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The games industry can seem very important to those involved in it. To MMO gamers, the game itself can often melt away reality so that real-world events slip by unnoticed. But this week, hurricane Katrina reminded us all about the fragile nature of human life, buildings and the necessity of food and water. There are no magical spells that can conjure life replenishing supplies, nor any axe, staff or sword powerful enough to combat the unstoppable force of nature. Any gamer on the south coast of America this week had to put down their joypad, unplug their mouse and keyboard and deal with real life.
For those unaffected, gaming continues. Consoles continue to be released and online fragging goes on apace. But while the US political system has been sluggish in its response to the natural disaster, the videogame industry has been quick to offer support to those trapped in hellish conditions.
Sony Online Europe has made it possible for players of MMO Everquest II to donate to the Red Cross through a new command line /donate. It will automatically direct players to the American Red Cross’ Hurricane 2005 relief page.
Halo developer Bungie has also urged its fans to help. They have encouraged members of the ‘Bungie Underground Army’ to either volunteer or donate to the Red Cross. They’ve also made available a ‘Fight the Flood’ T-Shirt (see what they did there?) with proceeds going to those in need. EA has also stepped in to offer support, matching staff contributions to the Red Cross 2:1. Expect more videogame initiatives to filter out over the next few weeks as the relief effort and the full extent of the devastation kicks in.
What is does show is a concerted effort from the games industry to emerge from the bubble it so often surrounds itself in and engage in reality. Some games have millions of fans – and publishers realise they have an active fan-base of people they can target to raise awareness of certain events. In the future, perhaps we’ll see fundraisers become part of the very fabric of the games industry itself.
This article is taken from the Sunday Supplement – Pro-G’s weekly look at the events of the week. Read the full article here.
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