Growth Spurt

How did the site get to be the phenomenon that it is today? Was it a conscious effort of marketing and getting the site out there, or was it all by accident?

Readers have done it for us. The site has never been "marketed" by any means that I associate with the term. It's still growing now, as it has since 1998. I'd be embarrassed to relate the actual numbers.

Was there a single event that made you want to get involved with charities, or was it something you had in mind all along?

We'd wanted to do it for a while, yeah, but the first few years of the site were so tumultuous that we really didn't have time to investigate it as a project. The original plan was to act as a kind of clearing house for donated consoles and software. As soon as we began to contact hospitals to get serious about the project, we learned quickly that they prefer new toys and games - many of the children served by these organizations have compromised immune systems, at the very least. There are a number of strictures placed on the things they'll accept, actually - Child's Play as it's currently executed is the result of those first conversations with actual institutions.

You seem to do a fair amount of work with, or for, children - however, the site is not exactly "kid friendly". Has the site content ever resulted in resistance from parents or teachers that you work with?

It hasn't, really. And now that Child's Play is a non-profit unto itself, hopefully we'll be able to better shield it from our indiscretions and let it become a force on its own.

When I was growing up, the neighborhood little league team was sponsored by a local tavern. Obviously, the kids could not attend the establishment in question. That said, being a tavern - a place that caters to an exclusively adult clientele - does not absolve the proprietors of their social responsibility. That is the way I think of it.

With children of your own, are you becoming concerned about the possible impact of violent videogames on kids?

Not really. Essentially, there are various types of content that are appropriate for different age groups. We have a rating system for movies that determines the appropriate audience for those materials, and there is an analogous system for videogames. I think it could be clearer, and I wish more parents sought the information out, but it's the system we have. As a relatively new force, electronic games are in the process of becoming part of the larger culture. It was a rocky road for expressions as diverse as comic books and rap music, and this isn't any different. As more gamers become parents themselves, I'd like to think that they're managing the media diet of their children in an effective, informed manner.