Geeks have hearts of gold.

I wrote earlier about an effort to aid Haiti relief spearheaded by an organization called the Harry Potter Alliance, which has long inspired Harry Potter fans to take action on real-world social issues like global warming and Darfur. Recently, it launched its largest fandom action, called Help Haiti Heal, to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. 

Of course, the point was to raise a bunch of money in a time of need. But, on the sly, I think the effort helped show that so-called escapist pursuits like reading Harry Potter, watching Lord of the Rings, or participating in role-playing games can actually connect to the real world, too. 

Heroic acts and derring-do of wielding wands and swords and smiting evil-doers is all well and good in a book or movie. What makes this success so sweet is that the forces of gaming and fantasy and fandom can be wielded, too. And fans and gamers can be a powerful body indeed.