It’s almost game day for a team of local gamers who will be playing video games for 24 hours to support sick kids.
New West resident Hailey Harte is joining up with “a bunch of nerds” to play 24 hours of video games to raise money for BC Children’s Hospital. It’s all part of Extra Life, a program of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals; for the upcoming fundraiser, participants sign up and raise money for the hospital of their choice.
“I'm taking part because when my child was born, BC Children's Hospital saved my child's life; I will always owe them,” she said. “So, when Extra Life started in 2008, it was just the perfect kind of fundraiser. I've never been a marathon runner, but a marathon video gamer I can do.”
Harte has teamed up with her friend Russel Bradley, owner of Press Start Video Games, and Press Start employees Matthew Pruim and John Owen for the fundraiser. They’ve committed to playing video games for 24 hours straight, but with travel, setup and takedown towns, it could mean they go without sleep for close to 48 hours.
“It’s not running across Canada or anything, “Harte said, “but it's definitely a challenge for us.”
Harte and her team are up for the challenge. If Harte gets a choice, the team will play Baldur’s Gate 3.
“You can choose any sort of game that you want to. We'll probably be starting with a handful of games that we pick on the day-of, and from there we’ll likely let anybody in the chat or anyone who's donated request games that we get to play,” she said. “And we'll probably find some where we can have some audience participation as well. There's a lot of games out there that let other people, even from their telephone, participate in the games.
The 24-hour gaming marathon gets underway on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 9 a.m., with most of the action being streamed on Twitch. Folks can follow along – cheering the team on as fatigue starts to set in.
“Any amount of donation makes a big difference and is greatly appreciated,” Harte said. “And even if they can't donate, if they could spread the word or tune into the stream, we would love to see the engagement.”
Harte, a self-described “casual gamer who's raising a proud gamer,” credits BC Children’s Hospital for saving her child’s life 18 years ago. Her baby was in the special care nursery for the first week of their life, after “anything that could go wrong in labour, went wrong” and Harte needed an emergency Caesarean section.
“They held our hands through the entire thing,” she recalled. “It was an amazing team, and I've always felt like anything I can do to give back. I owe them more than I could possibly say.”
Harte, who has taken part in the video game fundraiser in the past, told Bradley, a good friend, that she was participating in this year’s event.
“He was really happy to jump in and put a team together for this,” she told The Record.
As part of the team’s goal of raising $2,500, it’s having a fundraiser at Press Start Video Games on Saturday, Oct. 28 from noon to 5 p.m. In addition to a bake sale and a craft sale, there may be a “few extra surprises” on Saturday.
In the lead-up to the 24-hour gaming fundraiser, Harte and her Press Start teammates have been collecting donations for a raffle.
“Some amazing. Some ridiculous. Some games. Some crafts. All nerdy,” said a notice about the fundraiser. “For every $5 you donate, you get another chance to win! Come game day, we will raffle the items off on social media throughout the marathon.”
Items that will be up for grabs include: A Gameboy Color; Stubbs the Zombie – Original XBox CIB; Kingdom Hearts themed cotton scarf; Nerdy sticker bundle; Pikachu plush; Star Wars sticker/pin/postcard/temporary tattoo package; Super Mario Uno Game; Wizkids Nolzur Marvelous Minatures: Warforged Titan; Press Start themed T-shirt/tote bag/sticker; 5x Skylander character bundle; Super Mario Bros. 3 for Original Nintendo; and gift cards to various restaurants.
For folks in the Lower Mainland, pickup will be at Press Start in New Westminster. For those outside the Lower Mainland, shipping is limited to Canada and the USA.
