RPG Site Japanese Disaster Appeal
It goes without saying that on RPG Site and on the wider UFF Network we love the Japanese. They've bought us some of the most amazing gaming experiences that have introduced me to wonderful people and experiences and stories that moved me and helped all of us to grow into who we are today.
We at the UFF Network have a history deeply rooted in Japanese RPGs, and it saddens us deeply to see a culture we have learned so much from and had so much enjoyment from suffering so badly.
I've wrestled with the idea of posting this story for a while now. We don't want to preach, and unlike some out there we don't want to act above our station - we're a news site about video games, a fun hobby, and not a news site.
We don't want to find a 'gaming angle' on this story like some places. We don't want to exploit this event for hits or ad clicks. Yet, we have to post this. We owe that amazing country this much.
If you want news about the Japanese Earthquake, please check out the BBC Website or your local favourite news provider. There are millions of places to find news, and this is what they do best - you don't need us to tell you that. We'll carry on with the gaming news.
However, what we want to tell you - if you want to hear it or not - is that you should try to donate. While we've spoken to friends at companies like Square Enix, Capcom and Namco Bandai to confirm our friends and colleagues there are okay, there are many in Japan who are suffering.
Powerful aftershocks have followed the original earthquake, and the tsunami has devastated vast areas of the coast. Worse still, Nuclear reactors teeter on the verge of the catastrophic, but in the loud world of rolling news it is sometimes easy to get sucked into the incredible, frightening images and the ever-present hyperbole and forget about the human tragedy at the centre of it all. There are people who have lost everything and others who, without help, will lose more.
So, above all else, we ask you to help in any way you can. If you can afford a donation, please do.
Google have a quick, easy way to donate to the Japanese Red Cross. We recommend that. UNICEF and Save the Children are taking donations to rebuild the lives of kids who have lost their families, and the UK and US Red Cross are also taking donations - so please do it.
You won't be alone in donating. Nintendo and Sony have both donated 300 million Yen; Microsoft's Bing search engine is donating via a twitter campaign and many other gaming companies at Japan and abroad are giving as much as they can. We at the UFF Network have had an internal staff drive and are giving away as much as we can afford from this month's advertising revenue.
Think of it as a way to repay that culture and those amazing people for the hours of fun they've given you and for the amazing stories they've told via games. Or just think of it as you, doing something amazing. Just please - if you can, do.
Our Japanese contributors are okay, we've confirmed, and we'll continue to post any RPG news that happens as normal from this point forward - but we want you all to know that our thoughts and wishes will be elsewhere, with those who need them most. We hope yours will too.
Ways to Help:
Google Appeal
Via Facebook
Via iTunes
Simply text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 via your Phone Bill
Buy virtual goods on Zynga Facebook games like CityVille - Zynga will donate the profits
British Red Cross
US Red Cross
UNICEF UK
Save the Children