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Katrina Hits the Gaming World

Posted by Zonk on from the fight-the-flood dept.

Despite the media's portrayal, Gamers are people too. hollismb writes "From IGN Xbox comes the news today Bungie, the developer of the Halo series, is raising money to aid the hurricane victims. How are they doing it? With a tee-shirt you can purchase from Bungie's store: 'Just so that we're clear, of the $19.95 the shirt costs, about $15 in cleared funds will go straight to the Red Cross and directly to the disaster relief. Nobody, not Bungie, the Bungie store, or the distributor will clear a penny profit.'" Kotaku has a story up with a firsthand account from a gamer trapped in the flood zone, and to provide relief has up a swag auction. If you've been looking for a pair of City of Heroes boxing gloves, this is the place to go. Similarly, Penny Arcade has an auction going, where they're selling the original artwork for the PAX 2005 program.

29 comments

  1. Red Cross? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, why not just throw the money away. They're worse than the government when it comes to waste and corruption.

    1. Re:Red Cross? by KtHM · · Score: 1

      Only 8% of donations are used for administration and management. Not bad, if you ask me.

    2. Re:Red Cross? by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 1

      Check the history of the red cross from WW2 through to today. Some of it isn't pretty.

      On the upside, donations to the red cross tend to really get the political wheels moving and shoehorn actual relief in even if they don't provide it. So donations to the Red Cross help a lot, no matter how corrupt they may be.

      OTOH, If you want a good christian themed organization that has probably the lowest overhead and least amount of corruption(from a charity standpoint) you go to the Salvation Army.

      Out of my last $400, I put $300 to the SA and $100 to the ARC.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
  2. Katrina Hits the Game World by Sentry21 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here's a screen capture of Katrina hitting the game world.

    (originally stolen from http://data.4chan.org/b/src/1125712295576.jpg but mirrored for bandwidth).

    1. Re:Katrina Hits the Game World by MBraynard · · Score: 1

      Special place in hell, my friend. A +5 funny place, but a place nonetheless.

    2. Re:Katrina Hits the Game World by Krellan · · Score: 1

      That's cute....

      I remember playing the original SimCity for the Amiga, in high school, around the time of the first Gulf War. A bad floppy caused the game world to load up one time absolutely blank, with all empty terrain (not even grass). We happily saved that map as "Baghdad" :)

      Kind of morbid, but all in fun.

      --

      Dr. Demento On The 'Net!

    3. Re:Katrina Hits the Game World by (1+-sqrt(5))*(2**-1) · · Score: 1
      Here's a screen capture of Katrina hitting the game world.
      Classic 4chan; I actually got banned for posting something in that vein.
  3. You don't have to get in order to give by SalaciousPucker · · Score: 2, Informative

    https://give.redcross.org/?HomePageDonateButton

    1. Re:You don't have to get in order to give by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can think of about a dozen organisations that could put that money to better use than the Red Cross. I have first hand experience dealing with them in a disaster like this in my own town and let me tell you, it was not a pleasant experience.

      Maybe try the Salvation Army

    2. Re:You don't have to get in order to give by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes of course it is a better idea to give money to an organisation of Christian-Fascists like the "Salvation" Army.

    3. Re:You don't have to get in order to give by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They wouldn't let you blow your thighbone flute at their soup kitchen?

  4. Penny Arcade by Mark_MF-WN · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Those guys from Penny Arcade are pretty cool about charity. I mean, anyone can give, but it takes pretty great people to lead others into giving as well.

  5. Ugh... by game+kid · · Score: 1

    Grandparent is an utter troll. Said Red Cross helped me and my family relocate when a nearby fire made our place unlivable. Food, cots, etc.

    As for KtHM's parent post, +1 Informative.

    --
    You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    1. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why does the Red Cross ask for income information before helping people? (the reason is probably not what you're thinking)

      Just because they help some people doesn't mean jack. There are a lot of currupt churches that sometimes help people too. That's not to say they are all corrupt, but there are better choices than others.

  6. Red Cross. by Mark_MF-WN · · Score: 1

    Plus, they actually respond in a timely fashion, and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty with real work. They're faster and more efficient about providing aid than many government relief organizations. And unlike some government organizations, they don't try to fool themselves about the extent of a disaster situation so as to avoid having to respond.

  7. Why not send the $'s -straight- to the Red Cross? by ivi · · Score: 1


      Does anybody in the Geek Community (GC) really
      need -another- T-shirt?

      Of course, if it says something like:

            "I support Katrina victime,
              why not do the same?"

      I guess it might help...

  8. sheesh by Gogo0 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Kotaku has a story up with a firsthand account from a gamer trapped in the flood zone

    What the hell? What kind of special insight could someone who plays video games give on the situation??

    "...it's like being in an RPG."
    Oh. Well... okay...

  9. Red vs. Blue team in on charity too by Tanmi-Daiow · · Score: 1

    If you look here. They are selling t-shirts for flood relief.

