Hundreds of Edmonton gamers play for 24 hours straight
'You try and pace yourself, and hydrate. It's similar to a race'
After playing video games for 24 hours straight, many Edmontonians participating in the Extra Life gaming marathon are ready for a nap.
The marathon took over the Ice Palace at West Edmonton Mall for 24 hours of non-stop gaming.
The almost 250 players weren't just playing for fun — together they managed to raise $83,000 for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation.
Organizer Chris Smith was up for more than 24 hours, and said the feat feels a bit like running a marathon.
"It is not the easiest task. At a certain point, like right now after the 24 hours, it's hard to even think about anything," he said.
"We just finished playing Rock Band. I mean you try and pace yourself, and hydrate — it's similar to a race."
Mike House, the President and CEO of the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, got in on the action as well.
He made it through the entire 24 hours with some help from coffee, board games and his fellow gamers.
"There's all kinds of fundraisers, but this one you don't have to have a lot of money, you don't have to have a lot of wherewithal to participate, you can be as young as 10 and as old as me," House said.
"All you have to do is have a passion for games of any kind, shape, or size, and [you are] helping to raise money for kids."