Remember that gorgeous custom The Beatles: Rock Band Xbox 360 console? After the ten-day auction was over, the end result – $17,300 dollars in the hands of international charity Doctors Without Borders.
Yes, this thing is still mindblowingly gorgeous. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought so, because at least one prospective buyer deemed it worth forking over a cool seventeen grand more than a normal Elite would have cost: After “more than 110 bids from around the globe” over a period of ten days, the auction closed with the console fetching a price of $17,300.
The money will go to the charity Doctors Without Borders, selected as the recipient by Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison. Are you wondering just how much the international medical organization can buy with that kind of money? Here are some numbers:
With $17,300 raised from the auction of the first limited edition Xbox 360 console, Doctors Without Borders will be able to purchase the equipment needed to carry out 86,500 immunizations using auto-disposable syringes, or purchase enough emergency kits composed of drugs and medical supplies to meet the basic needs of more than 2,800 people for 15 days in the aftermath of a disaster.
What’s more, the special downloadable track “All You Need Is Love” – the proceeds from which would also go to Doctors Without Borders – became the fastest-selling Rock Band song ever in just two days. So yeah, that’s more money in the hands of international doctors, which means more shots and more first aid kits.
“We are incredibly grateful for having been selected as the beneficiary of this promotion. Funds generated from initiatives such as this can go a long way,” said Dr. Matt Spitzer, president of the Doctors Without Borders board of directors. “Severely malnourished children will be treated, people displaced by war will receive life-saving medical care, and people living with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other neglected diseases will have access to the medicines they need. On behalf of our patients, Doctors Without Borders says ‘Thank You.'”
Once again, gamers show their willingness to take a break from slaughtering aliens and Nazis to put their money where their heart is. Faith in humanity +1, anybody?
Published: Sep 18, 2009 07:18 pm