    --
    "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis
    1. Re:Red vs. Blue team in on charity too by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 1

      It's actually Bungie, the company behind Halo, that's selling a specially designed shirt for charity. The RvB guys just linked to it, along with the standard lineup of charities. Get the shirt here, read Bungie's news post about it here.

      --
      Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  10. Money? WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why does the richest country on the planet need everyone else's money? How about instead of feel-good charity for the flavour of the minute problems how about you consider paying a decent amount in taxation. Sorry if that sounds hard-hearted but these pleas for cash to smaller, far poorer countries (to whom the gospel of pure capitalism is oft preached, occasionally at the end of an M-16) are laughable. If everyone in America gave 10 dollars you could rebuild New Orleans from the ground up, in solid gold.

    1. Re:Money? WTF? by DerWulf · · Score: 1

      americans do pay a decent amount of taxation. Far more than 10$, monthly. Building N.O. new in gold? Naw, the governments multi-trillion dollar budget isn't even enough to build a couple of decent dykes. How about recognizing that the state is wasteful to no end? Nevermind, just leave it to a socialist to call for more state right after it has failed in a most horrific way.

      --

      ___
      No power in the 'verse can stop me
    2. Re:Money? WTF? by shokk · · Score: 1

      $10 per person multiplied by the 280 million Americans gives you $2.8 billion. What the hell kind of city do you expect to build for $2.8billion?!? You might get one of the World Trade Center towers, much less a tiny neighborhood. Paved in gold? I dont think so. Money doesn't spread as far as you think. Are you even using the same math we are?

      --
      "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
  11. Salvation Army anti-gay by Krellan · · Score: 1

    The Salvation Army is anti-gay. That is unfortunate.

    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1113-06.ht m

    http://outrage.nabumedia.com/pressrelease.asp?ID=1 61

    http://www.glaad.org/media/np_archive_detail.php?i d=354

    Please keep this in mind when you consider donating to them. Thank you.

    Josh

    --

    Dr. Demento On The 'Net!

    1. Re:Salvation Army anti-gay by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 1

      It's a christian themed organization, with all that that entails. Your point sir?

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
  12. PnP Roleplayers Reach Out Too by SBRPG_hakdragon · · Score: 1

    I'm the co-author of a small, indie pen-and-paper RPG called SBRPG, and we're donating our September sales to hurricane relief. A couple other small companies are stepping up too, including Amalara, and even DrivethruRPG is helping out by donating 50% of it's White Wolf product sales to hurricane relief.

  13. Re:Why not send the $'s -straight- to the Red Cros by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's very simple.

    Assume that Bungie is correct, and the shirt costs $5 to make.

    If a geek wants the T-shirt to begin with, it would cost him $35 to buy the T-shirt and make a $15 donation. He might not be inclined to give away $15 dollars for the good of humanity, but for $5 more, he can get a shirt he wanted anyway, and still accomplish the same results.

  14. Sony, Everquest 2 and Katrina by Cabewse · · Score: 1

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4208038.stm

    EQ2 players can donate money in game, and SOE has suspended billing for 13,000 accounts from the effected areas untill their players can get back into playing again.

  15. Online games by Tom · · Score: 1

    If you play online games, you've probably met a few people in the hurricane area already. I know that several of the players in my game (see below) were hit badly, and yet they logged back in as soon as they could.

    I'm not surprised. If something catastrophic happens to your life, normality and routine are very reassuring. If you play a game intensely, that game can provide an entire environment where everything is back to normal, even if your house is half-flooded, your garden and car blown away and someone from your family missing.

    It's just a normal part of the process of gathering your life back together. If my or any other online game helps by allowing people to take their minds off the disaster and mentally rest for a moment, that's a good thing.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  16. Any small bit helps by SlugabedGamer · · Score: 1

    I live in Purvis, Mississippi (which is about 80 miles north of the Gulf Coast). Today is my first day to get back online because I drove 40 miles north of my home to the University I work at to find gas and to check things out. Everything around is nothing but destruction, with thousands and thousands of trees on power lines, houses, and cars. The flooding was not as bad as on the coast, but this area got the worst of the winds. My family and friends have trees through their homes and car, or the winds peeled their roofs off. No matter how you donate, any little bit helps, and if selling T-shirts gets 100 kids to beg their parents to donate that wouldn't have previously, then I say go for it. Unless you've driven South of Jackson, MS, you can't imagine the destruction. The vast majority of areas still have no power and water. The sick, elderly, and children are suffering and dying under the humid heat from which there is no relief. I've seen elderly that cannot find enough gas to fuel a small generator for their oxygen tanks, and diseased children who cannot get treatments because hospitals are all but shut down. People have to drive for hours to find gas and fill 55 gallon drums that are illegal to haul and risk jail just to keep their children and elderly cool enough to live by generators. Please give any little bit you can, no matter what method it comes through, and thank you to anybody that already has.

    --
    "Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms,