For the 4th year running now a group of our very own N-Europe forum members will be doing their bit to raise some money for the "Extra Life" charity by taking part in the now annual N-E Charity 24 Hour Gaming Marathon.... this year however will be slightly different in that it will be an extra long 25 hour marathon!

Starting on the morning of Saturday the 2nd of November, at 8am they will be "working" hard locked in a room full of TV's, consoles, handhelds, laptops and cameras. The N-E Team try to be as strict as they can when they say they will game for 25 hours straight. Basic rules once the marathon starts is any eating is to be done while still gaming and should "nature call" they will be sure to bring handhelds with them to play while away from the main room. And of course no sleep till the 25 hours are up!

The team will once again be gaming on both sides of the Atlantic as Team Captain, Adam "Flameboy" Ducker, is now residing in Canada. This year however he will not be alone as he is joined by another N-E Forumer, NintenChris. With the remaining 5 members of the N-E Team (Phil "Happenstance" Mansfield, Luke "Goafer" Stevens, Dean "Cube" Jones, Sam "Peeps" Goodsell and Michael "ReZourceman" Jamieson) gathered in a secret location in the UK for the duration of the marathon. The whole event will be streamed live for all to see so that any donators to the cause can be sure that the crew do indeed continue gaming for the entire 25 hour period.

If you would like to sponsor any member or the team as a whole then click over to the N-Europe Extra Life Team Page to donate as little or as much as you can to help raise money for Extra Life and the Children's Hospitals they support.

If you would like to check out the live streams of the event or to follow the event on our Message Boards check out the links below. Maybe you could even set up a few online games with the team and take part with them!

• Live Streams of Both the UK squad and Canadian squad
• N-Europe Extra Life 2013 Forum Thread

Last year the team raised an impressive $671.15 to benifit various Childrens Hospitals around the UK. At the time of writing they have already raised $380 for this years event so hopefully with your help they could push past last years total. And remember every penny raised will be donated directly to local Childrens Hospitals.

We at N-Europe wish them all the best in this years event.

UPDATE:

The 25 Hour Marathon was completed by all participants on the morning of Sunday the 3rd of November. This year the N-Europe Team raised an impressive $694 passing last years total. But don't forget if you were not able to donate before or during the event it is still possible to do so till the end of this year. Remember every penny of your donation will be donated to a Childrens Hospital.

If you have never heard of the Extra Life Charity continue reading to learn more.

So what exactly is Extra Life and why should you care? Their website provides the back story to the origins of why the charity and the event were set up:

"Extra Life began in 2008 as a way of honoring a young lady named Victoria Enmon. Tori’s battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia inspired the Sarcastic Gamer Community in a way that is difficult to describe. Members sent in video games and bought gifts to keep Tori’s spirits up despite numerous hospital stays and three bouts with the deadly disease.

Tragically, we lost Tori to cancer in January 2008. Later that year, I asked my partners at Sarcastic Gamer if they would be interested in Extra Life, a 24-hour video game marathon to raise money for the hospital that treated and fought beside Tori. In 2008 and 2009 Extra Life raised a combined $302,000, 100 percent of which went directly to help kids like Tori at my local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (Texas Children’s Hospital).

While thousands of gamers, more than 100 websites and more than 12,000 donors were happy to support Extra Life, many expressed their desire to raise money to help kids closer to home. In what I can only consider destiny, in 2009 I left behind my radio career and went to work full-time for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals as a Radiothon Director. This life-changing event gave me unique insight into an incredible non-profit organization that helps kids all over the United States and Canada.

I quickly realized that Children's Miracle Network Hospitals would be the perfect solution to expand Extra Life into more communities.

This year, when you sign up to play video games for 24 hours on Oct. 20, 2012, you won’t just be raising money for kids. You’ll be supporting LOCAL kids and their families. Kids right in your own backyard.

All the money you raise for Extra Life 2012 will go directly to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital of your choice."