– Jamie Waller contributed to this report
The University of Lincoln Gaming Society put their skills to the test for Comic Relief by taking part in a sponsored 24-hour gaming marathon.
The event started on 5pm on Saturday, May 16th, 2013 and saw many members of the society test their endurance by playing nothing but video games for an entire day. Altogether, they raised £46.
The gaming marathon is a tradition for the society, although it was moved to later in the year to raise money for Comic Relief and to give members a break from work before Easter.
President Michael Jackman said: “I just wanted a good turnout of members to show their faces and show that they cared. As many others were raising money for Comic Relief, we decided to join in and include our own interests.”
Some members set themselves challenges such as going undefeated for all 24 hours on “Street Fighter 4”. Others attempted to complete very lengthy games such as the “Final Fantasy” series within the time limit.
The most popular games were fighting ones and online multiplayer games such as “League of Legends”. To give themselves a break from staring at screens, some people opted for trading card games including “Vanguard”. A surprise favourite was “Trials HD”, a physics-based game which Jackman describes as “very simple and very addictive.”
The president also set challenges with prizes to keep people engaged. He said he was happy with the end total of almost £50.
A separate room was prepared for people who needed quick power naps. Jackman said: “I felt very tired, the kind of tired where your eyes involuntarily close. On several occasions, people crashed and, from 1am onwards, they started falling asleep. The longest marathon I’ve ever had before has been 10 hours, which was nothing compared to this.”
He stuck it out however, and the gamers gratefully went to their beds at 5pm on Sunday, May 17th. They raised a grand total of £36 on the day, and former president Adam Bannister also managed to raise £10 the day before.
Although an impressive achievement, the gamers would still have almost five more days to go before beating the world record holder, Okan Kaya, who played “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” for 135 hours in a row.