Every year, kind people from around the world give their time and resources to help out others who are less fortunate. It now appears that MMO players are getting into the giving spirit as well. The MMO Blogging Alliance is made up of several well-known MMO bloggers who are hosting ways for readers to help those in need this holiday season.

The initiative, which is spearheaded by Adam “Ferrel” Trzonkowski of Epic Slant, aims to show the world that gamers care about those in the real world and not just newbs who beg for gold outside the Orgrimmar auction house.

Ferrel sat down with Koku Gamer to give us a little more insight into the charity initiative.

Koku: Why did you decide to create the MMO Blogging Alliance?

Ferrel: This has been a particularly rough year for a lot of families around the world and I think charities in general are going to feel that during the holiday season. In my eyes that is the time when we need to encourage giving the most. Thanksgiving is intended to be a time in the U.S. where we feel blessed for what we have and I generally like to start around now to hopefully keep that tradition. Christmas, Hanukkah, and the winter holidays are also generally times of giving and charity. It is just a natural time to look after the less fortunate during this time of year even if it is somewhat common to do so.

Koku: What made you decide to target MMO bloggers/readers?

Ferrel: In truth this is just an issue access and education. In the simplest sense the largest and easiest audience for me to reach is my subscribers and readers. I’ve long since fostered positive relationships with other bloggers and they have been more than willing to help. We have easy access to a big set of eyes so it was natural to aim there. Now, when I say education, this is something to treat carefully. It is our responsibility to educate non-gamers about our culture. I’m tired of reading so many negative things about MMO players and gamers in general. We have an opportunity to show we can be a positive force in the world and we should take it to dispel some of the myths that surround us.

Koku: Is this the first time you’ve ever created a large charity drive before? If so, what types of things have you learned?

Ferrel: Yes, this is my first large charity endeavor. I’ve actually had a lot of my notions of leadership reaffirmed to be honest. People are very willing to help if you ask kindly. They’re also willing to follow a leader as long as the path isn’t to crazy. I’ve also learned that I need to double and triple check some things in a live environment before the launch day. I had a minor issue with some code that was a bit unnerving. I got that cleared up though… mostly!

Koku: Does the alliance have a specific monetary goal?

Ferrel: We don’t have a target number for the drive. We really just want to raise awareness. I had put $1,000 on a widget but only because it required a goal amount. Truthfully, if we raise any money at all we’ll have succeeded. I would certainly like to raise a bunch though. We’ll never know though as we are not taking funds directly and not requesting feedback from the charities.

Koku: What are some of the different charities that are being flagged by the bloggers?

Ferrel: This year we’re supporting a number of great causes. Our members have chosen Amnesty International, Child’s Play, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Shelter, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and Tabby’s Place, to name a few.

Koku: What type of response have you received from other bloggers and from readers?

Ferrel: The response has been pretty positive for the most part. As I previously mentioned I can’t know how we’re doing monetarily but we’ve had some good re-tweeting and linking. In general I believe we’ve succeeded in the mission of putting eyes on our specific charities. Some are well known but others might be a surprise to readers. I had previously never heard of Tabby’s Place and how Brian has given that charity new supporters who might have never seen it otherwise. We’ve also had some negative reactions. Some folks feel like we’re forcing participation or donation givens through our “blitz” tactic. It was never our intent and I truly understand “Charity fatigue” but we’re never going to please everyone with how we do things. That is the nature of the beast and everyone was at least polite and mature about this. There was no drama or hurt feelings (that I am aware of). This is like leading a guild. You do the best you can with the guild’s interest in mind. You’ll do more good than harm but you’ll always do a little harm.

Koku: When did the charity drive officially kickoff and how long will it last?

Ferrel: The planning for this began in early October. I wanted to have us ready for Thanksgiving food dives and Christmas charity drives. This is somewhat of a “two for one” deal. We started on 9 November and we’ll technically conclude on 23 December. Member bloggers can post as much or as little as they want for as long as they want. I didn’t want to create draconian rules because the whole intent was to have each blogger pick something that mattered to them. I chose Child’s Play because the charity supports Paypal and that removes a barrier. It is so easy to click and donate. It is also something I’m passionate about. I was an extremely sickly child and I know this situation If we can bring these children any joy, any comfort, or any happiness for even a minute then I consider this a success.

Koku: Is this something that you will try to spearhead again next year? If so, is there anything you would do differently?

Ferrel:  Absolutely, yes. I think next year I’ll try to do a slightly better job of building us up to the launch. We started too early this year with planning and I think that harmed us. I also think I might request that members stagger their blogs across a week instead of a day to be less in the face of those who read all our blogs. It was an awful lot.

Koku: Do you think an initiative like this would surprise non-gamers? If so, why?

Ferrel: In a way I think it might. There is an awfully large group of people out there that think MMO players and gamers are violent, antisocial people regardless of the fact that science is suggesting otherwise. We’re not isolated and greedy people. We’re a kind community with deep ties and we can do good. My parents never understood this part of my life until recently and I know there are a lot of people who don’t understand the bonds we build and friendships we make. I love our blogging community. I love my guild. These are people as real to me as the guy two cubes over at work. This might show them our world through our eyes and, if it doesn’t, we still can achieve our primary goal.

Koku: Is there anything else you can add or think of?

Ferrel: Honestly, that about covers it. I want to say thank you for covering our drive and supporting us. I encourage other bloggers to join if they feel comfortable doing so. For players, I suggest showing the various blogs in the drive to someone you might want to teach and to everyone I have to say please consider donating if they can afford to. A little bit really does go further than you might imagine and you just might find a charity that you’ve never heard of.

For more information see Ferrel’s post over at Epic Slant.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Like the Above? Check these similar articles: