The annual games-based charity Child's Play has kicked off for the 2008 holiday season. Run annually by the gents at Penny Arcade, it's a fantastic organization that hooks children's hospitals up with gamers looking to spread some holiday cheer. This year the charity is supporting dozens of hospitals across the US, and several in Canada, with Amazon.com wishlists. Pick out your favorite games (well, favorite non-MMO games), and you can make sure that kids forced to deal with serious health problems over the holidays have something to help them through the hard times. Via pure financial donations you can even help kids in Egypt, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.

Every year this charity helps hundreds of kids deal with illness via the same hobby that helps us get through difficult times: gaming. In the official post noting the charity's kickoff Gabe admits that they're expecting fewer donations because of the financial problems the country is currently experiencing. If you can't give as much as you did last year, or you can't give this year, it's all good. If you can spare a little money to make a donation, though, Child's Play is an organization that's proven itself worthy of your time.