A long time ago, Joystiq reviewed Being a Good Person, calling it "a lot of fun" and "something everyone should try," making it one of the few things to ever receive Joystiq's coveted Editor's Choice Award and a perfect 10/10 review. If you haven't tried Being a Good Person yet, you might want to check out Pixel Equity, a new charity "that connects those who want to share video games with those who want to play them." Gamers will be able to donate money and used games to needy kids that can't afford what is still, admittedly, an expensive hobby.

It's a concept that certainly has good intentions behind it, but we're still a little skeptical of the site's limited donation options and lack of transparency. Currently, people can only donate to one NYC-based group, Youth Action Programs and Homes, which is requesting a PS3 and Wii, among other gaming items. As a startup charity, there are no case studies to read, and even more distressing, there's little information on who will get these donations, and how they will be used. Providing more information on the organizations that benefit from donations and offering tax exemptions are just a few things Pixel Equity can do if it continues to grow.

[Via Kotaku]

Perhaps as penance for all the brains it's helped to rot with WoW, Counter-Strike and Dolphin Olympics over the years, AMD has announced that it has awarded three grants for the creation of educational or "serious" games to build skills in science, technology and math.

There are, of course, no specific games being talked about, but we've got some killer ideas if anyone wants to break us off a piece of that sweet, sweet grant money. (Oh, a sneak preview? How about a fully 3D version of Mathman? Yeah, we thought so.)

Epicenter Studios has announced an initiative to assist real heroes through the sales of its game, Real Heroes: Firefighter. The studio says that it will donate a share of the proceeds to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, a charity that aims to "provide timely assistance to all fire service members and their families in the event of cancer diagnosis," though Nathaniel McClure, CEO of Epicenter, says he also appreciates how the charity "aggressively promotes prevention and early detection." So, not only will you save virtual people if you decide to pick up the game, but you could be helping in the recovery of real people in need, too. It's like kind of like a Double Stuff Oreo of justice.

Real Heroes: Firefighter is slated for release in June 2009.

Did you know that by attending this year's E3, you won't just be filling your pants with game-based thermoses and probably catching swine flu? No, this year you'll be helping to give back with charity events the ESA has set up during the event.

First up is Pro vs. GI Joe, a military support group which will allow attendees to challenge our nation's fighting men and women in tests of video game aptitude. E3 visitors will also be able to buy a special shirt from the event -- designed by one of the attendees -- the proceeds from which will, in part, go to LA-based homeless support group The Midnight Mission.

Attendees can also participate in a Red Cross drive held at E3, siphoning their blood into packs that will almost certainly be mistakenly collected by other attendees for an HP boost.

[Update: The ESA asked that we include a few details so you know how you can get involved. Just to be clear, you can click here to find out how to submit a T-shirt design or register to give blood.]

Want to do something green? Why not play a video game or watch a movie? Sony will donate $1 to Conservation International for each "unique paid transaction" made on the PlayStation Store on Earth Day (April 22), with a maximum contribution of $10,000. Each purchase must be made from the PlayStation Video Store.

The PlayStation Store currently features a "Save Our Earth" section featuring a rather eclectic mix of sort-of-Earth-related games, including PixelJunk Eden, Flower, Flock! and er, Burn Zombie Burn.

Looking for a new Xbox 360 console with writing all over it? No? Well, how about if that writing includes autographs from some of the developers behind the 2008 sales giant, Gears of War 2? Yeah, we thought so.

The TechKnow podcast has teamed up with Epic Games to auction off an exclusive Xbox 360 console -- featuring crimson skull art from senior concept artist, James Hawkins -- with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The ongoing auction will end on March 12 and currently sits at $465. If you're looking to do some good (while picking up a piece of exclusive swag) hit eBay and make a bid.

SOE recently ran a really swell promotion in its Everquest and Everquest II games. For every player that purchased a specific Child's Play virtual item on the Marketplace using the title's currency, Station Cash, SOE would make a $10 donation to Child's Play. Despite an aching (real-world) economy, players managed to do some serious spending, driving SOE's total contribution to Child's Play to $20,000. To put that in perspective, $20,000 is the equivalent of just over 1,333 months of basic Everquest II access for a single subscriber.

The annual Child's Play charity fund is known for accumulating outlandish quantities of money from the gaming community -- this year was no exception. Button-mashing altruists not only met the charity's lofty $750,000 goal, they nearly doubled it, bringing in a total of $1,434,377. For those keeping track, that's enough to buy over 10,000 DS Lites, about 6,500 Core 360s, or like, two or three PS3s. (We keed!)

