Wizards of the Coast has pledged to donate up to $22,000 to the Child’s Play Charity to celebrate the launch of the new Magic 2011 core set and you can help make it happen.
The Magic 2011 core set of Magic: The Gathering cards is set for release on July 16 and to mark the event, Wizards of the Coast will be holding launch parties at locations around the world, starting at 12:00 am on July 16 in New Zealand and running until 11:59 pm on July 19 in Hawaii. But the launch will be more than just an unrepentant nerdfest for Magic fans, it’ll be a chance for gamers to do a little something to help out a worthy cause, too.
Wizards of the Coast has pledged to donate $11,000 to Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play Charity if at least 40,000 people attend the launch parties, with an extra $1100 thrown in for every 1000 attendees over and above that number, up to a maximum of $22,000. That’s right, all you have to do is show up to a launch event and you’re effectively donating to one of the finest charitable causes out there.
Child’s Play, for those who may not know (and shame on you for it!), donates videogames, toys, books and cold, hard cash to children’s hospitals around the world. And gamers, it turns out, are a pretty generous bunch; in 2009 alone, Child’s Play raised $1.78 million for hospitals in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Iraq. Child’s Play is also responsible for the entertaining suffering of the Loading Ready Run crew during its annual ride on the Desert Bus, which makes it even more awesome.
So whether you’re a die-hard Magic fan or just have some free time this weekend and want to help brighten up a sick kid’s day, track down your nearest M11 Launch Party with this handy-dandy store and event locator, then pop in and say hello. Have some fun and do some good – what more could you want?
