Child's Play organizers have announced that the annual charity drive is now underway. The drive was first launched some five years ago by Penny Arcade masterminds Gabe and Tycho as a fundraiser for the Seattle Children's Hospital, and has since grown to become a global hub of good will for those in need, while simultaneously demonstrating that gamers by and large are not the anti-social jerkwads the media would make them out to be.
Those interested in contributing to the drive, which now includes hospitals in more than 25 states and five countries, can easily donate items though purchases made via Amazon, and officials note that the tax deductible gifts will be sent directly to those hospitals in need.
In addition, the annual Child's Play Fundraider Dinner is scheduled to take place on December 11 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, and will as always include both a silent and live auction, with all proceeds going towards the charity.
With E3 next week, the Joystiq crew has been frantically searching for all of our essential items for the conference. We've scoured Flickr to see dozens of images of people throwing their packing lists (image not our list; via Tengaport), and we've compiled what we think is the quintessential list of E3 packings, listed after the break.
Here are our picks for best game-related webcomics of the week*, be sure to vote for your favorite!
* Let's preempt the chatter: Penny Arcade wasn't game-related this week.
** Update: Fanboys Online is back up, sort of -- the strip itself is, at least. Just in case something should happen there, Tim from 2P Start is hosting the strip, too.
Most of you got the joke. Obviously, some of the commenters were a bit clueless, but 2P Start's satire Undisputed Champion took top honors as the most popular webcomic of the week.
For those of you who did not click on the "for context" link and were left in the dark: last week, 2P Start discovered our secret W.W.W. formula and decided to put it to good use this week. And, sure enough, the formula worked. Maybe you voted against it because it was asked in bold letters for you not to vote just below the comic and you did so out of spite. Regardless, a big thanks to Ray and Tim for basing a two-week strip on our little webcomic feature, we're as always a bit humbled.
AwkwardZombie took second place, but since it was a two-parter we're electing to call it two half-wins for the webcomic -- it's still cumulates to one whole win. Penny Arcade took third. A special nod goes to Weird Comixfor good writing.
A note about the Fanboysstrip: as I explained in the comments (and later linked in the post), a clerical error had caused the comic to be overlooked. Apologies to Scott Dewitt, it will be thrown into next week's runnings. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomic you stumble upon this week!
Did you know that every game-related webcomic is just a knock-off of Penny Arcade? Most of our commenters have, at some point, figured it out and/or cried "PA did it!" as loud as they can with Lucida Grande font. Steve Napierski of Dueling Analogs figured it out, and explains the gospel in his latest strip. Have you all seen the light now?
Here are our picks for the best Penny Arcade-related webcomics this week. Be sure to vote for your favorite! (And let us know of any gaming comics we may have unfortunately missed.)
The exhibitor list for this year's Penny ArcadeExpo has been made, checked twice, and finalized. While the past exhibitors are all still present (including favorites Pink Godzilla), the major publishers have signed up en masse.
Joining Nintendo and Microsoft this year on the super-sized list of 53 exhibitors are Sony, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Sierra and Konami, among many others. Indie representation will be provided Gamecock, Telltale, and more. Is that the shadow of E3 we see before us? Full list after the break.
It looks like ze secret formula has once again worked, as Scott Johnson's Extra Lifestrip claimed the top spot for best webcomic of the week.
Coming in second place was Dueling Analogs, while the frisky VG Cats take third. As always, thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Originally, we planned on making this an "awkward moments" edition, whereby we find M-rated game screens with suggestively AO moments (e.g. Bowser belly-flopping / dry-humping in Smash Bros. Melee). However, 2P Start has unwittingly discovered the formula for success in the Weekly Webcomic Wrapup. Curses, our plans are foiled!
It'd be unfair to put their comic in the running this week, as knowing the formula means they couldn't possibly lose. Registered voters should heed the call for a change of taste.
Here are our other picks for the week's best game-related webcomics; be sure to vote for your favorite! (And let us know, as we trust you will, of any gaming comics we missed.)
Sure, Extra Life's Scott Johnson often uses Pac-Man and Mario for a topic, but the sheer combination, cleverness, and timing with the new Championship Edition give him the edge for game-related webcomic of the week.
Coming in second place is Dueling Analogsand third place goes to Penny Arcade. A special kudos to Digital Unrest because we love (a) science jokes and (b) the sheer probability of the situation.
Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any gaming comics you stumble upon this week! (And for those who tipped us off in Saturday's post, no worries we've got you noted.)
The Irredeemable Ant-Man (issue #9) returns home to find an older gentleman has broken into his house. What does he want? A partner to play Nintendo Wii with, of course ... Marvel Comics has gone off the deep end.
Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomics, be sure to vote for your favorite!
It's the picture that sells it, really, and presentation can be just as important in a webcomic as content. Despite the usual, numerous objections in the comment section, Scott Ramsoomair's VG Catsstrip took the top spot as the week's best webcomic.
Coming in second place was the second Penny Arcadestrip, "Retreat to the Citadel," (we favored the first strip, ourselves) while third place went to Ctrl+Alt+Del. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Joystiq patron Mobat555 sent us the above image answering the question of where do all those Mario's go once the fall into that seemingly bottomless void. We don't know who made this fine work of art (if you do, please tell us), but we love it.Update: The above image was created by Bill Mudron that he reportedly drew for Life Meter Comics back in late March. Check out more of his work at Excelsior Studios.
Here are our picks for the best game-related webcomics this week. Be sure to vote for your favorite! (And definitely tell us about some gaming comics we might have missed -- we're always looking for more.)
Ctrl+Alt+Del's take on the Starcraft 2 announcement earned top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup. The punchline may have been explained a bit too much, as many of the commenters noted, but it didn't ruin the joke.
Second and third place go to RPG-TV and Weird Comix, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Joystiq reader Aberu last week pointed us to the World of Warcraft community comic archives. We're not including them in the wrapup because we'd rather highlight the (already voted upon) comic portal here, but WoW fans should just go peruse them all (if they hadn't already).
Here are our other picks for the week's best game-related webcomics, be sure to vote for your favorite!
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A VG Cats guest strip by Shawn Handyside of Staccato Comics and his conspicuous adoration for the state of his Pokemans earned the top spot in this weekend's webcomic wrapup.
Second and third place went to Penny Arcade and Digital Unrest, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomic you stumble upon this week!
This week, pirates are getting all the attention. Let's not forget, of course, who the real ultimate power is. Or who you can talk to for all of life's answers. Those rum-filled scallywags can struggle with a fleet of tea drinkers, the ninjas are just waiting to kill everyone left while flipping out. Just because they can.
Filler Important announcements aside, here are our picks for the week's best webcomics. Be sure to vote for your favorite!
Child's Play organizers have announced that the annual charity drive is now underway. The drive was first launched some five years ago by Penny Arcade masterminds Gabe and Tycho as a fundraiser for the Seattle Children's Hospital, and has since grown to become a global hub of good will for those in need, while simultaneously demonstrating that gamers by and large are not the anti-social jerkwads the media would make them out to be. 
