Bringing the Joy of Gaming to Kids

Let's face it — video gaming is an expensive hobby. I'm lucky that I can afford to play the games I want to play (most of the time) and that my parents were generous with my game financing while I was growing up.

My current financial situation, though, still mandates that I trade old games in so I can afford new ones. The problem with this whole practice is that unless you trade the game within a couple weeks of the original purchase, the chances are that you will not get more than between $10 and $20 — which is only a fraction of the $60 you probably paid only days before. But now, there is an easy solution for this problem.

Instead of selling the game back to an industry powerhouse — like GameStop — who is going to give you $10 for that gently-used copy of Halo 3, why don't you instead donate it? Is $10 really going to help you get that new Ghostbusters game? I argue that the better decision is to donate it and bring the joy of playing Master Chief to a child who couldn't otherwise afford it — and this charity is precisely what Pixel Equity is doing.

If you never heard of Pixel Equity (don't worry, I hadn't until recently, thanks to Kotaku), they are a nonprofit organization that brings video games to young people that want to play them. There are several ways that you can help. First, you can make a financial donation directly on the site — any amount, even as little as $1 — that will go towards purchasing the game. Second, you may donate a used game or console. And, if you want to know what the organization does with all these games and consoles when they receive them, they distribute them to youth centers.

To make the whole process even more fun, Pixel Equity makes the whole donating process into a game in itself. With every contribution you make, it will help you gain levels and each level corresponds to an image of a game archetype — including warriors, clerics, mages and more — that you will be able to post on your Facebook profile. And, an iPhone application is coming soon! The team at Pixel Equity makes it easy to show off your goodness.

If you're one of those people that believes gaming isn't good for kids, Pixel Equity has a response for you. They suggest that gaming exposes kids to new cultures. For example, I wouldn't be so enthusiastic about Japanese culture if it weren't for my beginning interest in video games. And they taught me to think scientifically, follow directions, read critically, develop social and communication skills and especially taught me to be a team player.

I'm excited. I plan on donating many of my old games to Pixel Equity and I hope that the next time you decide to get rid of an old game, you will do the same. Help some child's fantasies come true and run wild!