PAX East 2013: Pachinko for Charity Raises $17,000 for Gamers with Disabilities
posted:
4/1/2013 10:47:00 AM
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PAX East 2013
At PAX East located in the lobby by the escalators.. I saw these machines set up. Apparently they were called "Pachinko" machines. I assume this has to be a Japanese thing because everything on the screen was Japanese and I had never heard of these things before.
Depending on how much money you paid you got a certain amount of metal balls to put in the machine. You turn the dial to launch the balls into the machine and then they drop down, hitting pins along the way. I assume your goal was to get the balls into one small slot in the middle of the machine. Think of it as trying to get your Plinko chip into the $10,000 slot on The Price Is Right. I didnt know what I was doing but I didn't care as I knew my money was going to a great cause.
The charity is called "AbleGamers" A charity designed to help disabled children and adults enjoy videogames. They wanted to raise $15,000 and im happy to say that they made their goal and then some. The fundraiser ended with $17,022.09.
“Honestly I can’t even express how happy I am right now, We were all touched by such a wonderful feeling seeing people come out in the numbers they did to support improving the quality of life for gamers with disabilities. And beyond that, IndieGala--who has been such a staunch supporter of our mission— donated more than $4000 to get the weekend started. They have gone out of their way to express the importance of supporting the disability community.” says Mark Barlet the President and Founder of the AbleGamers Foundation.
Im very happy to see tons of gamers going out of their way at PAX East to donate to such a great cause.
For more information about the AbleGamers Foundation be sure to check out their official website and Facebook page.
Depending on how much money you paid you got a certain amount of metal balls to put in the machine. You turn the dial to launch the balls into the machine and then they drop down, hitting pins along the way. I assume your goal was to get the balls into one small slot in the middle of the machine. Think of it as trying to get your Plinko chip into the $10,000 slot on The Price Is Right. I didnt know what I was doing but I didn't care as I knew my money was going to a great cause.
The charity is called "AbleGamers" A charity designed to help disabled children and adults enjoy videogames. They wanted to raise $15,000 and im happy to say that they made their goal and then some. The fundraiser ended with $17,022.09.
“Honestly I can’t even express how happy I am right now, We were all touched by such a wonderful feeling seeing people come out in the numbers they did to support improving the quality of life for gamers with disabilities. And beyond that, IndieGala--who has been such a staunch supporter of our mission— donated more than $4000 to get the weekend started. They have gone out of their way to express the importance of supporting the disability community.” says Mark Barlet the President and Founder of the AbleGamers Foundation.
Im very happy to see tons of gamers going out of their way at PAX East to donate to such a great cause.
For more information about the AbleGamers Foundation be sure to check out their official website and Facebook page.
PAX East Event Pachinko for Charity Raises $17,000 for Gamers with Disabilities
With the generous support of IndieGala, Paradox Interactive, ThinkGeek, and more, videogame fans around the world declare AbleGamers charity fundraiser at PAX East huge success.
Harpers Ferry, WV – March 27, 2013–AbleGamers is thrilled to announce the grand total for our Pachinko for Charity event at PAX East 2013 was $17,022.09! Fans of the charity came out in droves, waiting as much as 20 minutes to play while the lines were three or four rows deep, to support gamers with disabilities.
“Honestly I can’t even express how happy I am right now,” said Mark Barlet, President and Founder of the AbleGamers Foundation. “We were all touched by such a wonderful feeling seeing people come out in the numbers they did to support improving the quality of life for gamers with disabilities. And beyond that, IndieGala--who has been such a staunch supporter of our mission— donated more than $4000 to get the weekend started. They have gone out of their way to express the importance of supporting the disability community.”
“AbleGamers is humbled and grateful to all of our sponsors and fans who supported this event,” he continued. “We hope to put on more of these throughout the year and to make 2013 stand out as the year the game accessibility movement really took off!”
“We certainly can’t say enough about our industry friends and their support of disabled gamers,” said Steve Spohn, Editor-In-Chief and Community Outreach Chair for the AbleGamers Charity. “Paradox Interactive is an amazing partner. Without their annual support we may not have been able to attend the event at all, let alone imagine how successful it was. And ThinkGeek was outstanding, giving not only thousands of dollars in items for prizes, but personally coming to our booth and running some giveaways. We are very much looking forward to the future with such strong allies in the fight for gaming equality.”
For more information on Pachinko for Charity and upcoming AbleGamers events, please visitwww.Facebook.com/AbleGamers to see photos, event details, and more!
About The AbleGamers Foundation
The AbleGamers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that runs AbleGamers.com, which provides news and reviews on the accessibility of mainstream video game titles, as well as consultation on assistive technology. As an alternative to Serious Gaming, mainstream video games supply many disabled individuals and veterans with rehabilitation as well as social stimulation in situations where they may be otherwise shut out of society's idea of normal everyday life.
With the generous support of IndieGala, Paradox Interactive, ThinkGeek, and more, videogame fans around the world declare AbleGamers charity fundraiser at PAX East huge success.
Harpers Ferry, WV – March 27, 2013–AbleGamers is thrilled to announce the grand total for our Pachinko for Charity event at PAX East 2013 was $17,022.09! Fans of the charity came out in droves, waiting as much as 20 minutes to play while the lines were three or four rows deep, to support gamers with disabilities.
“Honestly I can’t even express how happy I am right now,” said Mark Barlet, President and Founder of the AbleGamers Foundation. “We were all touched by such a wonderful feeling seeing people come out in the numbers they did to support improving the quality of life for gamers with disabilities. And beyond that, IndieGala--who has been such a staunch supporter of our mission— donated more than $4000 to get the weekend started. They have gone out of their way to express the importance of supporting the disability community.”
“AbleGamers is humbled and grateful to all of our sponsors and fans who supported this event,” he continued. “We hope to put on more of these throughout the year and to make 2013 stand out as the year the game accessibility movement really took off!”
“We certainly can’t say enough about our industry friends and their support of disabled gamers,” said Steve Spohn, Editor-In-Chief and Community Outreach Chair for the AbleGamers Charity. “Paradox Interactive is an amazing partner. Without their annual support we may not have been able to attend the event at all, let alone imagine how successful it was. And ThinkGeek was outstanding, giving not only thousands of dollars in items for prizes, but personally coming to our booth and running some giveaways. We are very much looking forward to the future with such strong allies in the fight for gaming equality.”
For more information on Pachinko for Charity and upcoming AbleGamers events, please visitwww.Facebook.com/AbleGamers to see photos, event details, and more!
About The AbleGamers Foundation
The AbleGamers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that runs AbleGamers.com, which provides news and reviews on the accessibility of mainstream video game titles, as well as consultation on assistive technology. As an alternative to Serious Gaming, mainstream video games supply many disabled individuals and veterans with rehabilitation as well as social stimulation in situations where they may be otherwise shut out of society's idea of normal everyday life.
