I've spent most of my free time today watching the news. Story after story, report after report, picture after picture, of the aftermath of one of the worst tragedies to hit Japan since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And while the tragedy may seem remote and half a world away to somebody who lives in Indiana, there's still a part of me that is shaken, awed, and ultimately humbled by what is happening right now.

This blog is usually reserved for my thoughts on video games and gaming-related content, and believe me, I would love nothing more than to be writing some pithy, overlong, articulated review of whatever the latest piece of software to grab my fancy happens to be. But today, I just can't bring myself to do it. Today, in Japan, gaming just doesn't matter. The irony that Japan is one of the world's largest producers of gaming content and entertainment-related media isn't lost on me. If nothing else, the disaster should serve to remind all of us out there that for all the fun we take for granted in our daily lives, there can also come times when a smile is rarer than a four-leaf clover in the middle of a desert, when laughter can be used only as a psychological survival mechanism, and the ability to pick up a phone, send a quick text message, or check our e-mail can no longer be taken for granted.

And unlike when everything goes to hell in a survival horror game, in the real world, you can't just reset your console or reload the last save on your memory card. The only way to go is forward. I am only one person, one blogger, one voice. Alone, I am nothing. But with the internet on my side, I can find strength in numbers through people I have never met before. As I'm writing this, I have refreshed my news page to discover that a third explosion has just been confirmed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A meltdown is becoming more and more likely by the hour. Sitting here in my house, it feels like I can do little more than observe. You might feel the same way. But if you are reading this, if you want to help Japan in some way, then there are some ways you can do so right now.

First, and most obvious, is to make a donation to the Red Cross. I know this works if you reside in the US; international readers might find it works differently or not at all for them, and for that I apologize. If you go to the American Red Cross homepage, you will find yourself looking at a simple form to fill out to donate to the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund, as well as a number of other worthwhile charities, including assistance for those serving overseas in the military, the North Africa & Middle East Civil Unrest fund, or simply "Where the need is greatest." A $10 is the minimum donation amount, and the website will provide you with all the forms necessary to ensure that you can deduct your donation amount on next year's taxes. If you're on your cell phone and don't want to go to the internet to make a donation, or you don't feel safe sending credit card information over the web, you can text the word REDCROSS to 90999; a $10 charge will appear on your next bill, and there is no limit to the number of donations you can make (five texts equals $50, for example). If money is too tight for you right now, but you're at least 18 years of age and have no prior history that disqualifies you, consider donating blood or plasma. There's never enough of it to go around in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

The Salvation Army has also dispatched a team to Sendai to assist. You can visit their website to make a donation online, call the organization by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY, or text the word JAPAN to 80888 to make a $10 donation via your next cell phone bill. They'll even take a donation by check if you prefer to avoid the online world completely: drop it in the mail with "Japan Earthquake Relief" in the memo field to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301-0959.

Doctors Without Borders is another nonprofit group that has volunteered their time and energy to the cause. Currently, they are not accepting donations earmarked specifically for Japan, but they will be happy to use whatever money you can spare to help their relief efforts all over the world. Visit their website here to find out how you can make a contribution.

Finally, while there are many relief organizations set up to help people, it is important to remember that humans are not the only ones who suffer in the aftermath of a disaster. Our four-legged loved ones are just as important to remember in these times, and if you disagree with that notion, then consider the emotional trauma suffered by a child to learn that her beloved cat went un-rescued, or the sorrow that an elderly shut-in would feel knowing that his only friend in the world, his dog, died leaving him even more alone now than before the earthquake. A number of animal welfare and rescue organizations have all come together to save those who are so often overlooked in the chaos, including the Japan Cat Network, World Vets, the Search Dog Foundation, Animal Refuge Kansai, and even Paypal.com. Petcaptain.com has set up a blog page with links to all of these organizations and information on how to donate right over here.

We play games to entertain ourselves, to escape from the real world for a while, to fantasize about doing things that we could never do ourselves. When we do, we are heroes to the digital denizens of the gaming worlds, and we can brag about our achievements and trophies with our friends. But there are times in our lives when we are all called to be greater heroes, when we can truly make a difference in the life of someone we have never met. Saving the world from the ravages of the T-Virus, stopping the alien invaders from taking our homeland, or beating back an incursion of evil warriors from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away all have merit. Today though, the battlefields of Modern Warfare, the simple apartment life of The Sims 3, and the crowded streets of Liberty City must all take a backseat for us, as gamers, to prove that we have what it takes to be real heroes on and off our television sets.

Arigato gozaimasu.