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Child's Play 2011 starts annual drive, trying for $2 million in donations

Mike Schramm — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:30:00 EST

Halloween has passed us by, which means the season of charity is here, and Child's Play has started up its yearly drive for donations. Child's Play, started by the fine folks at Penny Arcade, is dedicated to providing sick children in hospitals all over the world with video games and toys to play while they recover, and has raised nearly $9 million in money and donations since it was founded in 2003.

This year, Child's Play is aiming for at least $2 million in donations, in part through a slew of events during the next two months, including the annual Desert Bus for Hope marathon later this month, and a Charity Dinner and Auction on December 8 up in Seattle. The group has picked up $450,000 in donations this year already, putting it well on the way towards its final goal.

You'll probably have a few other opportunities to donate over the next few months, but if you would like to jump in and help the kids out now, Child's Play accepts checks, Paypal donations, or you can even text in your donation by sending "GAMERS" to 50555. So go ahead -- even if the bells haven't started ringing in your neighborhood just yet, take this chance to give a little bit to those in need.

Child's Play 2011 starts annual drive, trying for $2 million in donations originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft, Companions in Courage partner to bring Xbox Live to children's hospitals

Jason Dobson — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online

With all of the continual media controversy over violent video games and their negative impact on society, it's refreshing to see these same games in a positive light every now and then. This is especially true when games are used to lift the spirits of hospitalized children, something we've seen in efforts like Child's Play and the Get-Well-Gamers Foundation. Now, Microsoft has become the latest gaming organization to follow its moral compass, inking a partnership with NHL legend Pat LaFontaine's nonprofit Companions in Courage to bring 450 Xbox 360 game kiosks to children's hospitals in the US.

The kiosks will come pre-loaded with select games, movies and television content, and will allow children to play games and chat with each other across a private "safety-enhanced" flavor of Xbox Live. The kiosks will be rolled out in waves, with the first wave being kicked off with three simultaneous events today at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, the Children's Hospital of Orange County in California, and the Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center of Seattle, the latter of which will feature a presentation by Microsoft exec Robbie Bach.

Continue reading Microsoft, Companions in Courage partner to bring Xbox Live to children's hospitals

Microsoft, Companions in Courage partner to bring Xbox Live to children's hospitals originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese doctors recommend Brain Training for seniors

Dan Choi — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Puzzle, Exergaming

Nintendo's line of brain-training games for the DS has found success among a wide range of ages in Japan, but its success with seniors has now been noted even among doctors and hospitals over there.

According to the Associated Press, some hospitals have started placing DSes in waiting rooms and wards for patients. An administrator of a "memory loss clinic" in a Kyoto hospital said that doctors there have gone so far as to recommend the purchase of a DS and a game for elderly people to "stimulate their brains regularly at home," even watching patients play as an informal method of diagnosing dementia.

Apparently, "Sony rushed out its own version of brain-training software in October but has yet to release sales figures." It's unlikely that the title could match the millions of units sold by its DS-based rival, but regardless of who's ahead, the gaming community should be pleased that 67-year-olds are now eager to "play a little everyday before going to bed," maybe even beating their grown-up children at the game someday.

[Thanks, madgamer & samsoon; via Go Nintendo & GameDaily BIZ]

Continue reading Japanese doctors recommend Brain Training for seniors

Japanese doctors recommend Brain Training for seniors originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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