Hey all, in case you don't visit our forums very often, our wonderful community is going to embark on the seventh annual Community Endurance Run starting today at 5 PM PST, aka "right after UPF." We'll be throwing streams into our chatroom, and there'll be plenty more over on explosiveruns.com.

I'll be streaming myself in the prime slot on Sunday from 2 AM to 9 AM. My primary goal is to try and get together with some community members and hopefully play some co-op games. Maybe some Wildlands or The Division (it's a free weekend on Uplay)? Maybe some Battlegrounds? Maybe some WoW mythics or Diablo III runs? Who knows! I'll try to firm up some plans, but for now I'm probably just going to try and do anything that people are down to play with me, if I can find some people who are up that late! I'm sure there'll be some nightowls or European early risers to help out, so tune into chat around then and we'll try to raise some money! Add me on Steam or Battle.net (#frailgesture1115) or Uplay and we'll figure out something!

I'm going to copy the rest of this from @thatpinguino's announcement in the forums, so read on for a complete schedule! Big thanks to him for doing the heavy load on organizing this, as well as all of the streamers who are going to donate their time! If you have a few bucks in your pocket, your donation here would be greatly appreciated.

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The Giantbomb Community Endurance Run is back for another round of charity gaming!

The Community Endurance Run is going to kick off after Unprofessional Fridays on May the 5th and run through Sunday May 7th .

Several awesome members of the Giantbomb community are going to be streaming a wide variety of video games and video game-like things on Explosiveruns.com in order to raise money for charity!

The charity we are supporting this year is Pencils of Promise, a non-profit which works with communities in developing countries around the world to build schools and change lives. One hundred percent of the funds donated online to Pencils of Promise go into building schools, training teachers, sending kids to school, and improving sanitation.

Last year we exceeded our goal of sending 16 kids to school for a year; however, this year we're going to switch our goal up a bit. This year we're aiming to send 50 kids to Pencils of Promise's WASH Program! What's WASH, you ask? It is a program that provides kids in developing nations access to water and teaches them about sanitation and hygiene. Students miss 272 million school days due to preventable illness and we'd like to help cut that number down. It only costs $100 to send a child to WASH, so we need to raise $5,000 total. For the price of five copies of Garou: Mark of the Wolves you can send 50 kids to WASH!

Go here to donate now!

We are going to have a number of different events, prizes, and donation incentives running all weekend so be sure to mark the GBCER on your calendar and get ready for the fun and the funding. This year we're also happy to announce that we have a single team page AND individual donation pages! That means that if you want to donate for a specific person's donation incentives, prizes, or you just want to shout out one person in particular, you easily can!

Go here to watch the event!

If you would like to participate in the Community Endurance Run then PM me and I’ll get you in on the action. Get #GBCER7 trending! Get hype!

There will be ongoing updates every week leading up to the event so keep checking in!

Schedule (All times are in EDT):

Throughout the Weekend:

@vash10 will be playing RimWorld throughout the weekend. RimWorld is an “accessible” version of Dwarf Fortress but that doesn’t mean it isn’t any less complex. Check in to see how many settlers he manages to kill.

@zombiepie will be playing Final Fantasy VIII! The game that started all of his blogging madness. The game that created the Final Fanatic. He is revisiting the game that he described as "like the black tar in a cigarette that gets stuck to your lungs" and he's doing it all for you! What's more, he could be playing all of it! Just check out the donation incentives.

Friday:

Directly After Unprofessional Fridays:

@thatpinguino and @rothgar will be competing in a Blindfold Brouhaha! The Blindfold Brouhaha is a contest wherein both players face off in competitive games, sight unseen, in order to determine who is the best at video games. We will be blindfolded during the setup of the games and during the menu navigation; however, we will be able to look when we are actually playing. For what better way is there to determine who is the best at video games than to compete in weird games you've never played before? The winner will get a fitting prize and the loser... all I can say is something bad is going to happen to them.

