This is not actually piping hot news, and I just said I wanted to spend less time talking about things you can easily find on your own, but I just found out a little more about Penny Arcade's Child's Play initiative, and I think it is a Good Thing, and worth mentioning.

Here's the deal.

If you are like me, every time you see an article like this one - where the author claims that video games are training our nations youth to kill - you get angry. The media seems intent on perpetuating the myth that gamers are ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. I know for a fact that gamers are good people. I have had the opportunity on multiple occasions to meet hundreds of you at conventions all over the country. We are just regular people who happen to love video games.

With that in mind we have put together a little something we like to call “Child’s Play.” Penny Arcade is working with the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Amazon.com to make this Christmas really special for a lot of very sick kids. With the help of the Children’s Hospital we have created an Amazon Wish List for the kids. It’s full of video games, movies and toys. Some of these kids are in pretty bad shape and just having a Game Boy would really raise their spirits.

Update: A writer of the kind of articles that triggered Child's Play (the one linked to above) praises the initiative and apologizes. (From Slashdot Games)