For the past few years, the guys at Penny Arcade have been running a charity called Child's Play, which provides video games to children who are bed-ridden in hospitals around the U.S. In fact, this year the program is serving children's hospitals around the world. Child's Play is like a gaming-specific version of Toys for Tots, and we definitely recommend that you check it out and consider offering your support.

One way you can support Child's Play and score some hard-to-find swag is by participating in Chris Kohler's ongoing auction over at his Wired News blog. Kohler is a well known freelance writer in the gaming industry and has just published his second book, Retro Gaming Hacks. As you may or may not know, members of the gaming press tend to accumulate bizarre promotional items over numerous press events, not to mention swag-fests like E3 where you can literally walk out with bags full of branded t-shirts and frisbees. Kohler has assembled a sizable lot of such items and is putting them on auction, with the proceeds to benefit Child's Play. If you're a collector of weird gaming items, check it out!