@nickieroonie will play Tokyo Jungle whilst eating terrible food for donations. Make nickieroonie eat ketchup cereal please.

@riostarwind will be starting off the community endurance run weekend by playing Parrapa The Rapper 2 and War Of The Monsters. Stop by to see some sick lyrics and some giant monster fights.

2PM - 12AM:

@meldingplague (user chthonictonic on Twitch)

will fully explore the Idolaspheres in his blind run of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, the Japanese role-playing game that brings together elements of Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei and Nintendo’s Fire Emblem series. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE sees the player explore the sprawling urban landscapes that are Shibuya and Harajuku as they battle to rid the world of sinister spirits and… become a really good pop star? This is a weekend-long event.

5PM - 12AM:

@personz will be playing a parade of arcade games. Which ones? Who knows? There are too many to count. All I know is that it will be entertaining.

8PM - 12AM:

@devise22, @advantage, and @jericho15

will be playing Starbound for four hours. They will also be joined by a couple of friends. While no overall goals have been set, the plan is to see a few of the bosses and some of the overall content in Starbound, whilst also finding a sick planet to see just what kind of awesome fortress can be built in the four hour time window.

9PM - 2AM:

@amlabella will be playing through Resident Evil 0 HD. Jill Sandwich! Master of unlocking! Skinless dogs!

10PM - 10AM:

@vash10 will be playing Rimword. Hopefully he doesn't kill all of his villagers in the first segment.

11PM - 2AM:

@nickieroonie will be playing Lumines to detox from his terrible culinary excursion.

Saturday:

9AM - 5AM:

@personz will be playing something, probably Secret of Mana. We're not sure. It's all up in the air right now. I'm sure it's going to be interesting though.

9AM - 9PM:

@majormitch will be playing a grab bag of games.

10AM - 8PM:

@meldingplague (user chthonictonic on Twitch)

will fully explore the Idolaspheres in his blind run of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, the Japanese role-playing game that brings together elements of Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei and Nintendo’s Fire Emblem series. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE sees the player explore the sprawling urban landscapes that are Shibuya and Harajuku as they battle to rid the world of sinister spirits and… become a really good pop star? This is a weekend-long event.

10AM - 10PM:

@thatpinguino and @rothgar will be competing in their third annual semi-speed run race, but this time there are twists. Like each of the last three runs both players will be playing different games; however, each player will have some added tweaks to their playthroughs. @thatpinguino will be playing Final Fantasy V; however, he will be completing a Four Job Fiesta. He will also be picking his four jobs via Piñata. @rothgar will be playing through Bastion; however, he will be subject to a bit of randomness as well to even the playing field. He will be picking his weapons for each level via a "weapon wheel" that he will spin. Whatever weapons he lands on must be used until his next spin. Both players also have a few donation incentives that will even further mangle the fairness of their competition (@thatpinguino's edit: please force @rothgar to use all of the difficulty modifiers).

11AM - 1PM:

@riostarwind will play through every song in DDRE2 on light difficulty. He’ll be using a DDR pad so you get to see all his “awesome” dancing skills. Thanks for hitting the $1000 mark so early!

2PM - 6PM:

@vash10 will be back with more RimWorld. I'm sure his village will survive this session.

12PM - 4:30PM:

@nickieroonie will play 3 DS Castlevania games, switching between each one every 60 seconds. Continues after Ori and the Blind Forest if there’s any time to spare.

4PM - 6PM:

@zandravandra is going to be speed running Oni! You know Oni, the anime game Bungie made before Halo. This run is going to involve a lot of clipping through the world, falling to near-certain doom, and back breaking. So watch as @zandravandra goes around collecting spines.

6PM - Whenever it Ends:

@nickieroonie will play Ori and the Blind Forest with his feet so long as we reach $2,500 in total donations by 6PM on Saturday. There will be a foot cam, and you can donate to have nickieroonie paint his toenails as per your instructions!

