charity posts (Subscribe to this feed)

The idea of a three-day speed run of Pokémon, in which the runners would attempt to capture all of the pocket-sized monsters therein, would have been a lot more feasible back in 1998. Today, the number of in-game species has ballooned from 151 to 493, a number that can only be appreciated when depicted in words: Four-hundred and ninety-three.

The charitable gaming experts of TheSpeedGamers plan to accomplish this near-impossible goal while taking donations for Ally's House, an Oklahoma-based children's cancer foundation. It sounds like a really great cause -- why not show some support on the group's livestream? Even if your "support" is just you repeatedly singing the Pokérap over and over, ad infinitum.

click to go down Fake Memory Lane in our galleryThe best part of the Matt Hazard series, in our opinion, is the part that doesn't exist -- the fake retro series which the new games pretend to reboot. While the classic Matt Hazard games aren't precisely real, you can now buy the cartridges on eBay. To benefit Child's Play, D3 is selling mockup Hazard memorabilia, including nonfunctional game cartridges and functional Haz-Matt Carts shirts -- and, of course, slap bracelets -- in four simultaneous auctions.

It's kind of the opposite of digital distribution: instead of getting a game without physical media, delivered over the internet, you'll get cartridges with no game inside through the mail.

Mythic Entertainment's Mike "Daarken" Lim and Dreamworks' Leif Jeffers aren't the type of gentlemen to sit around idly while a friend is in need. When Lim's girlfriend (Cat) was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year at the age of 25, the two quickly hatched a plan to help her wade through the sea of medical bills that a bilateral mastectomy and 16 weeks of chemotherapy can quickly accrue. That plan quickly turned into an art auction named "beautifulgrim."

Artists from all over the game and film industries have contributed to the project -- from Blizzard and Rockstar on the gaming side to Pixar and Disney on the film side, to name only a few. Lim is hoping to hold the auction "sometime next Spring" in either San Francisco or New York City, though plans are still a bit up in the air. " We are still in the process of looking for a venue, so the date and location of the opening reception is still unknown," Lim told us. He also encouraged people to check out some of the already submitted works on the project's Facebook page. Any money earned in the auction beyond what Cat requires will be given to "a breast cancer related charity to be determined by the artists in the coming weeks."

Though you only have one day left to tell Lim if you'd like to contribute, final art for the show isn't due until February 1. We wish them the best of luck.

The internet has become the de facto way to send send half-hearted holiday greetings, but why not class it up this year? Why not buy some cards from the Webcomic Holiday Postcard Fundraiser, the perfect way to say "I acknowledge you have not yet died, but I'm certainly not going to buy you anything."

Not only will the money go to help Child's Play, but most of the cards (illustrated by webcomic artists like Scott Ramsoomair of VGCats fame) are so pretty the recipient may feel like they've gotten a gift and will, in turn, feel obligated to get you something. And that, friends, is what Christmas is all about.

Charity's great, but we've always said that the best kind of giving is where you also get something in return. That's what makes A Gamer's Alphabet such a great purchase. Not only will you be helping to raise money for Marisa's Bunny, which raises awareness of Infantile Spasms, but, more importantly, you'll get something out of the deal, a lovely book that gives every letter a gamer slant.

Ahh, giving with the anticipation of getting. It's kind of amazing that some 2010 years after Jesus came to Earth from space, we still remember his teachings so well.

[Via Hawty McBloggy]

What's the only thing more satisfying than aligning colorful blocks on a rectangular grid while simultaneously recreating pleasant ambient tunes from musical artists such as Moby? Simple -- doing so while simultaneously donating to charity. That's the package that OneBigGame and Zoe Mode will offer on XBLA at some point this winter, when their music/puzzle game Chime lands on the XBLA.

Though we've known about this non-profit puzzler for a month now, we've yet to see the title in action. Fortunately, OneBigGame dropped a gameplay demonstration video earlier today, which we've posted above. Yeah, sure, it's got a few aesthetic similarities to Lumines, but considering all the proceeds from the game go to Save the Children and Starlight Children's foundation, we're not going to raise a stink about it. We think saving children is like, the coolest thing you can possibly do.

