Get-Well Gamers Foundation Expands
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Oct 11th 2006 at 3:30PM }
The Get-Well Gamers Foundation announced today that they've had a 25% increase in the number of hospitals participating in their program. The California-based charity brings video game systems to kids in hospitals because games are "an effective and proven pain management tool and provide needed entertainment during long hospital stays." The Get-Well Gamers Foundation currently has 41 participating hospitals in 26 states.As GayGamer points out the expanded network increases the need for more games and systems. Moved on to better systems and your old consoles are just collecting dust? Donate it and make a sick little gamer happy. Oh, and it's tax-deductible.
The only real request by Get-Well Gamers is that the games please be age-appropriate. We think that's a perfectly reasonable request and let's make another suggestion -- get these kids newer systems than the N64 pictured. They need next-gen STAT!
See also: Child's Play Charity
After the break: Dave Chappelle visits a sick kid. Laugh once and you must donate.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Flash (Child Molsester Supreme) @ Oct 11th 2006 3:36PM
Is it me or is that kid getting milked? I'm more excited than talking about PS3!
Todd @ Oct 11th 2006 3:50PM
I think this is a note worthy foundation. Especially kids who are going through some serious tough times, such as cancer. A little positive fun can go a long way towards recovery.
ejflex @ Oct 11th 2006 4:05PM
When a kid is going through hard times such as this... in my opinion.. nothig will help ease the pain liek a Nintendo SIXTEY FOUUUR! And I'm being serious. Nothing funny about sick kids. But you know n64 kid would be fully for this sort of thing. Ps Did anyone actually find out who the n64 kid was in real life? He's got to be what 19 now?
BklynKid @ Oct 11th 2006 4:08PM
Sure, I'll donate my old black and white gameboy! Haha, get healthy and get some jobs!
Lorben @ Oct 11th 2006 4:08PM
I can only assume my post was deleted by mistake since it was both factual and on topic. I'll repost it with more detail this time.
"The only real request by Get-Well Gamers is that the games please be age-appropriate."
Not true, I asked them if they took M rated games before I sent in a donation last week. This is the response I got back.
"Yes, we certainly do accept M-rated games. Usually when one thinks of Pediatrics, the first thing that comes to mind are 10-12 year olds, but many of our hospitals service patients 17, 18, even as much as 21 or 22 years old. We could certainly make use of any M titles that you wanted to donate to us.
Thank you for your support- we can always use more games!
Regards,
--Ryan Sharpe
President, The Get-Well Gamers Foundation"
Fruit Brute @ Oct 11th 2006 4:09PM
With the release of all the next-gen consoles, many of our current systems will be ending up in the “not used pile” and Get-Well Gamers provides the perfect use for them rather than letting them collect dust in the back of the closet. I’m sure many of us have an old system laying around that isn’t being used anymore and games that haven’t been touched in years. send them along and make a sick kid's Christmas.
Pip @ Oct 11th 2006 4:08PM
Yeah, he actually had his system on eBay not too long ago.
GWG is a great cause. Gaming giants like MS, Sony, and Nintendo really ought to pump orgs like this with as much stuff as they can. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a hospital with nothing to do.
GetWellGamers @ Oct 11th 2006 4:48PM
Lorben is corect, the "Age appropriate" thing is really a bit of a misnomer. The trick is that the Pediatric clinics that do what he described earlier are a minority of our hospitals, so oftentimes surplus M-rated games will be sold or traded in to buy T and E games, or other necessities like replacement A/V cables or controllers.
So go ahead and donate all the GTA's you want- just so long as you're comfortable with the prospect that some of them might not actually wind up in the hospitals.
And Pip, MS and Sony have both ponied up substantial donations that have been incredibly helpful in the Foundation's mission- now if only Nintendo would stop stonewalling us...
Bakabaka @ Oct 11th 2006 4:47PM
I'm surprised that they are actually taking donated systems. I would think it represent a biological hazard. I'm not saying gamers are the most un-hygenenic people around but why take the risk with sick children.
phreak @ Oct 11th 2006 5:27PM
Hey now, the N64 is an EXCELLENT console to donate. Those kids should be thankful they HAVE a 64. When I was in the hospital a few times, it was an NES and Tenis. Perhaps I'll donate my 64. I have quite a game collection. I already have some of my games on my computer, so I can still play if I ever get nostalgic.
32_Footsteps @ Oct 11th 2006 6:05PM
I can attest to the great work that GWG does, and I've donated to them before. I plan on doing so again in the future.
Of course, I hold that I only am going to donate good games. Think before you donate - would you rather play We Love Katamari or Shadow of the Colossus in the hospital, or Red Ninja: End of Honor? I think the choice is clear.
Also - Fruit Brute? Wow, I've never seen a simultaneous reference to someone's sexuality and really crappy breakfast cereal in the same handle. Do you guys have a lesbian on staff that uses Yummy Mummy, if only for symmetry's sake?
Miharu @ Oct 11th 2006 6:45PM
Let me share you folks a little piece from my past. As a child I spent a lot of time in the hospital, and now you can all guess what I did there: played a lot of NES. Super Nintendo's and Mega Drives were out but NES was available and I was wholly satisfied. I had my parents bring some games to the hospital so I could let other kids play them too, and not just the hospital games.
Take note that all of the numerous NES consoles and games were donated there. Here in Finland we had a donation going on just a few months ago to donate video games for children in hospital for cancer. A gaming forum of medium size decided to ask 5€ from every member if they wanted to donate, and with the money we got a Gamecube, four wavebirds, a memory card and IIRC, Mario Party 7 and Mario Kart.
So anyway, I bet kids in hospital will be happy with any N64's or PSOne's people can spare. Donate what you can!