I meant to write about this at the beginning of the month and I forgot. Even though Christmas is only days away, I still want to mention it (and besides, late Christmas presents are better than none at all).

In November of 2003, Mike "Gabe" Krahulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins, creators of the popular gaming-related webcomic Penny Arcade, founded a charity for sick children called Child's Play. The origins came as a response to the media's assault on gamers and gaming culture:

If you are like me, every time you see an article ... where the author claims that video games are training our nations youth to kill you get angry. The media seems intent on perpetuating the myth that gamers are ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. I know for a fact that gamers are good people. I have had the opportunity on multiple occasions to meet hundreds of you at conventions all over the country. We are just regular people who happen to love video games.

With that in mind we have put together a little something we like to call "Child’s Play". Penny Arcade is working with the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Amazon.com to make this Christmas really special for a lot of very sick kids. With the help of the Children’s Hospital we have created an Amazon Wish List for the kids. It’s full of video games, movies and toys. Some of these kids are in pretty bad shape and just having a Game Boy would really raise their spirits.

The initial response was overwhelming and amazing. In the short month and a half leading up to Christmas, generous Penny Arcade readers donated over $250,000 in cash and toys.

Now in its third year, the Child's Play charity includes over 30 partner hospitals in the U.S. as well as a handful sprinkled elsewhere including Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. Donations can be made in the form of cash (via check or PayPal) or through buying a gift off a hospital's Amazon wishlist. As the charity website states, "We collect no administrative fees or other charges, 100% of all gifts and donations go directly to our partner hospitals, to help make life a little brighter for a sick child."

As a fellow gamer, I know we have big hearts, and here's our chance to put that Christmas Bonus (or money we were saving toward a next-gen game) to good use. Maybe we can make a sick child's stay in the hospital a little better.

www.childsplaycharity.org