Wizards of the Coast has pledged to donate up to $22,000 to Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play Organization in honor of the Magic 2011 Launch.  The Child’s Play Organization provides game materials to children in hospitals, and WotC is challenging the Magic community to support this very special children’s charity by attending a launch party for Magic 2011.  The worldwide events will begin at 12:00am on July 16th in New Zealand and continue through 11:59 pm on July 19th in Hawaii.

If 40,000 people attend the M11 launch parties, WotC will donate $11,000, and for each additional 1,000 attendees WotC will donate another $1,100 up to a limit of $22,000 if 50,000 people attend the M11 launch parties worldwide.

In 2009 WotC revamped its core set releases and began putting an annual brand on them (see “WotC Revamps Core Sets”).  Magic: The Gathering has enjoyed some of a Renaissance in recent years (see “Zendikar Magic Set Biggest Ever”) and attendance at M:TG events has been up (see “Magic Events Booming”).