News and Industry Happenings

Sony PlayStation Network Collecting Japan Relief Money

Gamers with PlayStation 3s can now donate to relief efforts in Japan directly from the PlayStation network. A banner has been added to the PlayStation Store where anyone can contribute money to help with earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. The money will come directly from a gamer’s PlayStation wallet.

Anyone who donates is given a Sunrise Blossom Aid Japan Theme for their PS3.

According to officials at Sony, whose company headquarters is in Tokyo, the company has already been donating supplies like batteries that are needed in relief efforts. All proceeds from this effort will be given to the Red Cross to aid in recovery efforts.

According to Andrew House, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, in a letter posted to the Sony Website, "Many gamers in particular feel a special bond with Japan, even if they’ve never traveled there personally. Its ingenuity and innovation have shaped our industry, and its culture and style have spread to communities across the world. Please join us now in helping the Japanese people during this great time of need. Together we can have a significant impact on the relief process." Come on everyone, dig deep. And you don’t have to give much. Donations as little as $2 can be made this way. And the Sunrise Blossom theme is pretty awesome.

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John Breeden II

As a journalist John has covered everything from rural town meetings to the U.S. Congress and even done time as a crime reporter and photographer.|His first venture into writing about the game industry came in the form of a computer column called "On the Chip Side," which grew to have over 1 million circulation and was published in newspapers in several states. From there he did several "ask the computer guy" columns in magazines such as Up Front! in New Mexico and Who Cares? in Washington D.C. When the Internet started to become popular, he began writing guided Web tours for the newly launched Washington Post online section as well as reviews for the weekend section of the paper, something he still does from time to time. His experience in trade publications came as a writer and reviewer for Government Computer News. As the editor of GiN, he demands strict editorial standards from all the writers and reviewers. Breeden feels the industry needs a weekly, reliable trade publication covering the games industry and works tirelessly to accomplish that goal.