These are strange days, when you feel like doing good, but may not want to leave the house. Happily, mega gaming charity fundraiser Extra Life is on, and Austin’s own Rooster Teeth is sacrificing sleep and sanity to raise money for kids’ medical care.
Extra Life is a pretty simple idea: Get sponsored by your friends and family to play video games for 24 hours, in support of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Think of it as Jerry Lewis’ telethon, but with a lot more Halo.
Of course gaming maniacs Rooster Teeth are involved, and right now, for the fourth year in a row, they are mounting their own fundraising marathon. Since 2013, they have raised over $1.5 million for Dell Children’s Medical Center: This year, they’ve set a fundraising target of $500,000, but since last year they were aiming for $300,000 and raised half a million, that target seems imminently reachable.
Yes, they will be gaming online, and asking for donations, and getting them (after only two hours: $136,778.66 and counting), but that’s not all. Last year, heads were shaved, gallons of milk were drunk (and came straight back up), and there are already RTers taking paintballs to the torso, getting their heads dyed, downing breakfast shots, and, of course, playing games for a good cause. Follow the insanity over at www.roosterteeth.com/livestream/extra-life-2016, join in via Twitter using the hashtags #RTExtraLife and #ForTheKids, and of course donate at www.roosterteeth.com/donate.
You can also sign up and launch your own Extra Life stream, and raise cash for hospitals in Austin and beyond. Head over to www.extra-life.org now.
This article appears in November 11 • 2016.
