Mario Marathon Celebrates Ten Years of Gaming for Charity

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – June 20, 2017 – In 2008, a group of gamers sat down to complete one of the world's first charity video gaming marathons. Heading into the tenth year, the Mario Marathon fundraiser for Child's Play Charity has raised over $560,000. Join the team live on Twitch.tv beginning Friday, June 23rd for Mario Marathon 2017 for over 100 hours of Super Mario Bros. action for charity!

Mario Marathon is a multi-day charity drive broadcast live online through Twitch.tv. A group of gamers attempt to play through hundreds of levels from Nintendo's popular Super Mario Bros. video game series. Viewers extend the length of the event by making donations to Child's Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in their network of over 220 facilities worldwide, including hospitals and domestic abuse shelters. This continues until the donations fail to unlock additional time. Throughout the event, viewers connect with the team through the event's website and social media channels. Viewers who donate or participate in contests have chances to win Mario Marathon themed t-shirts and prizes including multiple Nintendo Switch gaming consoles.

"I never imagined Mario Marathon would last beyond the first year, let alone ten years," says Brian Brinegar, Event Coordinator. "It's become a major event for our team in Indianapolis and viewers around the world!"

Since it’s inception in 2003, Child's Play Charity (www.childsplaycharity.org) has distributed over $43 million worth of toys, games, books and monetary donations. "We rely heavily on community run initiatives such as Mario Marathon," says Kristin Lindsay, Director of Distribution and Grant Policy for Child’s Play. "These fundraising events represent our greatest strength – the generosity and determination of gamers."

Watch the event live on the web at www.mariomarathon.com beginning June 23 at 11 AM EDT.