Gamers doing good in 24-hour charity challenge
Endurance was the name of the game for about 30 gaming enthusiasts as they went through 24 hours of straight gaming at the weekend to raise money for charity.
From 10am on Saturday to 10am on Sunday, the Digital Greenhouse was taken over by Guernsey Gaming for Good, streaming online a series of battles and games for an entire day.
‘We have about 30 people with their designated consoles, PC, Xbox or Switch, and whatever they want to play for the 24 hours,’ said event manager Andy Gontier.
‘It’s 24 hours of just having fun. We try and put different events on throughout the day to keep people awake before they have to turn to coffee or energy drinks.’
Each gamer has about two months to raise as much money as they can for the chosen charities, which this year were the Royal British Legion and Channel Islands Air Search.
The charities are different each year – though usually local ones – and tend to be related to gamers’ personal lives, or charities that have helped them or someone they know.
Each person brought along their own set-up and plays the games that they love, however that does not stop fatigue kicking in.
‘Usually the lull point is about 3am, and people start to struggle, but we try and keep everyone involved. We have a segment at 5am where we get everyone up and out of their seats and get some activities going which is what keeps people awake,’ said Mr Gontier.
‘There’s definitely been times where we’ve all nearly drifted off, but someone else will spot it and we’ll get each other pumped again.’
Some activities set up include GG4G’s own version of Taskmaster, flight simulator landing challenges, and Pokemon tournaments.
GG4G was formed in 2014 with the purpose of bringing together like-minded individuals and turning playing games into a method of fundraising.
The 24-hour events have run for the past three or four years and are growing each time.
‘Some people have taken part every time and some are new, but we want to get as many people involved as possible,’ said organiser Simone Sarchet.
‘It’s also about challenging the stigma of gamers just sitting in their room on their computers, but this event shows that there is a whole community of people who enjoy the same things and people can make friendships through that.’
Donations to the cause can be made at www.gg4g.gg
