How’s this for a feel-good story? During the last week of January, players of the free-to-play, achingly adorable MMO Hello Kitty Online banded together to raise money for Haitian relief efforts.
HKO hosted Food 4 Friends 2, a special charity event in which players collected in-game items that later translated to real-life donations. According to the Hello Kitty blog, the event was primarily sponsored by HKO developer Sanrio Digital. The blog reports that in ten days players raised about $18,000, which Sanrio Digital donated to Doctors Without Borders. North American HKO publisher Aeria games also participated in Food 4 Friends 2 but sent their donation to the Red Cross Haitian relief efforts instead, on behalf of North American HKO players.
As a little thank-you, the guilds and players who participated in the event received loyalty points, which can be used to purchase in-game items. The highest participating guilds received bonus loyalty points as well.