While there is certainly cause for celebration considering that generous gamers surpassed last year's impressive $1.3 million haul (and in the middle of a recession, no less), there's no time for laurel-resting. Child's Play, the 1988 cinematic masterpiece, garnered $33 million in gross revenue. Let's see you beat that one, you magnanimous so-and-sos.

In what is altruism at its most sublime, Child's Play organizers announced that the charity has raised nearly 36,000 rupees in 2008, which at the current exchange rate equals more than a million dollars – all to help sick children in need of both fun and games.

While not discounting the impact of tedious school bus excursions, the milestone owes much thanks to the recent Child's Play Charity Dinner Auction in Seattle, which took in an impressive $200,000 over the course of the evening. It warms our hearts when gamers can put down their guns and spread a little cheer for a good cause. Bravo.

As a reminder to those of you who like either helping sick kids or bearing witness to the most boring things in existence, the crew from LoadingReadyRun has just launched the second annual "Desert Bus for Hope" campaign. You can watch as they raise money for the Child's Play charity by playing the astonishingly boring "Desert Bus" mini-game from the unreleased Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors. How long they'll play is entirely up to you.

They're already guaranteed a 71 hour run, but by giving cash you can force them to go even longer. If there's a better way to spend your money than helping charity while simultaneously making a group of grown men die a little bit inside, we haven't heard of it.

Pacman Jones on the cover of Madden NFL 2010? It could happen ... if "Adam" makes it rain on United Way. EA Sports head coach Peter Moore has been pitching the idea of a cover athlete auction to the Madden marketing team, reports Bloomberg.com. The decision won't be made "anytime soon," according to Moore, but the proposal suggests offering up the Madden curse, er, cover to the highest bidding NFL player. All proceeds would go to United Way, the NFL's charity partner. "Our research tells us we don't see a huge up-tick or down-tick depending on who's on the cover -- they're buying Madden," says Moore.

Update: Oops! We were going for Pacman during his TNA Wrestling debut and wound up with his tag team partner, Ron "the Truth" Killings, instead (above). Thanks for pointing this out, folks -- needless to say, we don't watch much TNA nor have we ever seen Pacman with his helmet off. (And yes, we place full blame on Google Images.) Rest assured, we've rectified this careless error after the break!)

[Thanks, John]

This is just a friendly reminder that the Extra Life charity gaming marathon is up and running today. Gamers around the world are currently hard at play earning money to benefit the Texas Children's Cancer Center. If you've registered to be a part of the marathon, we salute you and hope you've brought some caffeine and snacks to the party.

If you weren't able to sign up in time, a rain date is being setup for next Saturday, October 25. Also, don't forget that you don't have to participate in the marathon to contribute. Extra Life will be accepting direct donations until October 28.

We've all had gaming sessions so lengthy that a thin layer of film formed between our posteriors and our furniture -- but rarely have we ever had a worthwhile reason for doing so. However, as of 9 a.m. today, gaggles of stick-to-it-ive gamers set off on a 24-hour gaming marathon to raise money for the Texas Children's Cancer Center, as part of Sarcastic Gamer's Extra Life charity event.

While it's too late to join in today's festivities, a "Rain Date", scheduled for next Saturday, will allow latecomers to garner donations and participate in the marathon. Not interested in developing bedsores? You could always donate directly to the cause -- or offer participants in your area a tall cup of coffee (or a much appreciated hand massage).

It's another 24-hour gaming event for charity. This one features our friends at the PS Nation podcast, and will begin tomorrow. The team is asking for donations of any kind.

"Extra Life is about getting a new group of people involved in helping fight pediatric cancer. There are plenty of "walk-a-thons" and "run-a-thons" and honestly many who consider themselves "gamers" might not participate in that because it doesn't interest them. Extra Life is about going to a completely different group of people and asking them to help out and do what they enjoy at the same time."

To find out more and to donate, click here. (For the "Gamer Name," Just enter PS Nation Podcast)
To watch Torgo suffer through the 24 hour gameplay session in the R2 beta this weekend, click here.

Well, Nintendo kept this quiet. Amazon has just added a listing for a limited edition Pink Ribbon DS Lite, a Polar White console sporting the pink ribbon logo that has long been associated with breast cancer awareness and research.

According to the blurb, it releases today, and Nintendo plans to donate $5 to cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure for every one of these that gets snapped up, and has promised a guaranteed minimum donation of $100,000. Good on Nintendo, we say, and if you are looking for a new/second Lite, now you really have an excuse to take the plunge.


[Thanks, Matt!]