If you turned off the videogames for a second over the past week you've probably heard of the massive earthquake that hit Haiti, destroying most of the structures in the country, killing thousands and leaving even more homeless and starving. You've probably also (hopefully) wanted to help, but weren't sure how to best do it. Well, here's a list of gaming related ways to get money and aid to Haiti:
- Bungie is selling "Be A Hero" t-shirts (above) with all the proceeds going to aiding Haiti. Also if you play Halo at some point next Wednesday or Thursday they will be donating up $77,000 dollars to Haitian relief efforts. Full details. [Thanks, Dani V.]
- PopCap will be donating every penny it earns today (Jan. 16) to help recovery efforts in Haiti. If you buy a PopCap game then you'll most likely save a life. Full details. [Thanks, Sean R.]
- Gamer Levi Buchanan is auctioning off 180 videogames for varying systems and a GameCube and PSP. All the money from the winning bid will go to the American Red Cross. Full details.
- Gaia Online will be matching the donations of its members up to $10,000. Full details
- Zynga Games held an auction this past Thursday, but you can still donate to the World Food Program through them. Full details.
- Gamingangels is having an auction today and tomorrow. Highest bidder will be getting a giant bag of goodies (more goodies the higher the bid) with proceeds going to the charity of the winner's choice. Full details.
- Gamers Gaming for Good is holding a marathon to raise money until the end of today, or possibly longer. Full details.
- EverQuest II players can can buy certain items and SOE will donate $10 per item. Full details. [Thanks, Victor Stillwater]
I am sure there are many more, and if you know of them please post them below. I'll try to update this as often as possible. If all this seems like too much of a hassle then you can simply take your lazy ass and text the word Haiti to 90999. That will make a $10 donation to the red cross.
Matthew Razak is Destructoid's Associate editor and co-founder of film site
Flixist. He began as community member "cowzilla" and was since sequestered to write brainy features material. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife.
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Contest:
9:00 AM on 01.16.2010
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As such, bought a couple.
I'd do the "Text Haiti to 90999" if Premium Messaging wasn't taken off my family plan. As for the other choices, they all seem like great options. I might buy one of those Bungie t-shirts.
From January 15th to January 18th at 11:59pm PST, redeem 500 station cash towards the purchase of one of these items and SOE will contribute $10 (up to $25,000) to aid in the relief efforts being sent to Haiti.
On the Everquest 2 main page, but probably goes across most of the Sonly Online games. http://www.everquest2.com/news/read/current/3410
Really? Name one other industry that could bring its communities together for such a unified move towards a greater good.
Yeah, gamers are heartless bastards QF-fucking-T.
Also, I'm glad this kind of thing usually doesn't feel like a PR move by companies. Sure, that might be a contributing motivation, but it usually feels like these guys actually care and want to help. Good on 'em.
Buying a Bungie shirt.
Sorry, being a grammar Nazi.
You're
I know this isn't an all U.S. website but myself being a US citizen this is my opinion on how my country should handle these things...
Let them help themselves. Being an American we're always out helping every other country but our own. Every nation aside European ones (and even then *cough* france). I am a firm believer in helping our own citizens first before we can help the rest of the world. Guess what? We have many Americans in hard times.
I want them to pull out of it, I don't wish this fate on the country of Haiti but i'm sick of seeing my country rush out to help others while we're in so much debt and can't help ourselves.
Does anyone know if that PopCap deal include their iPhone games?
@Matthew Razak: I've found another way to help with the relief effort. Cory "Mr. Safety" will donate $300 dollars for every 100k views he gets for this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBdbxZjXlA
The ad revenue generated from the video will help in part with the donations.
Good job, Matt. You inspire us all to make a difference. Thanks.
It's sort of sick seeing these poor people on tv goin "OH LAWDY OBAMA SAVE US!" When their govts sit by going hurrrr what?
I can see your point, but this is an extraordinary circumstance. This could turn out to be one of the most devastating disasters in recent history once the numbers are compiled. In the face of that, we, as a nation of relatively privileged individuals, should be counted on to give something. Our debt, though staggering, is nowhere near as horrible or immediate as the suffering Haiti is going through right now.
Sorry about that. Was half asleep when I was doing the comment, so I didn't think to put in quotes. :)
So what do you suggest us "naive little douches" do to help then, O great enlightened one?
Yessir, ya'll sure are helping out every country - that is, the one's you aren't bombing and pillaging. But you're right, Haiti can definitely help itself; after all, their schools and hospitals have crumbled, they have no food or water, and thousands upon thousands of people are dead. They'll be fine.
I used to go to Haiti on relief trips to build plumbing, housing, whatever they needed, three years in a row, three of the two follow-up trips, I was met with a venue where we had just enacted slightly better living conditions be torn down because of in-fighting and the people stealing from each other.
The people have nothing, their food stores would be long gone without relief efforts and any form of peacekeeping would have added to the death toll. We're just treating a sick dog, let it die, sure, most would consider millions of deaths a sad tale but... honestly, we're not relieving anything, they're just destroying themselves and their leaders aren't doing anything either. We're all just meat and bone and defined by our actual contributions to... well anything. Haiti, like a lot of other places, literally have nothing to contribute, but take plenty. Also, don't feel good about helping these people because you're not changing shit. I've been there, I've seen how much they take and depend on our "relief" and everything gets wiped away like it was nothing. Go ahead and try pitying them and thinking all humans are equal and deserve equal treatment, the sad truth is, we're not.
Burn, Burn, Let The Motherfucker Burn.
(Also, before anyone gets pissed off for me acting like a "typical selfish American" stereotype that the world seems to hold against the US, I'll say now that I'm not American. Also, in a month, none of you will give a shit about Haiti again, just like you didn't give a shit about Haiti before the disaster so stop the fucking hypocrisy)
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/130/haiti.jpg