It can be hard to be a gamer during times of disaster. Often, we don't have a lot of money, but we want to help. Your old games may mean the difference of food and shelter to someone in need.

While many gamers are not living in a world of extra cash, many gamers DO have extra games lying around the house. We build our game collection up over the years, scrimping and saving for each new game. We play those games for months and months, drawing every last bit of enjoyment out of them. When we are finally done with a game, we put it on a shelf, and rarely play it again.

This is where charity can be helped out greatly. eBay, the internet auction house, allows you to put up an item so that the proceeds are donated to a charity of your choice. The item is clearly marked as being a charity item, which often means that people will bid very highly for it. Your house becomes cleaner once the item is sold - and the charity you have chosen gets a donation they would not otherwise have seen.

Yes, people are already innundated with requests to donate cash after a disaster strikes. Many people simply don't have the spare change to donate money freely. However, say a person needs to get a birthday present for their son. Say you put a copy of Final Fantasy X online, as a charity auction. Now you are free of a game you are long past done playing. The parent has gotten a present for their child, which they needed to do. The charity gets a much needed donation to help feed and clothe those in dire need. Everybody wins, truly.

Please, take an hour and go through your gaming library. Track down the games that you really are not playing at all any more. Then go to eBay and list those games as charity auctions. When the week is done and those items are sent off to their new homes, you will feel quite proud to know that you helped out those in need, in a way that only gamers can truly understand.

Ebay Auction Website