Extra-Life

It’s that time of year again and that means Extra-Life is back! Extra-Life is an annual gaming event where people play games for 24 hours to raise money for children’s hospitals. This year Extra-Life will be happening on November 5th.

Last year the Giant Bomb team passed a massive milestone. Since the Giant Bomb team has been participating in Extra-Life (2011) we’ve raised over $500,00. $530,989.99 to be exact. That’s over HALF A MILLION DOLLARS!

Getting Involved

Let’s face it. Most of us are playing video games for a disgusting amount of time anyway. It may as well be for a good cause AND IT’S SO EASY TO JOIN! Go to www.extra-life.org, sign up and join the Giant Bomb team. You can join the team during the sign up process or by going to the team page and hitting join www.extra-life.org/team/giantbomb.

How do I get people to give me money for the kids?

This is the hardest part but also the most rewarding. Social media is your best friend. Tweet it, tumbl it and Facebook share while you’re at it. Live streams are also a great way of getting donations. If you’re going to stream do everything you can to make it a quality production. We’re talking shiny graphics, lower thirds with a donation link, code giveaways e.c.t.

Finding a theme for your stream is also helps. It’s give you a goal and you’ll never. Maybe you’re going to play all of the Halo games because you’re crazy or maybe you’re going to play 24 hours of Dota 2 because you like good video games.

I'm a busy person with a job, kids and a crippling drug addiction. I don't have time to play video games!

No worries friend you can still help. Check out the roster of team Giant Bomb and donate to someone you like the look of.

I’ve read your words, I’ve signed up and joined the Giant Bomb team. What now?

This most important part of Extra-Life is the build up to November 5th. Use all that time to spread the word and plan your live stream. Once you’ve signed up post the link to your donation page and any live streams you may be doing in this thread. If you have any questions post them here and I’ll try to help out. This really is a community effort.

FAQ

Q: What if I can’t commit to that date or the entire time?

A: The idea and spirit of Extra Life is that everyone pulls together at the same time, but we know that’s not going to be possible for everyone. Don’t let a commitment on the 5th stop you from joining. Just do what you can and make up the game time later. What matters most is the time you put in BEFORE the event to raise money for these kids.

Q: What if I can’t finish the full 24 hours due to commitments or exhaustion?

A: If you won’t be able to finish the whole thing, you can make up the remaining hours later. It’s all on the honour system and what really matters is that we’re all raising money for a great cause. Your sponsors should know they are supporting the cause whether you crash on hour 18 or not.

Q: How is the money collected? Where does it go?

A: Credit card donations may be made on a participant's fundraising page. Cash and check donations will be collected by participants and submitted to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. All funds will be disbursed directly to the hospital selected during registration.