Gaming for charity? It can be done!

OK, now that I've sufficiently calmed down from my Goldeneye 007 rampage...screw it, I haven't calmed down. That game is truly God's gift to gamers.

Anyways, while I love my console games, arcade machines have a special spot in my heart. As soon as I get a couple thousand saved up, I'd love to build an arcade cabinet and play Vs. Super Mario Brothers the way it was meant to be played!

But my love for arcade games got me thinking about how I could combine my love of classic video gaming with raising some money for charity. What's the best way to marry those two worlds? Sell advertising on this site? Please, I only have about six readers, that wouldn't work at all.

Nope, the idea I had was quite simple: purchase an arcade machine and donate the quarters to a charity such as Catholic Relief Services. For instance, I could go to namcoarcade.com, and purchase a Ms. Pacman/Galaga machine, which has instant recognition and still holds up as fun to play. Find a place with a waiting room, such as a doctor's office or airport, a restaurant, gas station etc., and give them half the proceeds from the machine as payment. Then take the other half and donate it to charity.

Let's say 20 people played it a day (keeping the number low), with one quarter per play. That's $5 per day, $150 or so per month. If you kept that schedule up all year long, that's $900 you could donate to charity without so much as lifting a finger, save for the occasional maintenance and coin emptying.

People love to give to charity, and if they know that one out of every two quarters that gets put into the machine will go to someone like St. Jude, maybe they'll play more often.

I realize that it's easier said than done, especially since a Ms. Pacman arcade machine isn't cheap by any means. But I love the idea that someone benefits for each alien that gets blasted during a game of Galaga.