Extra Life 2012 and Indie Games for Good Charity Marathon Weekend

This weekend, two video game playing marathons are going on to help raise money for children in need and their families. The Indie Games for Good Charity marathon is already underway, and the Extra Life 2012 marathon begins Saturday.

Indie Games for Good began today at 10 a.m. and is a massive video game playing marathon that is totally controlled by the viewers. There is a group of marathoners just waiting for you to tell them what game to play and for how long. Those who donate get points that they can use to buy time for any game on the list.

Last year, it raised close to $7,000 in just 79 hours. This year, Indie Games for Good passed the $4,000 mark before the marathon even began. Right now, only about 2 hours in, the official amount raised stands at $5,007. All money raised will directly and fully benefit the Child’s Play Charity, which is “dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in our network of over 70 hospitals worldwide,” according to their website.

Extra life began back in 2008 as a way of honoring a little girl named Victoria Enmon’s battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The event raised $302,000 for the Texas Children’s Hospital that treated Tori. Currently, Extra life is a part of the entire Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in an effort to help kids all over the United States and Canada.

Extra Life 2012 begins on October 20 at 8 a.m. and all the money that you raise goes to the Children’s Hospital of your choice. It works a little differently than Indie Games for Good, but still works on the the same video game marathon premise. You can create your own person fundraising page and get a few people to donate a dollar amount per hour for the 24 hours you will be gaming. One person at $1 per hour would donate a total of $24.

It’s refreshing to see another side of the video game industry. If you’re interest in supporting or becoming a part of either charitable event, nows the time!