Glupod, a new online game debuting in May, gives gamers a variety of real-world causes to choose from and enables them to convert their in-game winnings into actual help for that cause.

The game is the idea of a group of developers called Something, Inc.

Glupod players will be able to provide food for a starving child in Africa, protection for a whale species going extinct or offset carbon emissions and help fight global warming - all by playing Glupod, the first video game to deliver direct emotional fulfillment to the player.

"A Glupod gamer has a real purpose and a human mission," said Ioannis Tsiokos, managing director and co-founder of Something Inc. "Glupod is more than a game. It's a simple, fun way to do good that anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can participate in."

The release from Something, Inc. did not specify how money would go to causes, but it can be assumed that gamers will pay to play, with monies transferred in some way.

Something's main development office is in India, but workers connect via the Web from Greece, the U.S. and the U.K.

Visit www.glupod.com for more information.