No, not from Sonic games! Earlier this year, the fans at The Sonic Stadium held Sonic Relief 2009, an event through which the forces of Sonic fan art were used for good. The group has announced a second Sonic Relief drive for 2010, promising donations to charity for each work of Sonic fan art submitted.

The group is also asking for fans to use their creativity in another way: by planning their own Sonic-related fundraisers and adding the donations to the main total. This is where your "Watch Me Play Sonic Riders" marathon comes in. "Alternatively," the organizers note, "this system will also allow anyone to just simply make a donation should they wish!" This is where the proceeds from selling your copy of Sonic Riders come in.

It's nice to be reminded that fans can band together for something other than boycotts. The drive will run from January to March.

[Via Sonic City Blognik]

After five days and 16 hours of playing the world's most boring game, the Desert Bus for Hope crew has reached its final stop for the year, bringing in a staggering $132,392.94 to benefit the Child's Play charity. With the third iteration of its annual marathon play session of "Desert Bus" -- a mini-game from the unreleased Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors -- comedy troupe LoadingReadyRun raised nearly $110,000 more than its first year. If you want to see just how brutal the experience was, you can try the game for yourself right here.

It's just the latest piece in a long line of evidence proving that a bunch of good-hearted gamers and Canadians with a brutal, masochistic streak can accomplish just about anything. Congrats, everybody.

We know you've probably already spent an irresponsible amount of dough this morning on hot Black Friday deals, but there's a unique gaming marathon for charity (a charithon?) taking place right now that could use some help meeting its $3,000 donation goal. Check out the web page of Clan of the Gray Wolf, where four gentlemen are attempting to play 1,000 Rock Band songs for approximately 80 hours, all the while collecting money for Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity.

So, instead of buying that set of Growing Pains-themed salt shakers simply because they're 75 percent off, why not lend a helping hand to four guys who, in 80 hours, are going to have the worst blisters anyone's ever had, ever?

War Child International is a coalition of organizations that seeks to aid children affected by war. Activision UK and GAME have decided to pitch in and are joining up to host an online event next weekend in Modern Warfare 2, asking that UK citizens play a bit of the game on Xbox Live. The more people enlist for action online, the more Activision UK will donate to the charity.

If you're looking for more information on the event, there's a Facebook page and a Twitter account set up to help coordinate. If you've got a busy weekend ahead of you on December 4, try to make time for at least one online match. It's not every day you can make someone else's life better just by playing a video game.

Today at 2 p.m. EST, Joystiq's own preternatually handsome Justin McElroy will be visiting the brave men and women of the Desert Bus for Hope, and you should tune in! For starters, you'll get to watch former people who have been turned into little more than husks by extended exposure to one of the worst games ever draw strength from the timeless good looks and boundless compassion of Mr. McElroy. But, almost just as importantly, you'll also have a shot of winning a box of terrible games.

The Desert Bus team will select one person who donates here between 2 and 3 p.m. at random, and we'll send that unlucky SOB a box full of unpleasant games and other random swag. It's better than nothing but just barely. Besides, you're helping sick kids while treating your ears to a heaping dollop of everyone's favorite Thanksgiving treat: Justin McElroy. isn't that enough for you?

Can something still be considered a game if you know you're going to lose? That's the exact question the brave crew of the Desert Bus for Hope will have to answer as it sets off on its third annual excursion tomorrow. As they play the Desert Bus mini-game from Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors for days on end to raise money for Child's Play, sick kids will win, we the viewers of their live video stream will win, but the bleary-eyed LoadingReadyRun driving team will absolutely, positively lose.

If you'd like to help their sacrifice not be in vain (while at the same time prolonging it), you can donate on their homepage.

[Thanks, Koehler83]

On November 20, staffers from UK blog Citizen Game will be holding a video game marathon in support of Children in Need -- a charity established in 1980 in support of disadvantaged, disabled and abused children throughout the UK. Not to be outdone, Citizen Game will hold the event at a film studio in central London for the night and invite gamers from across the globe to help them battle children issues online.

Interested gamers should visit Citizen Game to learn about event start times, Xbox Live Gamertags and PlayStation IDs and how to donate. Thus far, Citizen Game has reached £215 ($358 USD) of its £2,000 ($3,330) goal and have promised to game for one hour per every £100 ($166) they collect. We wish them the best of luck.