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'Game Play' theater festival combines gaming and performance art
Brooklyn-area nerds are about to receive a special gift from the cultured world of indie theater. For the majority of July, The Brick Theater will play host to "Game Play," a theater festival comprised of gaming-oriented stage productions, musical performances and interactive performance art, among other things. The schedule is pretty wild and ranges from what you'd expect (chiptune dance parties), to what you wouldn't (nerd-culture burlesque shows.) For instance: Romeoo and Julietet, a modern interpretation of Shakespeare's classic, will be performed entirely within World of Warcraft, while Modal Kombat uses real-ass guitars to control Mortal Kombat characters, as seen after the break. The venue has even turned one event, their Rock Band Karaoke Night, into a fundraiser for Child's Play, granting free admission to anyone with a Child's Play donation receipt. The festival runs from July 7 through the 31, and tickets are available now. Hit the source link to check out the full schedule, but be careful: there are some seriously-almost-entirely-nude naked people on this website. You have been warned!
4th Annual Mario Marathon triple-jumps into action today
For the fourth year in a row, a group of insane people will board themselves up in a small, Mushroom Kingdom-decorated room to beat every level, collect every star and stomp every Goomba the Super Mario franchise has ever produced. Why would someone purposefully, harmfully oversaturate themselves with such a wonderful, timeless franchise? Because they're the Mario Marathon. It's in their blood. The crew is kicking off this suicide mission today at 11 a.m. ET, starting with a playthrough of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Even though it hasn't started yet, the event has already raised $13,000 for Child's Play. We encourage you to go watch these poor souls hurt themselves with Mario, and then, if you feel so inclined, reward their efforts with a donation to a good cause.
Buy Peter Molyneux's E3 badge for a good cause
Looking for the perfect accessory for that "Peter Molyneux at E3 2011" costume you've been putting together for the last week or so? Good news: you can buy Molyneux's E3 badge on eBay, and all the proceeds go to charity.
Enter to win a ticket to BlizzCon 2011 by donating to Child's Play
If you missed your chance to purchase a ticket to BlizzCon 2011 last month, there's still a way to get yourself in the door if you're feeling charitable. Looking For Group: BlizzCon, a networking site for organizing groups and meetups at BlizzCon 2011, is giving away one ticket to a random member of its website who makes a charitable donation to Child's Play. Child's Play, if you don't recall, is a charity created by the authors of Penny Arcade to give toys and games to kids in children's hospitals. To enter, all you have to do is join LFG: BlizzCon (it's free) and make a donation to Child's Play by June 30, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. CST. The donation can be for any amount, small or large. To read the complete rules on how to donate for the contest, check out the official contest page.
Child's Play golf tournament to be held just before E3
Child's Play and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation are teaming up for the first annual Child's Play Invitational Golf Tournament. The event will be held at the Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena on Sunday, June 5, right before E3 kicks off. The entrance fee for the tournament (a third of which is tax deductible) is $150 for those with clubs, or $175 if you need to rent some -- we hear they frown upon picking up sticks from the ground to use as clubs. All proceeds go to the Child's Play network and partner hospitals. Beyond the good feeling of helping sick children, the entrance fee will also net participants gift bags and other perks; it's all listed after the break.
New Humble Bundle features Frozenbyte games and prototype
Humble Bundle's third, pay-want-you-want indie games collection, "The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle," is now available from the official site for the next fifteen days. As the name implies, the new set features the works of Finnish developer Frozenbyte, including the platformer Trine and the top-down shooter series Shadowgrounds. The bundle also includes a pre-order license -- no, not for Trine 2, but for Splot, a mysterious (yet adorable-looking) title that's still under development. Most intriguing, Frozenbyte has tossed in the source code for a canceled project called Jack Claw. According to Edge, the developer hopes to crowd-source the game to completion and offer it for free to everyone that helps. Like past Humble Bundles, this one is DRM-free and -- with the exception of the Windows-only Jack Claw code -- all the games are available to download for PC, Mac and Linux. Additionally, purchasers are entitled to Steam, Desura and OnLive product keys for compatible titles, as well as the soundtracks for Trine and the Shadowgrounds games. Oh! And how could we forget? Any two portions of your purchase can be donated to the Child's Play Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a public interest nonprofit that protects consumers' digital rights. Check out the Frozenbyte Bundle promotional video after the break to find out more about this most awesome offering -- or just go buy it already! [Thanks, Luis!]
LittleBigPlanet custom shoes being auctioned for Child's Play
If you're in love with the LittleBigPlanet universe from your head to your feet, it's time you donned some apparel representative of your admiration: The shoe artists at KyozoKicks have transformed a pair of Vans into a sticker-stuck canvas, inspired by Media Molecule's customizable PS3 platformers.
