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Extra Life raises record $3.8 million in 2013 despite Saturday's DDoS
Extra Life 2013 raised $3,809,607 for the Children's Miracle Network during this weekend's 25-hour charity game marathon – and it's not over yet. The Extra Life website came under a DDoS attack on Saturday, temporarily making donations inaccessible, and the team has scheduled a re-do day for Saturday, November 9. "I am not sure what kind of person would DDoS a charitable initiative," Extra Life founder Jeromy Adams wrote at the time of the attack. "I am so sorry that you are going through this frustration today. Our entire team is purely heartbroken that someone would do this. But it has happened. As frustrating as this is for everyone involved, it pales in comparison to what the kids we're trying to save go through. That reality, for me personally, is about the only thing keeping me somewhat calm right now." The makeup day is officially on Saturday, but participating teams can of course reschedule their streams any day they wish. Extra Life raised $2 million before the marathon and another $1.7 million over the weekend. The 2013 fundraising period ends on December 31.
Extra Life fundraising marathon begins tomorrow
It's once again time for gamers from around the world to come together for a cause with the annual Extra Life charity event. Every year, thousands of gamers commit themselves to playing video games for a whopping 24 hours straight from 8 a.m. November 2nd until 8 a.m. November 3rd. Participants are asked to raise money through their marathons by soliciting donations from family, friends, or even livestream viewers. In the end, all of the cash raised over the course of the event goes to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, where it's used to provide hospital treatment for children in need. But of course, if you're reading Massively, then you're probably an MMO fan, so perhaps you'd like to join one of your favorite MMO studios in its Extra Life efforts. Funcom, Trion Worlds, En Masse, and Turbine all have teams taking part in the event, so if you want to be a part of Extra Life and show your allegiance to one of those studios in the process, all you have to do is head over to that team's Extra Life page and click "join team." Not only do all players who register for Extra Life get a digital copy of Defiance and a RIFT starter pack (for free!) just for signing up, but many of the studios are holding events and prize giveaways for players who participate under their banners. Know of other MMO studios or individuals playing MMOs for charity this weekend? Share links in the comments and spread the love.
Diablo III restores auction house, donates duped proceeds to charity
Is there a light at the end of Diablo III's auction house woes? Blizzard is putting its best foot forward in an attempt to make it so. After a nasty gold duping exploit and the subsequent suspension of all services, the Diablo III auction house is back online -- and Blizzard is looking to save face with its return. Production Director John Hight gave a lengthy explanation of what happened with the situation and why Blizzard responded the way it did. "Only a relatively small number of players had the billions of gold necessary to exploit the bug, and only 415 of those players chose to use this exploit for personal gain," Hight wrote. "We elected not to roll back the servers in the Americas and are instead working to remove duplicated gold from the economy through targeted audits and account actions (as indicated above) without taking away progress that our players rightfully earned." Hight said that the studio is donating all proceeds from auctions conducted by dupers to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
Massively's Beau Hindman streaming 24 hours of gaming for Extra Life charity
It's that time of year again! What time, you say? After all, it's too early for Halloween and Thanksgiving. It's never too early for games, though, and it's time to play them for 24 hours straight and raise money for Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network Hospital! I've participated in this event for the last several years, sometimes taking along other friends, co-workers and wives. This year is no different and in order to keep me awake and on my toes I will be livestreaming the entire event on our very own MassivelyTV channel. That's right: you can watch as I slowly disintegrate into a pile of goo over the course of the day. Don't fret... a lot of other gamers and developers will be participating, so I won't feel alone. You can join my team if you want to game all day or just donate directly to my page. Starting at 9:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday, October 20th, I will begin broadcasting a list of approximately 24 games randomly chosen throughout the day. There's no real science to it, and if I happen to be having a ton of fun in one particular game then I might just continue playing it. Feel free to come suggest games in the chat room. I might even have another Massively staffer or two jump on the stream with me, or take over the stream when I need to fix a sandwich. The real reason I'll be there is to raise money for sick kids. Every cent goes to the charity, and so far Extra Life has raised millions! Wish me luck, and bring coffee!
Extra Life 2011 charity event starts today, to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
You may have already heard about this one, but in case not, know that starting today through tomorrow morning, quite a few folks online are going to be playing video games for 24 hours straight, aiming to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The Extra Life Charity marathon is going on this weekend, and though players don't have to stream (or play the whole 24 hours, really -- it's all in good fun), lots of people will be doing so. Our very own Arthur Gies is even participating in the event all weekend long, as is Massively writer Beau Hindman. The Paragon Studios team will have a livestream up, Rift has a special in-game event going, and outlets like G4, GotGame, Aussie Gamer, and Platform Nation are all joining in to play and raise money. If you'd like to contribute, it's definitely not too late. Play some games, watch some people playing others, and by all means, head on over to the Extra Life site and donate a few bucks to the cause. It's great to see gamers come together in a huge event like this, to both celebrate the act of playing games, and of course raise some money for charity as well.
