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If you haven't heard about Bungie’s Haiti relief efforts yet, then you need to check out this link. For those who just want to know what to do – I have summarized everything here in three easy steps:
1.Fire up Halo 3 or ODST
2.Change your emblem to a Red, Maroon, Brick, or Rose HEART with a White CIRCLE background.
3.Play a match online between Jan 20th (Wednesday 12:00am) and January 21st (Thursday 11:59pm) and help Bungee donate a large sum of money to the Red Cross for Haiti relief efforts.
For every 1000 people that participate Bungee will donate $100 up to a maximum of 77,000 dollars!
In addition, Bungee will also be donating all of their profits made from apparel and accessories purchased between now and February via their online store – Including a special edition Superintendent T-shirt.
This is an awesome way to promote a great cause but I am sure there's still a few people in the gaming community who might be hesitant to donate time, money, or even a few rounds of death-match. I know this to be true because I am the last person to give a second of my time to that guy in front of the grocery store asking for donations to help feed orphan kittens.
One time I even got mad that a homeless guy standing at the entrance to my school who asked me for "a couple bucks." Sure that guy is homeless and he may have zero dollars, but because of school I have NEGATIVE FORTY-EIGHT THOUSAND dollars…and counting.
I suppose the main reason we usually brush off the greater good is because we are skeptical;
“You know that homeless guy is just going to go buy some drugs and alcohol – me not giving him money means he gets to stay alive longer.”
“My three bucks, my signature, and my email address couldn't possibly help to change the local ruling on organic produce.”
“Besides they just want my email address so they can spam me with PETA flyers and hassle me for more donations.”
For giggles and for those non-believers out in the world, lets take a quick skeptical look at Bungie. Could they simply be taking advantage of a terrible situation? Admittedly, they wouldn't be the first, it’s a perfect opportunity to boost web traffic, and it’s entirely possible that the $77,000 dollar mark is cash that has already been allocated for charity as a way to facilitate some serious tax deductions…right?
Preposterous I say!
The idea is silly when you think about it. Look at what Bungie is putting on the table. How much do they really have to gain? Of course it is not a complete loss for them, but if it was they wouldn’t be able to exist – therefore they could never help promote relief efforts in the first place.
Best of all, Bungie is not some strange “do-gooder” standing in the pouring rain in front of the grocery store with a poster of dirty kids standing in a river asking you for a credit card number and a pledge so that he can build houses with functional plumbing in Guatemala.
There are truly no shortage of problems in the world and I would love to contribute to their solutions. However, I am a penny-less goal oriented dude who can't stomach the thought of being bothered by a guilty conscious facilitated by issues far beyond my control. That is why I commend Bungie for having such an awesome way to promote relief for Haiti.
Instead, Bungie is simply asking you to do what you always do – carry on with your life uninterrupted, play video games, and in the process support a company that is promoting aide for those that need it… Or maybe I just need a way to vent how frustrated I get by charity groups that create scenarios that unintentionally make you feel guilty.
