ESA's 2005 Game Pack Raises $1.5M For Charities

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the video game industry's trade body, has announced that it raised over $1.5 million from its 2005 Charity Game Pack, and will donate this money to a variety of children's charities throughout the U.S. The Game Pack, which was sold at retail through the 2005 holiday season for $19.95, was a compilation of PlayStation 2 titles that included ATV Offroad Fury 2, Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild, and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2. In addition, ESA officials note that some of the proceeds raised will also go towards the production and distribution of 6,000 copies of HopeLabs serious game for PC, Re-Mission, which was developed to educate children living with cancer about their disease. The copies of the game will be sent to 100 different cancer camps around the country. "We are pleased that this Game Pack was such a success, raising over $1.5 million for the ESA Foundation, which makes donations to organizations that work to preserve the health, safety and welfare of America's young people," said ESA president Doug Lowenstein. “This represents a truly unprecedented effort by the video game industry, continuing and extending its commitment to helping America’s youth through the ESA Foundation.”