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Texas game shop to aid cancer patient with novel charity marathon
This Saturday, FX Game Exchange, a video game retailer in Plano, Texas, will be hosting a charity gaming event to benefit cancer-stricken high school student Alex McGuinness, though the event itself is not your typical pledge drive. "The 1up Gameathon for Alex is just like a 5k race - except instead of running, participants will be playing video games for ten straight hours on Saturday, February 8th, 2014," says the official website. "Everyone involved will be actively raising money through pledges from various donors. For example, one person may pledge $1 per hour played, or a simple one-time donation." As for where the money's going, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that Mr. McGuinness is doing quite well. "Through the excellent treatment of doctors and the miracle of modern medicine, Alex is on the road to recovery and has maintained an amazing and inspiring attitude throughout his treatment." The bad news is that here in the United States, healthcare for cancer patients is very expensive. This event hopes to alleviate some of the debt incurred by McGuinness during his recovery. If you'd like to learn more about this charity gaming marathon, full details can be found at the 1up for Alex website or by following the event's Twitter account. Joystiq takes no responsibility for any tears generated by the heartwarming nature of those links. [Image: 1up For Alex]
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.
Indie Games for Good marathon is already massive, starts tomorrow
Indie Games for Good, the massive video game marathon that directly and fully benefits Child's Play Charity, begins tomorrow, October 19, at 10 a.m. PT. Indie Games for Good is an interactive gaming extravaganza, with viewers deciding which games marathoners play (and for how long), and setting challenges and potentially winning prizes.People who donate get points, which they can use to "buy time" for any particular game on the list, and gaming stops when the donations do. Games already gaining traction include Amnesia, Bastion, CarneyVale: Showtime, Cave Story, Digital: A Love Story, Dungeons of Dredmor, Escape Goat, FTL, I Wanna Be The Guy: Gaiden, Pocket Planes, QWOP, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, and tons more. Whew.Last year the Indie Games for Good marathon lasted 79 hours and raised close to $7,000. More than $4,000 has been raised in pre-marathon donations this year. Good luck, gamers for good.
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!
Paragon Studios games for charity with Extra Life
Paragon Studios, being the charitable bunch that it is, has announced that on Saturday, October 15th, it will be taking part in the Extra Life charity event. The game-for-charity marathon benefits the Children's Miracle Network and its associated hospitals, making it a more-than-worthy endeavor. The studio will be streaming its contribution to the event on its Ustream channel this Saturday, so players can tune in, relax, and banter with the devs. And of course, if you're feeling particularly generous, you can donate to Paragon's Extra Life marathon. For more information about the event, check out its official site, and be sure to tune in to Paragon's stream this Saturday.
The Daily Grind: What's the longest you've ever played in one sitting?
It's the hallmark of many classic gaming stories to "confess" just how addicted you became after spending sixteen solid days in front of a game without leaving for biological necessities and work-and-or-school. Think of it as the geek's version of the "I got SO wasted last night!" epic tale that's probably more gross than entertaining, but it needs to be shared nonetheless. So what's your confession? How long have you played an MMO in one sitting -- and what were the circumstances? Was it a brand-new game that got you hooked from the get-go? Did you set aside time for a truly monumental marathon? Were you involved in a raid that would never end? For a bonus question, was it worth it for the memories and would you ever do something like that again? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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.
