Child’s Play
So, I’ve had the Child’s Play banner up on the site pretty much from when Penny Arcade started up the project again this year, and I just thought I’d drop a little line about it here. As a gamer, I feel like it’s my duty to take part in Child’s Play. But it’s a duty I am both proud and happy to perform. I usually take part in a few different toy drives anyway around this time of year. But there is none I am so pleased to contribute to as Child’s Play.
It’s Gabe and Tycho’s creation, but it belongs to all of us. It is unique in that it is a charity drive supported almost entirely by the gaming community. And on some level, yes, it is our statement that despite being scapegoats for every whackjob that brings a gun to church or a bomb to school, that stereotype neither represents nor defines us. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a triumph of generosity and spontaneity and the incredible good that can be done when so many individuals rise to the occasion.
But more than any of that, it’s about the kids. Now, if you read my site, you know that I discredit just about anyone that uses “Think of the children!” as an excuse for their own personal motivations. But that’s because so many people hide so much false charity and concern behind that empty slogan. What’s great about Child’s Play is that they have almost no overhead. The toys and the money (which then gets translated into more toys) all wind up in the hands of kids who got dealt a lousy hand. The Child’s Play website has an entire page full of letters and testimonials they have received – and if you haven’t donated yet, a few of those letters will definitely put you over the edge.
Plus, you know, there’s the fact that Child’s Play has a very legitimate shot at breaking $1 million in donations this year. The mind reels. The heart swells. And the mouse clicks.