7PM - 2AM:

@vash10 will be hosting the second annual “Jackbox Game with Viewers”. We’ll start with Jackbox Party Pack 3 and move on to other games as the chat sees fit from there. Anyone up for Lie Swatter? No? Just me? ...Well fine then.

8PM - 12AM:

@riostarwind shall be playing through Way Of The Samurai multiple times. The game is very short and is built to be replayed to see the different sides in the conflict. So you’ll get to see the jerk Samurai and the noble ronin depending on what choices I decide to go with.

Sunday:

3AM - 7AM:

@vash10 is back with more RimWorld. This is definitely the part where things go off the rails.

4AM - 4AM:

@danielkempster will be attempting a randomized Nuzlocke Challenge in Pokemon Gold. This means that he will only be able to capture the first Pokemon he sees in any given area, he'll have to nickname them, and if they die, they die forever. On top of those rules, he will be randomizing certain elements of the game based on how much you donate! The more you donate, the weirder his Pokemon experience will get, so check it out!

5AM - 12PM:

@rorie will be playing co-op multiplayer games with the GB community! Most of them will probably be European because of the timeframe! We'll see.

7AM - 10AM:

@thatpinguino will be playing Kriby's Nightmare in Dreamland because he deserves happiness.

10AM - 6AM:

@the_boots is going to be playing Shovel Knight. As someone who couldn’t even beat a single Robot Master in any Mega Man game as a kid, it is sure to be an exercise in comedy, frustration, and bad game-playing. Fun for the whole family!

12PM - 5PM:

@vash10 will be hosting Overwatch with viewers. We will be playing on the PC version of the game. Anyone is welcome to join in. If we have six or fewer we will queue up for Quick Play and if we can manage to get 12 players, we will play in a private lobby. I will try and rotate player to ensure as many as possible can play. (see Overwatch prize from Vash below)

3PM - 3AM:

@meldingplague (user chthonictonic on Twitch)

will fully explore the Idolaspheres in his blind run of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, the Japanese role-playing game that brings together elements of Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei and Nintendo’s Fire Emblem series. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE sees the player explore the sprawling urban landscapes that are Shibuya and Harajuku as they battle to rid the world of sinister spirits and… become a really good pop star? This is a weekend-long event.

2PM - 3PM:

@thatpinguino will be hosting a Super Smash Bros Kumite where retired SSB4 semi-pro player Tohfoo will be taking on increasingly difficult opponents in increasingly unfair matches of SSB4. Hopefully this ends with a 7-1. We can only hope.

6PM -3AM:

@vash10 Is back at it with RimWorld. He's definitely done after this one.

8PM - 12AM:

@riostarwind will be playing through Way Of The Samurai 2. Unlike the first game this one has a bit more depth to it so it’ll just be one playthrough. If someone does donate to get name the main character the name will also imply the kind of Samurai he will be. For example if the name was Ryu I would walk the loner path that helps the citizens instead of himself.

Prizes (Please leave a comment with your donation stating which prize you would like your donation to go towards and your GB username so we can contact you if you win):

1 x Calamity Ganon Wallet painted by @nickieroonie! $5 donation puts your name in for a draw. Drawn after the end of the fundraiser. Winner receives the wallet!

1 x Overwatch PC Code donated by @vash10 and @Isknisark. During the “Overwatch with Viewers” block on Sunday(12PM - 5PM), the first person to donate $30 asking for the Overwatch code(No GBCER streamers please) will be sent a code for the game.

1 x Bloodborne Card Game and Dark Souls comic books donated by @thatpinguino. A $20 donation puts your name in for a draw. At the end of the fundraiser, one winner will be drawn to receive this cool, brutal bundle!

Somewhere around 50 fantastic* Steam games from this list are up for grabs courtesy of @blzzzrrttt! If people want a chance to win they must: donate at least $1, mention what game they want in their donation field and leave a form of contact (preferably a GB username/twitter handle/steam id). One game per donation, so if people want more than one game then they should donate multiple times. Sorry.

