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After an abnormally well-rested holiday weekend, I sat on the top floor of Tucker North and pondered what to do to make some good this holiday season. You see, the Battle Against Dysentery was originally conceived as a way to fill a charitable hole in my season of lights. Seeing as the B.A.D. is postponed to spring of 2012, I find myself once again a ship with no sail.

So, in consideration of this, I’m giving this little segment for Messages For Life a try – I’m calling it Changing The World For A Month. As I have in past holiday seasons, I (and other Geeks, should they be desirous of it) will be sharing ways that you and yours can make small changes in the world. None of what we’re suggesting is going to absolutely transform the human experience in a single stroke. However, I’d like to believe that each small, positive act is a step forward in that greater direction. These are things that you can do to feel good about yourself, make a difference in a geeky way, and maybe even get something in return for your kindness. It’s all about Changing The World.

My first entry into this varied compilation of mine is DRM and perhaps most controversially, no set price. Bundle buyers could pick their price, and pay whatever they wanted for the collection. The proceeds initially went only to the game designers, but Indie Bundle 2 (released on December 14, 2010) added an extra layer of importance to the bundle: In addition to supporting the independent game designers (an important task if we want to see the giants of gaming shaken from their thrones), the Bundles allowed buyers to contribute to Child’s Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

For me, the addition of donating to two extremely worthy charities is what put me over the line to make the Humble Bundle series the opener on this list. You get to do three extremely important things in a single stroke – you can give of yourself to two fantastic charities; you can support independent game designers and send a message to the big boxes that their shenanigans won’t be tolerated any longer; and you get some really cool, groundbreaking games.

Because these games aren’t worth sneezing at. In addition to decent range of fantastic games with lower name recognition (such as Hammerfight, SpaceChem and Atom Zombie Smasher), the bundles often contain gems which have a great deal more gravitas in the world of gamers (like Osmos, Darwinia and World of Goo). These are good games which fans of any genre have a potential to love…and the rewards don’t stop at the games. In addition, Bundle buyers get access to special limited edition items, such as soundtracks, alpha and beta versions of games, and even the source code for some of the games in question. This has the potential to be a pre-order goodie collector’s paradise.

And for all of this the price could not be better – technically, you could get the entire Bundle for for a pair of ha’pennies, meaning players who are on hard times need not give up their passion for the price. Of course, seeing as we’re hoping to do good, it’s likely worth more to a True Believer, especially considering anyone who buys the Bundle for a few dollars more than the average price paid by all buyers will get several additional games for the price. It’s not often that you can get such fantastic games for a donation to a worthy cause.

So, as far as I’m concerned, this one is an easy sell for gamers who want to do some good, and get some great games in return. As of this printing you can still get involved with the latest Bundle, a series of games offered by Introversion (including a long time favorite of mine, Uplink), for about 5 more days. I urge you to check it out, get some great games, and make a difference.