Child's Play breaks annual record with over $2 million raised
Child's Play has become the ubiquitous ur-charity for the gaming community. Founded by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade fame, it's grown into a multinational event for gamers the world over to help out needy children. It's also made a tradition out of breaking records for overall donations every year, and this year is no exception, with the total amount raised coming out to over $2 million for the year and nearly $9 million over its lifetime. The record-breaking effort has always been helped by enterprising fundraisers from the community, and the MMO community is no exception; notable fundraising efforts this year include the Lord of the Rings Online-inspired fundraiser from A Casual Stroll to Mordor and Sony Online Entertainment's donations for the purchase of in-game pets, together with other non-MMO events such as the infamous Desert Bus for Hope marathon and the Humble Indie Bundle. The entire gaming community, online or off, can take pride in another record-breaking year for Child's Play.
Child's Play raised over $2 million in 2010
The Child's Play charity announced today that it brought in a grand (grand) total of $2,294,317.53 in donations for 2010, a new annual record for the organization. Reflecting on the figure at the bottom of a Penny Arcade news post primarily about a repellent fruit sludge you squeeze into your mouth, Jerry "Tycho Brahe" Holkins said that the lifetime total for Child's Play donations is now over nine million dollars, noting to contributors, "If it is possible to Win Charity, you have done so." He also pointed out that not all of last year's donations are likely to have been accounted for yet. Gamasutra reports that some of the larger donations came from charity drives like the Humble Indie Bundle, which contributed $300,000 during its second-year initiative in late December, and the "Desert Bus for Hope" marathon, which raised $207,000, in addition to the Gears of War 3 "Fate of Carmine" fundraiser, which accounted for $150,000 in donations and might have killed a virtual guy. Another high-profile fundraiser, the Indie iPhone sale, brought in around $25,000 to the charity.
72-hour charity marathon lets internet pick games, gets really tough ones
The marathon gaming team Wily Whompers was scheduled to race team Zeldathon this week, but when that showdown fell through, it decided to turn its marathon into a Viewer's Choice of sorts, asking Reddit readers to help choose which games to play for 72 hours straight. The group is also raising money for Child's Play as it streams the event -- so far it has only reached a few hundred dollars, but there's still time left to play ... and watch. The team started with a run through Mega Man 10 and then the Reddit folks showed a cruel streak, sending the players through Super Meat Boy (we're told they beat all of the Light World levels and the warp zones), Super Ghouls N Ghosts and a few other unforgiving titles before the Whompers' current challenge as of this writing: Beating the forehead-slappingly difficult Demon's Souls. We can only wish them luck -- we're hard pressed to do anything for three days straight, much less play some of the hardest games around.
Humble Bundle 2 closes, earns over $1.8 million
The Humble Indie Bundle 2 -- which added last year's bundle during its promotion -- has raised over $1.8 million. The name-your-own-price, DRM-free set included indie darlings like Braid, Machinarium and Osmos, along with several others. Purchasers could decide whether their years of saved pennies went to developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation or the Child's Play Charity. They could also provide a "humble tip" for the bundle's organizers. Humble Bundle organizers plan on releasing more detailed statistics later but, beyond the final sum, we know that there were 232,849 purchases, with an average payment for the 12-game bundle of $7.83. Windows operating systems made up a majority of the purchases, but Linux users offered up the most support with an average purchase of $13.76. If you're all good little boys and girls, the Humble Bundle might return next year with a new set of indie greats.
Child's Play nearing $2 million in donations
Donations from charitable gamers like you have pushed the Child's Play 2010 donation total to an all-time high of $1.85 million -- all of which will go towards purchasing toys and games for children's hospitals across the globe. That's a bit higher than last year's total of $1.78 million. It's also dangerously close to $2 million, which just looks like a gargantuan sum of money, doesn't it? If you haven't already donated to this worthy, worthy cause -- or even if you have! -- why not give a little something something to bring this total over the $2 mil mark? You could even get some incredible games for doing so, which is the very definition of a win-win transaction.
SOE and players pitch in to support Child's Play
It is better to give than receive, as it's been said, unless you're giving yourself a present that prompts a major corporation to give to a charity in turn. Then everyone wins! OK, that may sound a bit convoluted, but SOE is actually making it really easy for players to help out with a great charity this holiday season. The studio is supporting Child's Play, a charity started up by the Penny Arcade folks to supply hospitals with video games and toys for kids. SOE has pledged to donate $10 for every purchase of one of four in-game items. These items include a P3-NUT droid pet in Clone Wars Adventures, a penguin pet in Free Realms, an EverQuest II Cloak of Falling Snow, and a neat EverQuest ornamentation that turns any weapon into a cardboard tube (visually, not statistically). This charity drive will go through the end of the month (December 31st), and SOE will honor up to $50,000 of donations based on player purchases. You can read more about this promotion over at EverQuest II, or head over to Child's Play to see what this charity is about.
