A group of Okotoks gamers battled it out for 24 hours to raise money for charity. Brendan Rose and his team, I Cast Fireball, gathered together to play video games for 24 hours, beginning on Nov. 4 and playing through the night. They were part of the worldwide fundraiser, Extra Life, which raises funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. “It was good, lots of fun, not a lot of sleep, and we were pretty wiped afterwards,” said Rose. His group raised $650 for the Alberta Children’s Hospital in pledges and donations from friends and family. Part of the appeal of Extra Life is there are lists of local children’s charities to choose from, so each group participating in the event can determine which hospital or agency its funds supports, he said. This year Extra Life raised close to $2.5 million worldwide, he said. A lot of thought and preparation goes into running a day-long gaming event, he said. “You decided where you’re going to be, who’s going to be there, what food and drink and computers and games you need for it,” said Rose. “Then you just kind of lock yourself away for 24 hours and try to do nothing but play video games.” Rose got involved with Extra Life through his older brother, who started putting on the event in Okotoks six years ago. It started with just him, then a couple of his brothers joined in the fun, sometimes with friends, and it soon became a team event, he said. This year, the event started off with a group game or everybody to get the ball rolling. After a couple of hours everyone split off to play different games, he said. “We kind of started with the easiest, most relaxed games because everyone’s still fresh and awake,” said Rose. “You save the adrenaline-pumping ones until later to try to keep you awake.” Those include high-energy games like Overcooked, which is a four-player game in which players work as a team to prepare, cook and serve up a variety of tasty treats ordered in their kitchen before paying customers leave angry. This year the four players put it up on a projector and were determined to beat the entire game, a feat they didn’t quite manage at last year’s event. They completed every level in about 16 hours this year, he said. “That one is just hectic, crazy, and it definitely did its job to keep people awake,” said Rose. There were a lot of interactive online games played as well, including Overwatch and Destiny 2, he said. “There were quite a few online games,” said Rose. “Anything to keep people engaged and going all night long.”
