Xbox Getting Its Charity On

It might be jumping on the bandwagon a little late given the existence of charities like Childs Play and others, but Microsoft is starting a program to put entertainment in the hands of those who need it more than almost anyone else: sick children stuck in hospitals. Beginning today various hospitals around the country will be getting xbox kiosks in their play areas, complete with Xbox Live Vision cameras and headsets, linked to a special xbox live network that’ll allow children to contact children from other hospitals. There’ll be a library of E and E10+ games, with online play being enabled but voice and video chat from other players not on the hospital network being censored. The consoles will also come preloaded with plenty of child-appropriate video content. Whether this is an honest, charitable work or simply an effort to cushion the blow of slumping Xbox 360 sales via tax write-offs, at least the children will benefit from it, regardless of the motivations involved.