TheSpeedGamers
Encyclopedia
TheSpeedGamers are a group of young people based out of Arlington, Texas
, who raise money for various charities. They accomplish this by streaming live marathons of video games played over Justin.tv
(formerly Ustream
). The group was founded by Britt LaRiviere in early 2008 and still hosts marathons regularly. Viewers can interact with the commentators and other viewers via IRC chat on Justin.tv
(formerly Ustream
). The group has raised $287,622.20 for at least 15 different charities. The next marathon will be a 72-hour Zelda marathon starting at 6 pm CST December 16th, 2011 for the Rocking H Ranch.
mentality and ran their first marathon, with a Zelda
theme. Since then, the group has continued on for over three years, hosting 24 marathons with one more planned for the rest of 2011.
*: The Summer of Zelda, a month-long effort of nightly streams , was originally designed to raise money for ACT Today! through the Pepsi Refresh Project
in place at the time. The second weekend of the month, a user notified TheSpeedGamers that ACT Today! was also in the running with Chase Community Giving on Facebook, a similar project by Chase
Bank. With only three days to do it, the community was able to garner enough votes to gain the charity a $20,000 donation for placing in the top 200 charities at the event.
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, who raise money for various charities. They accomplish this by streaming live marathons of video games played over Justin.tv
Justin.tv
Justin.tv is a website created by Justin Kan, Emmett Shear, Michael Seibel and Kyle Vogt in 2007 that allows anyone to broadcast video online. Justin.tv user accounts are called "channels", and users are encouraged to broadcast a wide variety of user-generated live video content, called...
(formerly Ustream
Ustream
Ustream is a website which consists of a network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. Established in March 2007, the site has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten...
). The group was founded by Britt LaRiviere in early 2008 and still hosts marathons regularly. Viewers can interact with the commentators and other viewers via IRC chat on Justin.tv
Justin.tv
Justin.tv is a website created by Justin Kan, Emmett Shear, Michael Seibel and Kyle Vogt in 2007 that allows anyone to broadcast video online. Justin.tv user accounts are called "channels", and users are encouraged to broadcast a wide variety of user-generated live video content, called...
(formerly Ustream
Ustream
Ustream is a website which consists of a network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. Established in March 2007, the site has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten...
). The group has raised $287,622.20 for at least 15 different charities. The next marathon will be a 72-hour Zelda marathon starting at 6 pm CST December 16th, 2011 for the Rocking H Ranch.
History
Britt LaRiviere founded the group in March 2008. LaRiviere originally imagined the site as a source for gaming reviews, but over time, the idea evolved into forming a marathon group. Finally, they decided that if they ran marathons, then they should do it for a worthy cause. They adopted a SpeedrunSpeedrun
A speedrun is a play-through, or recording thereof, of a whole video game or a selected part of it performed with the intent of completing it as fast as possible, optionally under certain prerequisites, mainly for the purposes of entertainment and competition...
mentality and ran their first marathon, with a Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
theme. Since then, the group has continued on for over three years, hosting 24 marathons with one more planned for the rest of 2011.
24/7 Streams
Starting in February 2011, TheSpeedGamers started a 24/7 stream. Unlike marathons, no money was being raised. Also unlike marathons, games weren't continually being played. Instead, various music was played while the TheSpeedGamers' fans can chat in the chat room on Justin.tv. For a couple hours each day, Britt or Chase played games as part of an ongoing Let's Play. For the 7 days of the week, they usually played a different game each day. Then, the next week they picked up where they left off the previous week, thus making it a once a week Let's Play update. As of the end of the Metroid Marathon 2011, TheSpeedGamers stopped the 24/7 streams until further notice. On Labor Day 2011, TheSpeedGamers once again started TSG 24/7.Notable Marathons
- The Legend of Zelda Marathon (March 14–17, 2008): This was TheSpeedGamers' first marathon, which lasted 72 hours. All the mainstream console Legend of Zelda games were played. They raised $1,090.00 for St. Jude Children's Research HospitalSt. Jude Children's Research HospitalSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.In...
.
- Pokémon Marathon (December 18–21, 2009): TheSpeedGamers played the Third and Fourth Generation Pokémon games (Excluding Emerald and Platinum) to catch all 493 Pokémon. They raised $18,395.96 for Ally's House.
- Final Fantasy Marathon (July 17–24, 2009): TheSpeedGamers played a week-long marathon. During this time, they played 12 Final Fantasy titles and raised over $50,000 for ACT Today!, a charity for autism. At one point, the marathon had more than 19,000 simultaneous viewers thanks to advertisement on MMO-Champion.
- Mario Marathon (June 11–19, 2010) TheSpeedGamers longest marathon. They played over 30 Mario games and raised $57,000 for ACT Today, they originally were only going to play for a week, but extended the marathon for an extra day because of donations. Thanks to a viewer embedding the stream on MMO-Champion, the views raised to over 30,000. Prizes given away included a Nintendo Wii, posters, hats, etc. At certain points, viewers who donated $100 could join a skype call with one of the commentators.
