If you would like to donate to the Children’s Miracle Network, you can do it here.
Hello, world! In a way, this is the first official post in a new Popblerd feature called “Virtual Insanity”, dedicated to all things video games. I’ll give a proper introduction next week, with some of my history with video games and what to expect in each weekly installment. So for now this is more of a portent of things to come. But gamers out there, you can officially get hyped!
However, this week the focus is less on my gaming rants and more on raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network of hospitals. On Saturday, at 9 am PST I am joining over 13,000 others in a 24 hour marathon of video games in support of children’s hospitals everywhere. I’m sure on the surface playing video games seems like a pretty easy way to help charity (“Why don’t you walk like the rest of us, you bum?”), but may I point out 24 straight hours of concentration will be no walk in the park. I’ll be running the gamut from Rock Band to Halo to Mario to Lord of the Rings Online to NHL 12, and anything else that suits my fancy (24 hours is a long time!). If you have any suggestions, shout them out in the comment section.
To make it more fun for everyone, and to encourage you to help the kids, I will be posting live updates here throughout the day, probably accompanied by video blogs so you can really experience the insanity. It should be a fun time! So if you have some time, stop by to observe my slow decent into madness. And more importantly, throw a few bucks at the Children’s Miracle Network. It’s for a great cause!
Seriously, though. Donate. Do it. Please. Just go here. I’m done begging.
Update #1: 8:45 AM on Saturday
I am up a bit early to get myself prepped for the gaming, and I say a few opening remarks in the first of my many video blogs (sorry for the audio spikes; I’ll get those fixed for the next one). Not sure what I will start my day with, but I am feeling awake and chipper, a feeling I doubt will last very long.
If you want to join me online, you can try to catch me on one of my main consoles (XBox Live and PSN: elsteve314159 or Steam: guitarzan2k5), or if you’re a true nerd, Stevegar on the Crickhollow server of Lord of the Rings Online (that’s right, ladies. I’m single too!). I might do some Google+ hangouts too so you can come chat.
Hope you’ll keep following along! And I hope you donate!
Update #2 – 12:12 pm on Saturday
I am 3 hours into the marathon and obviously feeling fine! I started things off with some Unreal Tournament 3 before knocking out some quests in Lord of the Rings Online, because The One Ring isn’t going to destroy itself. If anyone has any suggestions for games, be sure to shoot them off in the comment section. And I am still down for playing with friends if any of you watching are gamers.
This afternoon will be Rock Band, maybe some Left 4 Dead 2, Halo, and NHL 12. Until next time! (Oh yeah… AND DONATE!)
Update #3 – 4:00 pm on Saturday
Seven hours in and I am starting to feel a little mental fatigue. I mixed things up with some Rock Band (and my arms and legs are kind of sore from 15 straight expert songs on drums), and then played some NHL 12 with friends online. We didn’t do so well. And I may have been awful on defense.
Thanks to the donations that came in so far! Hopefully we can get some more before this day’s out. I am back to Middle Earth for a few, I think, then maybe some Left 4 Dead or Borderlands. As well as some more hockey. Thanks for following everyone!
Update #4 – 8:59 pm on Saturday
Twelve hours in and I am starting to feel a little exhaustion. I am pretty close to my record for gaming in one sitting at this point, and while I have moved around a bit (standing for Rock Band, bouncing between consoles), it’s starting to take its toll on me. And I am only half way through. Yikes!
On the plus side donations keep coming in, so thank you all oh so very much! I am not sure what the second half of my night will entail. Rock Band will have to be shut down in the next few hours or my neighbors will be pretty angry. I am probably going to do some more Lord of the Rings, maybe some Call of Duty, and possibly some Burnout. Oh, and Wii Tennis to get the blood pumping. Don’t want any blood clots.
Hope you’re still with me, and if you have a chance and haven’t, please do donate!
Update #5 – 2:09 AM on Sunday
Seventeen hours into this madness and I am doing pretty well, though the whole day has become a bit of a blur and I am having trouble remembering exactly what I’ve played and when. I don’t feel that tired, amazingly, but that may just be the mix of caffeine and gaming adrenaline.
I am almost in the home stretch, so fingers crossed. And again thanks to everyone who donated! I am off to play some more Lord of the Rings.
Update #6 – 6:22 am on Sunday
I am over twenty one hours into the marathon and I feel great like I am slowly losing mind. The video speaks for itself, but in this text I will add that I am tired. Very tired. Oh so very tired.
On the plus side, this year’s Extra Life event has raised over $1.1 million for the Children’s Miracle Network, and I want to thank everyone who contributed for being a part of that amazing response. If you haven’t yet, there’s still time! And if you’re a stickler who is waiting to donate until I officially complete this marathon, let me assure you that it is going to happen! See you in two and a half hours!
Update #7 – 9:03 am on Sunday
Success! I am achy, exhausted, slightly nauseous, and mildly disoriented, but I did what I set out to do: twenty four straight hours of video games for charity. It seems like it was ages ago when I first loaded Unreal Tournament 3 at 9 am this morning, and I doubt I look very much like the chipper gamer from post number one.
But most of all, this was a success because of you guys! We raised over $200, and while it may not seem like much, it will go a long way to help the kids at the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. So bravo to everyone who gave.
And with that and my thanks for reading, I am off to pass out for a long, long time. We’ll be back with another installment of Virtual Insanity (sans actual insanity) next week! Until then!