1 x Souls Prize Pack donated by @riostarwind. Anyone who donates $20 and mentions souls somewhere in their donation comment will get a chance to win a copy of Demon Souls, Dark Souls for PS3 and Dark Souls III for PS4.

1 x Undertale T-Shirt donated by @nickieroonie. This medium t-shirt from Fangamer features the worlds saddest ghost and you can enter the drawing to win it for a cool $10!

1 x Hyper Light Drifter T-Shirt donated by @nickieroonie. This medium t-shirt from Fangamer features some dope pink monster attacking a dude who's coughing and you can enter the drawing to win it for a cool $10!

Donation Incentives:

Ori and the Foot Forest:

If this incentive is met, @nickieroonie will complete Ori and the Blind Forest using only his feet. This will take place on Saturday night (see calendar). The goal is a group total of $2,500. The deadline is Saturday night.

Painted Toenails for Ori and the Foot Forest:

Donate $10 and I’ll paint anything you want on one of my toenails! This will be visible on the foot camera during Ori and the Foot Forest @ 6PM Saturday. Keep in mind when requesting, my toenails are only so big… so request something that will fit easily, like patterns, colors, symbols etc.

Make nickieroonie Eat Garbage and Maybe Throw Up Probably

On Friday night during Tokyo Jungle, check out the menu and order some delicacies for nickieroonie to engorge. Nickieroonie will eat them on camera and bad things will happen.

Name a Settler(RimWorld):

Anyone who makes a donation of $10 or more will get to name a character that will get added to any settlement in @Vash10's RimWorld playthrough. Remember—names consist of a first name, last name, and nickname, but the nickname is the most prominently displayed, so make it good. Settlers come and go fast, and they may wander into settlements in large groups, which means the character you name may get around quickly.

A playthrough of every song in Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 on light difficulty ACHIEVED! SEE THE SCHEDULE:

If we reach $1000 by Saturday morning (10AM EDT) @riostarwind will play through every song in DDRE2 on light difficulty. He’ll be using a DDR pad so you get to see all his “awesome” dancing skills. If the goal is reached a live stream will start at 11AM EDT.

Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta:

Bartz's name will be determined via donations! The name that raises the most money shall be picked!

For every $250 that Gino's (@thatpinguino) fundraising page raises, he will be allowed to re-roll one job in the Four Job Fiesta. You can help him mitigate some bad luck with your support!

Bastion Weapon Wheel Run:

For every $5 that Billy's (@rothgar) fundraising page raises, he will be forced to spin the weapon wheel and change his weapons. This means that he must stop whatever he is doing in Bastion, physically spin the wheel, and then run to a weapon shop to switch weapons.

For every $50 that Billy's fundraising page raises, he will turn on one of Bastion's Idols to increase his difficulty. That means that if he raises $500, he will have to play the game with all 10 idols turned on. (@thatpinguino's edit: Please make this happen. Bastion is much shorter than Final Fantasy V.)

Final Fantasy VIII:

Quoting @zombiepie:

I hear you asking loudly, "But ZombiePie, you have already played this game!" Well, I hear you, and I have a smattering of "STRETCH GOALS" I hope will entice you give my game selection another chance. $25 - Five Hours of Final Fantasy Goodness

$50 - The Brothers Quest is Completed

$75 - ZOMBIEPIE MUST COMPLETE DISC ONE

$100 - Ten Hours of Final Fantasy VIII Goodness

$125 - Odin Side Quest is Completed

$150 - ZOMBIEPIE MUST COMPLETE DISC TWO

$175 - Tonberry King Side Quest Is Completed

$200 - Twenty Hours of Final Fantasy VIII Goodness

$225 - CC group and Doom Train Side Quests Are Complete

$250 - ZOMBIEPIE MUST COMPLETE DISC THREE

$275 - Deep Sea Research Facility is Completed

$300 - TWENTY FOUR HOURS OF GAMEPLAY!

