By. Scot Kersgaard

What will you do to make the world a better place this week? Start a nonprofit? Write a check? Participate in a WalkAThon for some noble cause? Play a video game?

Now you’re talking.

Half the Sky started out as a book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn about the oppression of women in developing countries. A documentary followed as did a nonprofit to do something about the problems uncovered in the book and movie. In this day and age, it seems fitting that a video game would round out the franchise.

In this case, though, the game is free online via Facebook. Money is raised as various corporations make donations based on the number of people playing and other metrics. Players also donate money by buying game-playing tools. With more than one million people having played the game so far, more than 250,000 books have been donated and more than $450,000 in cash has been raised.

Playing the game is something we can all do. Beyond that, maybe you have an idea for another game. More than just a cute way to raise a few dollars, an online game can also be a way to connect to an audience that might not otherwise know about your cause.