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How and Why the U-Pick Game Marathon Raises Money With Non-Stop Gaming (Video)
On June 12 through 14th of this year, the fourth (not "fourth annual," but close) iteration of the U-Pick Video Game Marathon for Charity --“UPickVG IV” for short --will be streaming on an Internet connection near you. The U-Pick crew's volunteers will be playing and broadcasting video games, non-stop, as a fundraiser for Charity Water, a cause they've supported since the beginning. I talked with organizers Stephanie and Grant Kibler from their video-game lounge of a living room about what it takes to broadcast an online gathering like this, and why they've adopted this as an annual event. Hint: some esoteric video-capture hardware helps, and so does a beefy network connection, for high-quality streaming of games that pre-date today's multiplayer, network-oriented options. That's significant, because U-Pick's stable of titles isn't limited to modern ones, and observers are encouraged to suggest appropriate games (hence "U-Pick").The remote viewers' choices and donations influence the event by deciding which games are represented on the Wheel of Destiny that the team spins to decide which games get played.The play itself, though,*is* limited to the players who'll be on hand at a Northern Virginia co-working space that will serve as this year's venue. It turns out to be easier to stream the output of old consoles than it is to control them from remote (never mind the latency that would mean), but maybe one day participants will be able to play as well as shoulder-surf and laugh at the players' running commentary. You can check out the Upick page on Facebook, too, and watch one of their practice runs each Sunday. (Note: Video #1 talks mostly about the game play and how you can join. Video #2 - below - talks more about hardware and behind-the-scenes work.)
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Wow, this is just like Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) and Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ)
https://gamesdonequick.com/
Not that I can blame anyone.
First off, not watching video, Slashdot. Not now, not ever. Stop doing video content. You're a news aggregator. You aren't a content creator. Accept it. Live with it.
Secondly, who wants to watch people play video games over the Internet, even if it is "for charity"? I can think of better things to do than watch a bunch of neckbeards slowly sit themselves to death in front of a flickering screen. Like watch golf, or paint dry. I will never understand why "streaming people playing video games" is a thing. Why does anyone watch?! Do you want to watch me playing Solitaire by myself? What the hell is WRONG with people?!
in 2013, the selected charity siphoned (heh) off about $10M from a $35M cash flow for "operations", of which 70% went for the salaries of 67 people. That's about $100K per person...not bad for a...er..."nonprofit."
Annual report: http://www.charitywater.org/about/cw_13_annual_report.pdf
...that San Fran, the fucking center of the Liberal Universe, would spend its own fucking money to clean up its own fucking bay.
https://desertbus.org/
They've been doing something like this for the last 6 years in Victoria BC, except instead of the public picking the game the organizers deliberately chose the worst game ever created. So if you're a true sadist, ask them to play Desert Bus.
Also, is it just me or does the Slashdot login and posting system now suck massive balls? I've logged in 3 times and it either forces me to post as an AC or it refuses to believe I'm a human. Well done /., well done.
I know that a stupid Greek like me should not talk about productivity, but: some people play video games for some charity, and some other people watch the people that play video games for charity, and donate to that charity because they watched some people playing video games for some charity...
Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
This seems like a sketchy cash-grab on the part of some gamers and a charity that, to me, barely qualifies as such.
And there are much better-run and more-worthy charity gaming marathons to give your money to. Twice a year, there's a Games Done Quick (GDQ) marathon (Awesome GDQ in winter, Summer GDQ in summer) put on by the speed-run communities around the web. AGDQ raises funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and SGDQ raises funds for Doctors Without Borders.
So why would I watch a bunch of twits do random unskilled (because they can't pick their own, they can't be truly prepared to play well) playthroughs for a charity that cleans up a mess that should be a local area's tax/bond issue, when I can watch the infinitely more interesting skilled playthroughs and races that the GDQ's put on, and for charities that try to overcome external (not self-inflicted like pollution) healthcare and societal issues common to all humankind?
No disrespect for any of the others doing this kind of thing, and especially not that one -- Desert Bus for Hope is another one we'd love to highlight. Desert Bus has been one of my favorite things since the first time I heard of it, and anything involving Penn & Teller is generally improved by that involvement.
This actually happened U-Pick's first year. There were 3 straight hours of Atari 2600 games, including ET.
... make them work for it.