Child's Play Launches 2011 Drive, Passes $9M In Total Donations

Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity has officially kicked off its annual donation drive to help provide games and hardware to children's hospitals. The organization is targeting a goal of $2 million in donations for this year's drive, slightly below the nearly $2.3 million collected in 2010. Over $450,000 in donations have already been received in 2011, adding to nearly $9 million collected from the charity's start in 2003 through 2010. Child's Play will once again be holding a $145-per-seat charity auction and dinner on December 8 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington. The event follows a $150-per-ticket charity golf tournament the organization held surrounding this summer's E3 conference in LA. Donations are accepted through PayPal, a mailed check, or simply by texting GAMERS to 50555. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are also available. Many game industry and gamer groups have banded together for Child's Play fundraising events such as web-streamed gameplay marathons, eBay auctions and tournaments. The first Humble Indie Bundle raised over $700,000 in charity donations that were split between Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.