Valve raises $430,000 for Japan relief fun

Gamers come together to help Valve raise money for the Japanese disaster relief fund - and it's all thanks to silly hats and Team Fortress 2.

We don't play a lot of Team Fortress 2, but we do return to it every now and then for a signature blast of zany fun, well-designed character classes, and - more recently - a mess of crazy hats. However, two weeks ago the hats took an interesting... turn.

You could even say that the game was turning Japanese...

And it was all in a good cause. Valve announced a special hat sale to raise funds for the American Red Cross' Japanese quake relief fund - a range of themed hats were on offer, from just 50 cents all the way up to $100 bucks. And it worked a treat. In just two weeks Valve and generous gamers raised $US430,543.65.

Bravo Valve, and bravo to all the generous gamers who helped them.