Efforts by social game giant Zynga and the American Red Cross to raise money for relief efforts in Japan got a US$1.5 million dollar boost on Monday from pop diva Lady Gaga.

    Lady Gaga, whose birth name is Stefani Germanotta, raised the money by selling “We pray for Japan” plastic wristbands at her ladygaga.com Web site.

    “I’m inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy,” Lady Gaga said in a release. “What Zynga’s players have done for the cause is equally inspiring.”

    Lady Gaga is on a “Monster Ball” concert tour and refers to her fans as her “little monsters.”

    Zynga players have raised more than US$2.5 million in the past two weeks through charitable purchases of virtual goods in online games including FarmVille, Cafe World, CityVille, and Zynga Poker.

    “We’re very happy that Lady Gaga has chosen to donate to our fundraising efforts and hope our players take pride in what they’ve accomplished,” said Zynga founder Mark Pincus.

    San Francisco-based Zynga has made raising money for charity a part of play in its games since the company launched in 2009.

    (SD-Agencies)