An Internet spacecraft worth approximately $33,000, the rare Gold Magnate, sold for 1,001,001 PLEX on EVE Online. The winning bidder was space and science YouTube star Scott Manley, who was auctioned off by ship owner Kelon Darklight (his in-game name) to benefit Australian bushfire relief through CCP Games' "Plex for Good" campaign. PLEX is currency used as game time in EVE, and purchasing 1 million PLEX directly from CCP Games would cost approximately $32,500.The Gold Magnate is one of the rarest ships in EVE Online and arguably the most powerful frigate in the game. Gold Magnates have only been available as tournament prizes a handful of times in EVE's history. Most gold magnates have either been destroyed in battle or taken by player pirates since they were distributed.

For in-game reference, one million PLEX equals 170 years of game time. This is worth approximately 3.3 trillion ISK, the primary currency of EVE. New players start with a ship worth a maximum of about 5 million ISK ($0.05).

This is just the latest in a series of recent campaigns by gaming companies and gamers to support the massive wildfires in Australia; Humble Bundle has a special package for animal rescue; Bungie, the developer of Destiny, has charity T-shirts available. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is offering an Outback pack. Finally, Crytivo, the developer of Universim, is donating profits to support Australia. If you know of any other gamer-specific or generally worthy causes to support, please post them in the comments section.