Humble Indie Bundle 2 grosses over $500K in day-one purchases, led by Minecraft's Persson
"Humble Bundle" no longer seems like an appropriate name. In less than 24 hours upon release, the pay-what-you-want indie game collection Humble Bundle #2 earned over $500,000 in revenue and appears to be well on its way to beating the first bundle's seven-figure returns. The Humble Bundle website offers an interesting look into purchasing trends by providing real-time stats. As of writing, over 70,000 people have purchased the pack, including Minecraft creator Markus Persson, who paid an extraordinary $2,000, and Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling, who went with a generous $500 payment. The average selling price for the bundle is currently $7 and change. The Humble Bundle #2 includes five celebrated indie titles: Braid, Cortex Command, Machinarium, Osmos and Revenge of the Titans. Purchasers can divide their payments between the developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Child's Play Charity as they see fit.
Humble Indie Bundle 2 revealed, name your price for Braid, Machinarium and more
Looks like the organizers of the second annual Humble Indie Bundle are busting out the big guns for this year's charity drive -- the name-your-own-price, DRM-free package includes Jonathan Blow's time-twisting platformer Braid, the infinitely charming adventure game Machinarium, the side-scrolling shooter Cortex Command, the super soothing (and equally pretty) Osmos and the tower defense-meets-RTS gem Revenge of the Titans. That's a whole lot of bang for your buck, or nickel, or thousand bucks. This year, purchasers can choose how much of their donation goes to four possible recipients: The games' developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Child's Play Charity or the Humble Indie Bundle organizers. Yes, you can not only customize how much altruism you're going to exhibit with your purchase, you can also customize where that altruism goes! Unless, of course, you pirate it, sending out no altruism to nowhere. You monster.
Child's Play 2010 passes $1 million in donations
The gaming community's collective back is in desperate need of a thorough patting -- with recent donations raked in by events like the Desert Bus for Hope marathon and the Penny Arcade auction dinner, the total for Child's Play donations has reached 1.2 million American dollars.
Cheap Ass Gamer holding Child's Play donation drive
Our buds, bros, chums and cohorts over at Cheap Ass Gamer are hosting a pretty clever donation drive for Child's Play 2010 (alongside its annual charity drive, of course) -- for every new follower the bargain-wise site obtains on Twitter, its generous creators will give a quarter to to buy some games for sick kids in hospitals across the country . To take part in the drive, sign in on the promotion's official page, click the link to follow CAG on Twitter, and then (optionally) Tweet the message provided to you to share it with your followers. Not only will CAG donate a quarter for each of your followers who participates, but you'll also move up the leaderboards based on how much cash your endorsement rakes in (UK residents can also participate and will be automatically redirected). And if there's one thing we love, it is earning ranks on leaderboards. By which, of course, we mean "charity!" We love charity so, so much. Way more than we love bolstering our e-peen. Extra charitable folks who want a chance to win a couple thousand dollars in prizes can also enter a raffle the site is holding -- for every $5 you donate via CAG's PayPal to Child's Play, you get one entry for the raffle. Did we mention thousands of dollars in prizes?
Portal gun to be auctioned off for Child's Play charity
The Portal gun. If you've been alive over the past year and change, you know exactly what we're talking about. We can safely say our lives were changed after spending a few good minutes with Harrison Krix's handmade replica in 2009, and soon you'll have the golden opportunity to know exactly what we mean. Krix has constructed a new Portal gun, one that's arguably more bodacious than ever, and there's only one way to get it: outbid the Bro Montana next to you on December 7th. A Child's Play Charity event auction will be held on that fateful day in Seattle, and it'll be the one and only opportunity to have the pink slip transferred to you. Of course, monies received from the auction will benefit Child's Play (a gaming industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in a network of over 60 hospitals worldwide), and the bragging rights afforded to the winner will be fairly epic in scope. Head on past the break for a video of what's up for grabs.
Portal gun to be auctioned off for Child's Play
Not only could you own one of the best gaming props ever made (and an even better version of the prop, at that), but you could also help children have better lives. Can you think of a better win-win situation than that? Outside of owning a real, working Portal gun, that is.
Name two of Slam Bolt Scrappers' scrappers in Child's Play auctions
Without the help of special potions, unguents or spells, immortality is a pretty tricky thing to obtain. Fire Hose Games is offering a pretty rare opportunity to have your genius brain live forever: The studio is auctioning off the chance to name one of the characters in its upcoming downloadable tower defense/action title Slam Bolt Scrappers, one-hundred percent of the proceeds from which will go to Child's Play. A second character's naming rights will be sold off during the Child's Play Charity Dinner in Seattle on December 7 -- tickets for which are still available! There are some limitations, of course. You can't name the characters anything inappropriate, copyright-infringing or too long, so, sorry, Boner MacBurgerKing, but you'll never be a real person. Not ever.
