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Child's Play Dinner 2008 |
We've attended the
Child's Play charity auction each year since the start (
2004,
2005,
2006,
2007) because it's a cause we believe in. We're blessed to have a 5-year-old who is mostly healthy, though on the few occasions that he has been badly hurt we've received the best treatment at Seattle Children's Hospital. When Xander broke his arm this past summer, he was given an Etch-O-Sketch after suffering through a very unpleasant X-ray procedure. Even though he only had one hand to play it with for three weeks, it meant the world to him. Now imagine how much a game or toy or stuffed animal helps a kid who has something worse than a broken arm.
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| Gamewatcher and GrrlGotGame |
Despite record attendance (about 400, we heard), this year's Child's Play event definitely seemed a little more subdued than past years - no doubt held back by the recession. If nothing else, there weren't as many drunk game company CEOs bidding insane amounts for bragging rights - though Harmonix ponied up a giant check for $30,000 and said that number would probably rise since it's donating a portion of proceeds from downloadable
Rock Band songs through the end of the year.
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| Jerry and Mike auction the Harmonix microwave |
Only one live auction item raised a gasp-inducing $10,000 (an appearance in a Penny Arcade strip, which went for $13,000 last year and a whopping $20,000 in 2005!). Most live auction items were still out of reach of mere mortals who fund their charity out of their paychecks. The cheapest item? A $900
Castle Crashers figurine. Somebody paid $2900 to go out drinking afterwards with Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik, Wil Wheaton and PvP's Scott Kurtz (and as I was writing this, I saw his Twitter post about the win on Twinkle!). Another bidder gave up $4300 for PA's Jerry Holkins to "write a song about how awesome you are." A beat-up microwave from Harmonix' offices packed with Rock Band games and swag went for $1800, and one of Mike's first paintings (of Mario) jumped to $3000.
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| Gabe chainmail! |
The silent auction was all over the map with a copy of
Postal 2 signed by hack filmmaker Uwe Boll going for a near retail $45 and a beautiful painting inspired by the opening screen of Braid hitting $1000. Other standout items included a
Fallout 3 bundle with T-shirt, Pipboy replica and puppet ($450) and some chainmail designed to look like Gabe and Tycho's illustrated outfits. All in all, the event raised more than $200,000 - about the same or maybe a little less than last year. This should bring the year's total to around $920K, making a million in toys, games, books and cash within reach by year's end.
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| Melissa, the I Love Bees Operator |
After a heady bidding war, GrrlGotGame and I finally won a print of Melissa, the operator from the excellent
I Love Bees viral marketing alternate reality game and radio serial for
Halo 2. We bid and lost another, larger version of this particular artwork at the 2005 Child's Play auction, so we were determined not to lose out on it again. We also won one of four copies of The Guild Season 1 DVD. All in all, we paid a bit more for our prizes than in past years, but it's all for a good cause.
And we're not done. Check back this Friday for a very special edition of Free Stuff Friday. You'll get a chance to win something from the event (no, not Melissa!) and indirectly help some kids who need it.
-=Gamewatcher
Slaving and killing and vampire bitten