SOE's in-game currency).

The special virtual items tied to donations will be the "Child's Play Anklebiter Doll" (EverQuest), the "Child's Play Bouncing Baby Panda Cub" (EverQuest II), and the "Child's Play Triceratops" (Free Realms). The items can be purchased for the paltry sum of 500 Station Cash ($5) each.

Since its founding in 2003 by Penny-Arcade webcomic authors Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, the Seattle-based, gamer-powered organization Child's Play has collected and distributed over five million dollars worth of donations for sick kids in nearly seventy participating children's hospitals around the world.

For the charitable types uninterested in pandas, dinosaurs, or oddly-named dolls, buying virtual stuff isn't the only way to donate to this great cause. Child's Play's official website provides easy donation instructions, including toys, games, books, and cash. The charity's partnerships with Amazon.com and PayPal make donating that much easier. Besides, there are few better ways to keep yourself off of Santa's "naughty" list this year.