Gaming charity raises $7.6 million in 2013

Child’s Play charity kicked off ten years ago in 2003. That year, they raised $250,000 for Seattle Children’s Hospital, providing hospitalized kids with things like video games, toys, and books. Fast-forward to today and the network has grown to over 90 hospitals worldwide.

And now the results for 2013 are in: Child’s Play managed to raise $7.6 million for kids around the world last year!

The charity has made the announcement in a news posting on their website. It’s an incredible feat. Over ten years, more than $25 million has been raised to make the lives of sick children a little nicer, with $7.6 million of that total from last year alone – more than the total raised over the first six years combined. According to the posting, the funds raised have enabled Child’s Play to expand into domestic violence shelters, a program set to launch in 2014.

If you’re curious as to what exactly the Child’s Play donations go to, here’s a quote from the post:

Child life specialists reach out to us every year, overwhelmed and amazed at the generosity of gamers. The iPads they use help distract and comfort kids as they prep for surgery. An Xbox will find its way to the community playroom for siblings to play together again. The movies, craft supplies, CDs, toys, and books sent from Amazon wishlists let kids just be kids for a moment: not sick kids, not hurt kids, not scared or lonely kids. Just kids playing like kids. And it’s all thanks to you.

The site is careful to note that the majority of the donations come from the sort that you and I are able to make – small donations of $10 or $20 in lieu of enormous grants. If you’ve ever bought a Humble Bundle, you’ve donated as well (10% of all purchases there to go causes including Child’s Play), so pat yourself on the back!

It’s a bit of good news to help ring in the new year. Gamers do give back.

Last Updated: January 3, 2014