Here's the deal.

Since 2003, we've set up and organized Child's Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in our network of over 40 hospitals worldwide. In four short years, you as a community have answered the call and come together to raise millions of dollars.

That was awesome. You guys have proven over and over again that you are an overwhelming force, and you really came through and made a real difference to the millions of kids that children's hospitals care for each year. So we're doing it again this year, only this time we've expanded Child's Play to more hospitals around US and the globe so you can send toys to a hospital a little closer to home.

Child's Play works the same as last year. With the help of hospital staff, we've set up gift wish lists full of video games, toys, and movies. You can go to each hospital's list and buy a toy, and that toy will be sent to the hospital. Some of these kids are in pretty bad shape. Imagine being stuck alone in a hospital over the holidays, getting something from a fellow gamer would really raise their spirits. Some of the stuff the hospital will give away for kids to keep, while other gifts (like consoles) will be kept by the hospital for patients to use throughout the year.

We are arguably the largest community of gamers on the internet. The important word there being community. We are not a faceless corporation and you are not just a number tracked by a database and then relayed to hungry advertisers. You guys have proven yourselves to be a powerful force when stirred into action. Here is your opportunity to use that power to do some real good.

Q. Does Child’s Play charge administrative fees?
A. We try our best to have every dollar that comes in go right back to the hospitals, but there is a slight administrative cost that does get paid for with donations (for example, shipping $200,000 worth of Nintendo DS’ to dozens of hospitals worldwide is not free, sadly). Historically, these charges have not exceeded 2-3%. It’s true that we’re a non-profit, but unlike most non-profits, we’re not in it to create a self-sustainable entity. We do it to give.

Q. Should I have my item gift wrapped by Amazon?
A. The hospitals have asked that the items not be wrapped. It just generates a lot of waste that costs money to get rid of.

Q. Can I send you my old Super Nintendo?
A. Unfortunately, we can’t donate used items directly to the hospitals. However, we’re a registered eBay Giving Works charity, you can sell items on eBay and have the proceeds benefit Child’s Play! When you begin the listing process, there is an option when you’re setting the price to select a non-profit to benefit. A simple search for "Child’s Play" will turn us up. eBay will ask you to register for a MissionFish account, but it’s straight forward. You’ll need a credit card to complete the process. Please read through eBay’s Giving Works website for more information at http://givingworks.ebay.com, so you that understand how you will be billed when the item is sold. You could sell pretty much anything to help sick kids!

Q. How long do I have to purchase a toy?
A. Please be mindful of the shipping dates when you’re purchasing items from the wish list. In order to make sure that they get to the kids for the holidays, the hospitals would like to receive everything by December 20th. We accept cash donations year round that we send out to the hospitals at the end of the annual toy drive.

Q. How come there aren’t any stuffed animals on the wish lists?
A. We cannot accept any stuffed animals. The hospitals tell us that these sorts of toys collect germs and aren’t good for the kids.

Q. How will these toys be used?
A. Items like the videogame systems and games will be given to the hospitals and a child will essentially be able to check it out and have it placed in their room. Obviously the more systems and copies of each game they have the better. Other toys though will be given to individual children as presents. Something they can keep and take with them when they leave.

Q: I want to volunteer! How can I help?
A: In our first year, we needed volunteers because we shipped everything to our own address. This year we’ve set up the wish lists so orders go directly to the hospitals. If you want to help out please contact the hospital directly (call the general number and ask about volunteering). If you don’t live near one of the hospitals, then you can be a big help by contacting your local news agencies and asking them to do a story about Child’s Play. The more people that hear about it, the more donations for the kids.

Q: Can you include my local hospital in Child’s Play?
A: Possibly! The ideal new hospital is far from other hospitals since we’d like to get even coverage, and not duplicate effort. If you want your local hospital to get involved then contact it, evangelize Child’s Play, and ask someone in charge of fundraising or donations to email klindsay@penny-arcade.com.

Q: Since this is a charity donation I can deduct it from my taxes, right?
A: Each hospital’s charity tax ID number is included in the information section on its wish list. Use your confirmation email as a receipt. If you are making a cash donation, Child’s Play’s own tax ID number is 20-3584556. If you have any questions about how this works, please ask your tax advisor.

Q: I’m a corporation. How can I help?
A: Contact Kristin Lindsay (klindsay@penny-arcade.com). You can donate gifts, cash, or traffic, and as an extra thank-you we’ll recognize you on this page as well as on Penny-Arcade.com. We have corporate sponsorship levels we can discuss with you.

Q: I’m a media person. Can I write a story about Child’s Play?
A: Yes! Contact Kristin Lindsay (klindsay@penny-arcade.com) and we’ll help with your positive videogame human-interest story.

Q: I’m a children’s hospital. Can I get involved with Child’s Play?
A: Yes! Contact Kristin Lindsay (klindsay@penny-arcade.com) and we’ll introduce you to our program and enrollment process. It’s very simple, and we can add you very easily.

Q: What’s the full story of how Child’s Play came about?
A: We’ve posted the original Child’s Play announcement below. You can see how much we’ve grown since then!

Gabe’s original Child’s Play post 11/24/03
If you are like me, every time you see an article like this one, where the author claims that video games are training our nations youth to kill you get angry. The media seems intent on perpetuating the myth that gamers are ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. I know for a fact that gamers are good people. I have had the opportunity on multiple occasions to meet hundreds of you at conventions all over the country. We are just regular people who happen to love video games. With that in mind we have put together a little something we like to call “Child’s Play”. Penny Arcade is working with the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Amazon.com to make this Christmas really special for a lot of very sick kids. With the help of the Children’s Hospital we have created an Amazon Wish List for the kids. It’s full of video games, movies and toys. Some of these kids are in pretty bad shape and just having a Game Boy would really raise their spirits.
Please take some time to browse the Wish List. Maybe all you can afford is a package of batteries or maybe you want to go in with your entire office and get the kids a GameCube. Every single contribution will help out the Children’s Hospital and the 190,000 kids they treat each year.

All the toys and games will be delivered to us and we will in turn deliver them to the Children’s Hospital. As soon as the toys start arriving I’ll set up a web site and post as many pictures as I can. We will be making a trip over to one of the hospitals next week and we’ll bring you back stories from some of the kids along with more pictures.
Penny Arcade has a readership of something like 4.5 million gamers across the world. We are arguably the largest community of gamers on the internet. The important word there being community. This isn’t IGN, this isn’t Gamespy, we are not a faceless corporation, you are not just a number tracked by a database and then relayed to hungry advertisers. You guys have proven yourselves to be a powerful force when stirred into action. Here is your opportunity to use that power to do some real good.

Let’s give these kids the Christmas that they deserve and let’s give the news papers a different kind of story to write about gamers.
-Gabe out

Mr. Bill France, author of the anti-gamer story which prompted Child’s Play 1/14/04
This is some combination of a celebration and an apology. First, the celebration.

A week before Thanksgiving, The Herald printed my first column on ultra-violent video games, and then put it on the Web site, www.heraldnet.com. The most important reaction I saw came right after Thanksgiving through a Web site called penny-arcade.com.

An unidentified writer wrote, "If you are like me, every time you see an article like this one -- where the author claims that video games are training our nation’s youth to kill -- you get angry."

When readers clicked "this one," my column on video games popped up.

[. . .]

Among other things they did to inspire giving, Penny-arcade published a letter from one of its readers. He is the father of a 5-year-old boy who had spent most of the previous five months at Children’s Hospital getting chemotherapy for lymphoma.

Almost every parent can immediately identify with that father’s distress, and with his heartfelt "thank you" to Penny-arcade for its Child’s Play toy drive.

[. . .]

Here is the apology part and then back to more celebration. Certainly many gamers read my column as a statement that I believe that they are bad people. For that impression I am sorry. I did not and do not believe that.
In any case, the Penny-arcade Web site and many of their readers, who are apparently gamers, demonstrated that they have big hearts and generous instincts.