Play games, heal kids: It's time for Extra Life 2011
Extra Life is upon us once again. Arguably the biggest annual charity event in the gaming world, Extra Life challenges gamers from all over to round up sponsors for their individual gaming marathons in support of Children's Miracle Network hospitals. Massively's own Beau Hindman will be one of those stepping up to the plate for a 24-hour gaming marathon. He'll be on Massively's Livestream channel beginning tomorrow morning, October 15th, at 9:00 a.m. EST to stream a variety of games. Want to help out? Visit Beau's donation page to contribute any amount, then check out his Livestream beginning tomorrow morning. Want more? Follow along after the jump for a roundup of our Extra Life posts from this week, and be sure to leave a comment and let us know about other MMO-related Extra Life events -- particularly those that you're involved in!
Funcom signs on for Extra Life charity event
Trion isn't the only MMO studio ponying up for charity on October 15th. Funcom is also partnering with Extra Life for a bleary-eyed 24-hour gaming marathon designed to raise money and awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Here's how it works: You'll need to register with Extra Life and collect pledges from friends, family, co-workers, and anyone else you come across. Then you can join either the Age of Conan or Anarchy Online in-game event and try to stay awake. What's in it for you? Well, aside from doing the right thing to help a bunch of kids in need, you might win beta access to The Secret World. While you're at it, don't forget to follow Massively's own Beau Hindman (and donate as much as you're able) as he embarks on his own Extra Life marathon.
RIFT Extra Life charity event coming in October
If you're feeling charitable this year but don't want to take time to log out of your favorite MMO to make a donation, Trion Worlds is offering you the next best thing. October 15th marks the date of RIFT's Extra Life event, which will feature a 24-hour gaming marathon designed to put a little coin in the pocket of the Children's Miracle Network. How does it all work? First you'll need to register with Extra Life and decide whether you want to play as part of a team or as an individual. Then you'll need to spread the word to family, friends, and anyone else who might be willing to sponsor your 24-hour Telara marathon. Finally, you can join up with Trion staffers in-game on the 15th and do your part for charity. There are a couple of pretty cool rewards on tap too, namely in-game titles like "the Charitable" (for all participants), and "the Insomniac" (for those who manage to last the entire 24 hours). You can find more details on the RIFT forums and at the Extra Life website.
Join Massively's Seraphina Brennan for a 24-hour Extra Life gaming marathon
The Extra Life charity gaming marathon is always a source of excitement for the Massively staff. We love the event and are thrilled to see gamers reaching out to help the Children's Miracle Network. Are you interested in the event, but not sponsoring or watching anyone in particular? Our very own Seraphina Brennan will be gaming for 24 hours on behalf of Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network. You can keep an eye on events, participate in the chat, and offer tips, all through our Livestream feed. Check it out below and on Massively TV at Livestream!
Extra Life extravaganza: Donate to (and watch) our 24 hours of live marathon MMO gaming
Hey Massively readers! We need you guys to rally up and help us help an awesome cause! As we reported on earlier, the Extra Life charity video game marathon is going on this weekend, and we're participating in it! Beau Hindman and I (Seraphina Brennan) will be stepping up to our keyboards for 24 hours of non-stop grinding this weekend, and we'd love it if you could support us! Extra Life is asking for donations of $24 (but you can donate whatever amount you wish), and this year the money is going to Children's Miracle Network. Beau is supporting the Texas Children's Hospital, while I will be supporting the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Every dollar donated is 100% tax deductible and will go towards helping out these two fine hospitals and the many kids who depend on them. So please click on this link to support Beau, or click on this link to support me (Seraphina). If you're participating, you can also join our site's team and lend your fundraising efforts to the Massively.com Mob! For more information on participating, check out the Extra Life homepage here. Even if you can't spare the money, you can still join us this weekend and cheer us on as we livestream our gaming to the masses! I will be livestreaming my gaming on Massively TV, while Beau will be streaming on his own channel, Beau Turkey TV. The madness begins at 9:00 a.m EDT for Beau and me, but you can drop by at any time that day to watch us and cheer us on! Please contribute if you can. Every amount helps, and your donations will help give kids an extra life in their fight!
It's time to play games and heal kids with Extra Life
It's time once again to start registering for Extra Life. If you've been a member of the gaming community for a while, you're probably aware of this great charity event started by the Sarcastic Gamer blog. If you're unfamiliar with it, Extra Life is a 24-hour gaming marathon to benefit your local children's hospital through the Children's Miracle Network. Players sign up individually or as a team, gain sponsors willing to pledge $1 per hour, and play for 24 hours straight. Last year the organization raised over $150,000, and the organizers would love to see that number exceeded this year. Hundreds of gamers, including our very own Beau, have signed up to participate in this event, which begins October 16th. You can sign up as a participant through the site, or as a sponsor through the individual gamer pages.
