by Elizabeth Monsef

News Editor

“Freerice is a non-profit website that is owned by and supports the United Nations World Food Programme. Freerice has two goals: Provide education to everyone for free. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.”

“GamesThatGive was founded in 2008 by Adam Archer and Kris Goss, great friends and self admitted geeks. GamesThatGive was built around the belief that great companies, and their customers, want to make a difference. Even beyond that, they want to help others make a difference.”

The internet has opened up the opportunity for new and exciting gaming websites that allow anyone to donate money to charities without charging a penny. Many charitable online pages are innovative creations intended to help feed those in need and spread awareness for topics such as world hunger or foundations for cancer treatment. Most are established so people can play entertaining games and win money for charities or foundations. The money is then donated to the charity by large name brands and usually does not cost the player at all.

Some websites organize times and locations to play games in person for hospitals or charities. Other websites allow people to play regular online games and donate money for playing. Unlike other organizations, online charity gaming allows an individual to help from home.

Free Rice is a free online gaming site that donates ten grains of rice for every question answered correctly. On Free Rice, players have the option to choose a quiz subject. There are several different settings and question categories to choose from. Some of these options include SAT® preparation, language learning, math, science, and English. The website asks a multiple choice question for the player to answer. If he/she answers correctly, ten grains of rice are donated to help reduce world hunger. The website shows the player how many questions were answered correctly and how many grains of rice were donated during their time online. The founder and owner of Free Rice is The United Nations World Food Programme. The money is paid by the sponsors who advertise on the Free Rice website. Free Rice also gives players the ability to log on to Facebook or Twitter, however it is not required to play. This website encourages working towards a goal, and improving knowledge while helping diminish worldwide hunger.

Other websites such as Games That Give offer the ability to log onto Facebook to play games and earn money for charities. The website has many game options and the money is donated by many large and well known name brands. There are even apps for smartphones.

Charitable gaming has become very popular and entertaining for all age groups. It promotes kindness and offers a great way to learn new things. It is very impressive that technology has progressed to the point where it is possible to spend time doing an enjoyable activity that can be used to benefit thousands around the globe. Websites such as Free Rice and Games That Give are examples of beneficial games that make an impact on the world. Some people may use Free Rice as a study website, while others may use it for the sole purpose of donating to charity. No matter what the player uses the website for, as long as they play and answer some questions correctly, they always end up helping someone in need. It does not take much to help out and do great deeds.