On October 20th, 2012 gamers all over the globe will be playing their favourite games non-stop for 24 hours! This might just sound like a hardcore gaming weekend for some of you but there is a bigger purpose to it this time!
Originally members of the Sarcastic Gamer Community wanted to support one young lady who was battling against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Members sent in video games and gifts to lift her spirits through such a difficult time. Sadly at the start of 2008 the young lady, Tori, had lost her battle.
Later that year the idea for Extra Life was born. They started raising money through a 24 hour gaming marathon which to donated directly to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (Texas Children’s Hospital) that treated Tori.
As Extra Life started to gain more support, the founders realised that although people where inspired by Tori’s story and happy to support, they also wanted to do more. After one of the members changed jobs and started to work for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals as a Radiothon Director, it became clear the way to expand Extra Life was through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
People who take part can now choose which Children’s Miracle Network Hospital to support. With a choice of 170 hospitals in the US and Canada it’s easy to support your local areas when registering. You can even pick hospitals in the UK and Australia.
It’s easy to take part, first you have to register at www.extra-life.org which is free to do. There is also a platinum option for a charge of $15 which makes you eligible to receive goodies throughout the campaign (more details on their website). Second thing to do is ask your friends, family, co-workers and anyone else you can think of to sponsor you. They can make a monthly pledge or a one-time gift. The final step is to pick any video game on any platform you desire, take a seat in any venue you like and game for 24 hours! It’s not too complicated is it?!
Gamers Giving Back host the annual “Pink Day in LA” event (more details soon!) on the same day to show our support for Extra Life. Our staff (and any other volunteers who wish to join us) will be taking part in the event and we have already started setting up our team. To make a donation and support one of our staff head over to our Extra Life team page, click on one of the members listed and choose “Support Me”. If you do decide to take part don’t forget you can join us on Ventrilo for the day as well!
We encourage you to find out more about the work the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals does, especially if you have one locally. A good starting place to discover more is the Extra Life website, along with all the information you’ll need about this event. Lets us know in the comments section if you’d like to get involved!