- Star Wars Marathon (July 8-15, 2011) The latest week-long marathon, just completed, raised $11,254 for Direct Relief International (short of the $30,000 goal). At the conclusion of the marathon, announcements were made pushing the Zelda Marathon from the fall of 2011 to the Christmas marathon slot of 2011. The Pokemon Marathon scheduled for that slot was pushed to be made next year's week-long event sometime in the summer of 2012. The charity for the Zelda Marathon will be the Rocking H Ranch. The charity for the week-long Pokemon marathon has not been announced.
Marathon/Charity list
| Marathon | Date | Length | Charity | Money Raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zelda Marathon I | Mar. 14-17, 2008 | 72 Hours | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.In... |
$1,090.00 |
| Zelda Marathon II | Jun. 13-16, 2008 | 72 Hours | Giggles Therapy | $1,450.75 |
| Mario Marathon '08 | Jul. 11-13, 2008 | 48 Hours | None | N/A |
| Metroid Marathon '08 | Aug. 15-18, 2008 | 72 Hours | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.In... |
$6,123.79 |
| Mother/Earthbound Marathon '08 | Aug. 28-31, 2008 | 55 Hours | None; support of American localization(PK Siege) | N/A |
| Halo Marathon '08 | Sept. 26-27, 2008 | 24 Hours | None | N/A |
| Halloween Marathon '08 | Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2008 | 48 Hours | Lupus Foundation of America Lupus Foundation of America The Lupus Foundation of America is the largest national non-profit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support, services and hope to all people affected by lupus.... |
$1,060.00 |
| Pokémon Marathon '08 | Dec. 19-22, 2008 | 72 Hours | ACT Today! | $5,923.69 |
| Zelda Marathon '09 | Mar. 13-16, 2009 | 72 Hours | Ally's House | $6,235.39 |
| Mother/Earthbound Marathon '09 | May 15–18, 2009 | 72 Hours | Susan G. Komen for the Cure Susan G. Komen for the Cure Susan G. Komen for the Cure, formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the US.... |
$10,586.00 |
| Metal Gear Marathon '09 | Jun. 19-22, 2009 | 72 Hours | None | N/A |
| Final Fantasy Marathon '09 | Jul. 17-24, 2009 | 168 Hours | ACT Today! | $50,734.63 |
| Mega Man Marathon '09 | Aug. 14-17, 2009 | 72 Hours | Earth Day Network Earth Day Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the... |
$7,188.06 |
| Resident Evil Marathon '09 | Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2009 | 49 Hours (due to Daylight Saving Time) | Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation | $16,349.54 |
| Pokémon Marathon '09 | Dec. 18-21, 2009 | 72 Hours | Ally's House | $18,395.96 |
| Metroid Marathon '10 | Mar. 12-15, 2010 | 72 Hours | Halton Autistic Family Support Group (HAFS) | $11,465.00 |
| Mother/Earthbound Marathon '10 | May 7–10, 2010 | 48 Hours | Susan G. Komen for the Cure Susan G. Komen for the Cure Susan G. Komen for the Cure, formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the US.... |
$10,744.32 |
| Mario Marathon '10 | Jun. 11-19, 2010 | 189 Hours (due to 21 hour extension) | ACT Today! | $57,316.60 |
| The Summer of Zelda | Jul. 1-Aug. 1, 2010 | 27 Nightly Streams | ACT Today! | $20,000.00 * |
| Assassin's Creed/Prince of Persia Marathon '10 | Aug. 20-23, 2010 | 72 Hours | Gulf Restoration Network | $10,550.04 |
| Castlevania Marathon '10 | Oct. 29-31, 2010 | 48 Hours | Rocking H Ranch | $6,926.50 |
| Kingdom Hearts Marathon '10 | Dec. 17-20, 2010 | 72 Hours | BestFriends.org | $10,541.50 |
| Pokémon Classics Marathon '11 | Mar. 11-14, 2011 | 72 Hours | ALS Association | $15,310.03 |
| Metroid Marathon '11 | May 6-9, 2011 | 72 Hours | Civic Force | $8,376.31 |
| Star Wars Marathon '11 | Jul. 8-15, 2011 | 168 Hours | Direct Relief International Direct Relief International Direct Relief International is a nonprofit organization based in Santa Barbara, California that focuses on improving the quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide... |
$11.254.09 |
| Zelda Marathon '11 | Dec. 16-19, 2011 | 72 Hours | Rocking H Ranch | N/A |
| Pokémon Marathon '12 | TBA Summer 2012 | 168 Hours | Undecided | N/A |
| Total | N/A | N/A | N/A | $287,622.20 |
*: The Summer of Zelda, a month-long effort of nightly streams , was originally designed to raise money for ACT Today! through the Pepsi Refresh Project
Pepsi Refresh Project
The Pepsi Refresh Project is a 2010 initiative by PepsiCo to award $20 million in grants to individuals, businesses and non-profits that promote a new idea that has a positive impact on their community, state, or the nation...
in place at the time. The second weekend of the month, a user notified TheSpeedGamers that ACT Today! was also in the running with Chase Community Giving on Facebook, a similar project by Chase
Chase (bank)
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
Bank. With only three days to do it, the community was able to garner enough votes to gain the charity a $20,000 donation for placing in the top 200 charities at the event.