$400 - Omega Weapon Shall Be defeated!

$500 - ZOMBIEPIE FINISHES THE GAME!!! That's right! YOU get to decide how much of this game I play! Do you want me to play the terrible side quests? YOU GET TO DECIDE! Even better, while the live stream is active you will be provided with the opportunity to name my characters and summons/GFs. Speaking of which, have I reminded you how CRAZY Final Fantasy VIII's story is? It is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs! * After the twenty-fourth hour, I plan on taking a brief rest to reduce the risk of personal injury to myself.

Way of the Samurai 1 and 2:

In both Way Of The Samurai 1 and 2 it is possible to name the main character and @riostarwind is giving the naming rights to you! Anyone who donates over $10 can choose to name one of them. The name chosen will also imply the type of Samurai I will play as. Like if the name was Ryu he would walk the righteous path while not allying with most of the organizations in either game.

Pokemon Gold Nuzlocke Challenge:

First, as a donation incentive, @danielkempster offering the chance to nickname a Pokémon to everyone who donates. Simply indicate the nickname you'd like me to use when you make your donation, and I'll make use of it somewhere along the Nuzlocke run. There's no minimum on this donation incentive, so be as generous or as frugal as you like. Just bear in mind that the Pokémon I acquire over the course of the run will be random, so I recommend picking a general name rather than tailoring one to a specific Pokémon. Oh, and try to keep it to ten characters or less - the game has a ten-character limit on Pokémon nicknames, so I'll be forced to take poetic licence with anything longer.

In addition, for every $25 I'm able to raise before the event, up to my fundraising target of $200, an additional random aspect will be added to the Nuzlocke. To begin with, the only aspect of the game to be randomized will be the wild Pokémon encounters, but the more money we raise, the crazier (and more potentially broken) the game will become. The milestones will be as follows:

$25 - Starter Pokémon will be randomized. Wave goodbye to Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile, who knows what's going to be in Elm's Poké Balls?

Wave goodbye to Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile, who knows what's going to be in Elm's Poké Balls? $50 - Static Pokémon (including Legendary Pokémon) will be randomized. Something other than Ho-oh might be waiting at the top of the Tin Tower...

Something other than Ho-oh might be waiting at the top of the Tin Tower... $75 - Trainer Pokémon will be randomized. Every Trainer and Gym Leader battle will become a fight against the unknown. Or maybe the Unown. The Randomizer will decide.

Every Trainer and Gym Leader battle will become a fight against the unknown. Or maybe the Unown. The Randomizer will decide. $100 - Item locations will be randomized. Is that a Potion or a Master Ball at your feet?

Is that a Potion or a Master Ball at your feet? $125 - TMs will be randomized. The moves contained within each machine will become a mystery.

The moves contained within each machine will become a mystery. $150 - Pokémon movesets will be randomized. Every move learned by level-up will be a surprise.

Every move learned by level-up will be a surprise. $175 - Pokémon base stats will be randomized. Will each capture be an offensive monster, or a defensive powerhouse?

Will each capture be an offensive monster, or a defensive powerhouse? $200 - Pokémon types will be randomized. At this point, almost everything I know about the basic Pokémon meta-game gets thrown into question

The Road to El Durianado Drinky Extravaganza

For every $15 you donate, @meldingplague/Twitch: Chthonictonic will crack open and take a swig from a random grab bag of drinks from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. He will then provide viewers with a review of said beverage and an assessment of where the drink ranks among its peers. If the full $250 goal for hisstream is met, he will also eat a crispy durian chip treat. Durian is largely considered to be the most foul-smelling fruit in the world. It is banned on many forms of public transportation in Southeast Asia and is said to smell like a dead horse. Though, some say it is the golden god of fruits. If he meets hi goal, he’ll be the judge of that. Where we go beyond that, only Bagpuss knows.