Whether they were lured by the promise of one-of-a-kind swag or really felt like donating precious plasma, hundreds of generous Resident Evil fans showed up to Capcom’s RE5 blood drive event in Los Angeles last week.
Gamers get called a lot of things – losers, loners, sociopaths – but we are very rarely called good samaritans. Well, Resident Evil fans showed the world just how good-hearted (and full-blooded) gamers can be when they showed up in the hundreds last Friday to donate blood at a drive sponsored by Capcom as a promotion for Resident Evil 5.
“Hundreds of gaming fans, volunteers and good Samaritans gathered in Hollywood today to join Capcom and the American Red Cross for a blood drive, ushering in the launch of Resident Evil 5,” Capcom PR man Steven Khoo said last Friday.
Of course, it wasn’t like they were there completely out of the goodness of their hearts: Capcom gave away some exclusive goodies like RE5-themed “I gave blood!” pins, copies of the game, and one of those swanky limited edition red RE5 Xbox 360s. Still, I’d like to think at least most of the people were there to donate just because they felt like it, though I know I’ve done crazier things for free pins.
And though the event was far removed from the glitz, glamour and spectacle of a launch party, some fans still felt like it was an opportune time to show up in costume. One fellow came decked out in full Chris Redfield gear, with a tactical vest, fake pistol and everything. Bringing a toy gun to a blood drive? Really? Only people who play videogames, I’m telling you.
