Early this afternoon, Brian Brinegar, Dan May and John Groth finished their seven-game Super Mario Marathon that began Friday ended officially with more than $US 10,000 raised for Child’s Play, the gamers’ charity that donates books, toys, games and money to kids in children’s hospitals across North America.
Brian Brinegar, the marathon’s organiser, said the total raised shattered the original goal of $US 1,500. “I think our suckage worked to our advantage”, he said. “Had we completed the games in say 20 hours, we would never have raised this amount of money”.
All told, the trio lost well more than 500 lives over nearly 48 hours of gaming. They sped through the first three titles, and blew past the $US 1,500 goal in the first hour. After that they took requests from contributors and viewers (who logged more than 60,000 viewing hours, combined, on the webcam, Brian said) just to keep things interesting.
Brian Brinegar, Dan May, and John Groth are three former college roommates who plan on spending the next fifty-five hours playing through seven different Mario games in their entirety. That’s Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3, Super Mario World, Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. Three gamers, seven games, fifty-five hours, all for the sake of the children. The trio is broadcasting their Super Mario Marathon live all weekend via UStreamTV, kicking off at 3PM Eastern and going until all the games are completed or they go crazy and turn on each other.
I spent some time last night chatting with the guys, who have a lovely recliner and a friendly dog. I warn you…don’t expect them to be good at this. These aren’t speed runs. Just a group of friends showing you a good time for a good cause.
Hit up the link below to visit the main page for the marathon, check out the FAQ, chat with the crew, and make a donation to Child’s Play in the name of three men who may not survive the weekend.
The Super Mario Marathon [Official Page]
