Gaming for a good cause

Although the mainstream media likes to only focus on videogames in a negative manner, there's a lot of good that comes from this industry. One example that recently came to my attention is a new casual online game site devoted to raising money and awareness of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Play2Cures (http://lls.play2cures.org) is a new collection of online casual games like solitaire, sudoku, and miniature golf that anyone can easily play. Designed by Pledgeplay, a company that creates fund-raising sites, Play2Cures operates on donations. Players can purchase tokens for $1 with a $10 minimum donation. These tokens can be used and shared with others to play casual games.

There are currently five games up and running and additional games will be added regularly. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is currently holding a drive to raise $10,000 by December 31 and this new gaming site is part of that initiative. But the story behind this new site is something that really shows how games can not only help raise money, but help children cope with cancer.

Taylor Carol, of Dana Point, CA, was a typical 11-year-old boy, into sports and videogames. But in March 2006, after being hit by a pitch during a baseball game, doctors discovered he had Philadelphia-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia. This particularly lethal form of the disease does not respond to normal treatment, so Taylor and his family moved to Seattle where he received a bone marrow transplant at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

During the long grueling months that Taylor was fighting for his life, his father, software designer Jim Carol, CEO of Game 7 Entertainment, focused his energy on finding a way to help Taylor and other children going through a similar ordeal. The result: Pledgeplay was born -- a customizable online casual game site that can raise money through videogames for any cause. Carol envisions Pledgeplay as a way for families to bond with one another while doing something positive for other families. Surveys reveal that more than 50 million U.S. adults enjoy playing family-friendly casual games online. According to a 2007 survey by Information Solutions Group, adults reported that playing online games provided an opportunity for them to bond with their children or grandchildren.

Carol’s son Taylor played a major role in Pledgeplay’s creation. He served as the company's videogame expert while hospitalized. The project helped distract him from the painful cancer treatment. Now he hopes his creation will allow other cancer patients an avenue of distraction, while opening up new donation avenues to help other victims of the disease. More children are impacted by leukemia than any other cancer.