Not one to let old equipment go to waste, Blizzard made some old World of Warcraft server blades available for auction, and the response garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars for the company's charity of choice, St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
Whether by increased exposure, a growing spirit of giving, or our innate need to beat our own high score, the annual Child's Play charity has consistently topped itself in donations every year since its founding in 2003. 2011 was no exception, leaping past 2010's $2 million to raise a staggering $3.5 million.
Read more: 'We've learned to never underestimate [gamers'] generosity' »
A few--let's just say it--horrible people have taken it upon themselves to purchase the latest Humble Indie Bundle for one penny, in an attempt to increase their odds of winning prizes during Valve's current raffle promotion.
To counter this nefarious practice, the organizers at Wolfire have decided to set a threshold of $1 for donations looking to score Steam keys for the included games in the package.
Developer Blizzard sure is good at raising money for charity. Sales of the Cenarion Hatchling, one of World of WarCraft's virtual pets that was created to support Red Cross Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami relief, have generated $1.9 million.
The Cenarion Hatchling was offered through Blizzard's Store, with a $10 price tag. 100% of the proceeds of purchases made before July 31 "will be donated to the American Red Cross's Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief efforts."
The long-awaited charity album released under the Play for Japan banner arrived on iTunes over the weekend, offering 18 tracks from some of the industry's best with all proceeds going to benefit the people of Japan.
Organized by one of the album's featured artists, renowned composer Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill, Shadows of the Damned), Play for Japan: The Album also features music from Koji Kondo (Mario, Legend of Zelda), Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), Bear McCreary (SOCOM 4, Battlestar), and more.
"I'm so proud to share this with videogame and music fans, thanks to the hard work of friends and fellow composers from around the world," Yamaoka said in a press release. "With so many diverse artists and styles featured, this truly is a global effort towards a worthwhile cause."
The big hearts at Play for Japan have revealed they have surpassed the $120,000 mark for items sold related to the video game industry, in support of Japanese relief efforts.
Currently, a slew of God of War-based auctions have found their way on to eBay in support of the admirable cause. Read more »
The Make-A-Wish Foundation has announced that Blizzard Entertainment has donated $800,000 to the charity, which is known for making the dreams of sick and terminally ill children come true, GamePolitics.com reports.
But it was gamers who really made the large deposit a reality. The donation equals to 50 per cent of the total sales Blizzard Entertainment accrued during the months of November and December 2010 from selling a special in-game pet--the Moonkin Hatchling--for World of Warcraft. Read more »
On the official Team Fortress 2 blog, the team behind the ubercharged shooter have revealed that sales for special in-game items developed for the Japanese disaster relief have topped $300,000.
"Wow. Seriously, people, WOW. We knew you had it in you, but we're still amazed you've raised over $300,000 so far," the post reads. Three items are available for Team Fortress 2 players looking to score exclusive items while donating to a good cause: Humanitarian's Hachimaki" for $7.99, the "Benefactor's Kanmuri" for $19.99, and the "Magnanimous Monarch" for $99.99. All proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross. Read more »
Penny Arcade creators and Child's Play charity co-founders Mike "Gabe" Krahulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins revealed yesterday that in 2010 the organization raised $2,294,317.53 in 2010.
According to Holkins, the lifetime amount raised by the organization--with help from avid gamers and those with a caring heart--clocks in at just under nine million dollars since the organization was established in 2003. Read more »
After launching on December 14, the second (hopefully now annual) Humble Indie Bundle has come to a close, raising just over $1.8 million.
The DRM-free, "pay what you want" bundle featured a number of high-profile independently developed games for PC, Mac, and Linux, in support of indie developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Child's Play Charity. Users were able to divide their donations to share between developers and charities or to give the entire lump sum to any one specific group. Read more »
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