Starting today, EVE Online enthusiasts will be able to contribute to disaster relief for Japan via game-based transactions. Over on the game’s official blog, developer CCP Games has announced that it will be accepting PLEX donations for “PLEX for Good: Japan,” an initiative that turns game time into real-world cash which is then donated, in this specific case, to the Red Cross. According to CCP’s FAQ, the developer will be absorbing all VAT charges, so the full amount of a donation goes to the charity.

I didn’t know what PLEX was until a few minutes ago, so I’m guessing a couple of you reading this are scratching your heads, too. In a nutshell, PLEX is a game-time card that adds a total of 30 days of EVE Online service to an account. These virtual cards can be traded in-game through the EVE economy, essentially allowing you to exchange your hard-earned ISK for real game time with an actual monetary value. (When you hear about thousands of dollars of real money being lost or stolen in EVE: Online, it usually has to do with the destruction of large shipments of PLEX cards.) The short of all this is that essentially EVE players now have the option to convert their in-game currency to real-world money that CCP will donate to the Red Cross. Pretty cool.