Retake Mass Effect petition backers raise $38,000 for charity

Fans demanding BioWare change the ending of Mass Effect 3 have decided to prove their seriousness with a charity fundraiser.

Retake Mass Effect organisers launched a ChipIn page, with all donations going to Child's Play, the gamer-centric charity which provides games and toys to hospitalised children.

The donation drive is described as "community driven effort to bring positive attention to our petition for an alternate ending to the fantastic Mass Effect series".

"We would like to dispel the perception that we are angry or entitled. We simply wish to express our hope that there could be a different direction for a series we have all grown to love," it reads.

The fundraiser has already garnered over $$37,533 in about 24 hours, and will run through April 11. The total has more than doubled in the last hour as word spreads.

Retake Mass Effect has requested BioWare alter Mass Effect 3's ending through a patch or DLC. The movement has been widely debated with strong arguments on both sides raising issues of gamer entitlement, the cost of games, invested time and emotional commitment.

Thanks, Gamefront.