A BRITISH gamer's attempt to raise money for family and child support charity Mermaids has gone global, raising £225,000 and counting.

An initial optimistic goal of $5,000 was smashed as the 24-hour stream was extended with help from other gamers and activists with upwards of 640,000 people watching British YouTuber H.Bomberguy play through Donkey Kong 64.

1 The stream smashed its initial goal and was still going well over 24 hours after its planned end time Credit: Twitch

The stream, organised by H.Bomberguy and fellow streamer CaseyExplosion, featured YouTubers, celebrities, and politicians as well as guests from the world of gaming.

Legendary developer John Romero, creator of Doom, lent his support, as did Grant Kirkhope -- the actor who voiced Donkey Kong in the game in question.

Rising American political star Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also brought in followers as the stream passed the 48-hour mark to help push the total raised past £150,000.

She used her time on the stream to talk to the audience about the particular economic impacts of discrimination as well as helping the stream keep momentum as it entered its 51st hour.

Viewers also credited Graham Linehan, the writer behind Father Ted, with boosting the popularity of the stream, using the hashtag #thanksgraham on Twitter.

The writer had previously criticised Mermaids, which offers support services aimed at helping families and young people struggling with gender nonconformity, and was part of a campaign that saw a National Lottery grant for the award-winning charity placed under review.

Support on the stream also came from notable activists Chelsea Manning and Paris Lees, among many others.

This meant that the stream discussion was a mix of gaming tips from across the community, as well as providing a platform to discuss the challenges faced by transgender and gender non-conforming people.

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Many thanked H.Bomberguy for his work on the stream, both for raising money and helping them feel better about their current situations.

"This entire stream has made me less scared of being alive," said one user on Twitter.

"Heartwarming to see a fellow human use their platform for good," said another.

One Twitter user summed up the response of many more, saying, "Massive respect to @Hbomberguy for rallying so much support for marginalised people."

The game being played was chosen for the initial charity endurance challenge because of how boring it is reputed to be.

Speaking about platforming games of the era, magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly explained, saying "Super Mario 64 breathed life into the 3D platforming genre before Donkey Kong 64 sucked it all out."