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Extra-Life is a non-profit charity that started in 2008 to honor a young girl named Victoria Enmon who lost her life fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Throughout the year, gamers around the world volunteer their time to raise money for over 170 Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. These hospitals "treat thousands of children each year, regardless of their family's ability to pay. These kids are facing scary stuff like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and injuries from accidents to name just a few."
Each person who joins Extra-Life gets a personal fundraising page, as every person has their own story and own reasons for wanting to help kids through this charity. For example, many members have a son, daughter, brother, or sister who was treated by a Children's Miracle Network Hospital.
One day of the year, volunteers take part in a 24-hour long gaming marathon to raise money for Extra-Life. It's similar to doing a walking marathon or a telethon, but instead of walking, participants play video games (any game or games that you want to play), table top games, and other types of gaming activities. Last year, tens of thousands of donors around the world succeeded in contributing over 4 million US dollars to the cause.
Saturday, October 25, 2014 is the day of this year's gaming marathon. Some gamers will choose to livestream solo from the comfort of their houses, but many will be livestreaming in parties as official groups and teams. The awesome thing about Extra-Life is that it promotes unity and social interaction between gamers while helping kids in need at the same time. Teams also get to compete with other teams across the globe to raise the most money - in the past winners have received free games and gaming consoles from sponsors as a reward for all their efforts!
To learn more about the Extra-Life community and how to join, check out Extra-Life.org.
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article written by Sean Cardeno