Joystiq

Desert Bus 6 now accepting donations on its road to Hope

David Hinkle — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:00:00 EST

This year's Desert Bus for Hope gaming marathon is now open for donations. In little over 10 days, the bus will leave its virtual depot and take a road trip across several games in an effort to raise money for Child's Play.

The full schedule of this year's fundraising festivities isn't online yet; look for that on Friday. Prizes - sometimes not very good ones - will be given out throughout the event and interviews will be conducted with call-in guests. If you'd like to donate some of your simoleons, you can do that by heading over here.

Desert Bus 6 now accepting donations on its road to Hope originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Desert Bus comes to a stop, raises nearly $400K for Child's Play

Justin McElroy — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:40:00 EST

In perhaps the most compelling proof yet that we humans will happily donate money to see other humans suffer, the team at LoadingReadyRun announced that this year's Desert Bus for Hope marathon earned a whopping $378,895 for the Child's Play charity. All it cost the crew was 150 hours (a little over six days) of playing the stupifyingly boring "Desert Bus" minigame from unreleased Sega CD game Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors.

So LRR gets nearly $400K for playing a dull game, yet we listened to Great Uncle Jerry's post-Thanksgiving lecture on the ethical failings of the BCS system, and nobody gives us a dime? Where's the justice?

Desert Bus comes to a stop, raises nearly $400K for Child's Play originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Desert Bus auction items will haunt your dreams and your wallet

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:45:00 EST

You might have been under the impression that Desert Bus for Hope was all about torturing the members of Loading Ready Run, but that's not all. It is also, as we have discovered, about auctioning off some incredibly cool - and incredibly nerdy - stuff. You want a plush Zergling? Sure. Custom made Desert Bus choose-your-own-adventure books? Of course. Gorgeous poster of Portal's Chell in the style of Art Nouveau? The image above tells you all you need to know.

And, as we learned on last week's episode of the Joystiq Show, they even have copies of Daikatana signed by John Romero himself. The auctions should start going live once the Desert Bus marathon gets rolling today, so keep an eye on the auction page if you want to snag some of this great stuff, the proceeds of which all go to Child's Play.

Desert Bus auction items will haunt your dreams and your wallet originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Desert Bus for Hope 2010 promises more punishment for charity

JC Fletcher — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:40:00 EST

It's that time of year again -- when a profoundly boring unreleased game is played for days on end in an effort to procure other, better games for hospitalized kids. Desert Bus for Hope is a marathon in which the members of LoadingReadyRun play "Desert Bus," a minigame from the canceled Sega CD game Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors, over and over again in shifts, beginning tomorrow, November 19 at 9PM ET.

This year, instead of enduring the monotony of Desert Bus (in which players drive a bus from Tucson to Las Vegas, never going faster than 45 miles per hour) for four hours at a time, the members of LoadingReadyRun plan to play in twenty-four-hour shifts. And they'll keep playing as long as donations to Child's Play continue to come in. In addition, fans will be able to donate money to throw "virtual pies" at the team in an online minigame that will be hosted by The Escapist. One lucky LoadingReadyRun cast member will even get a real pie in the face.

We'd say we also look forward to the charity event that will directly follow this one. You know, the effort to raise funds for Loading Ready Run's psychiatric treatment -- but they're Canadian. Their Desert Bus-related PTSD will be treated for free.

Continue reading Desert Bus for Hope 2010 promises more punishment for charity

Desert Bus for Hope 2010 promises more punishment for charity originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Child's Play charity raises more than $1.7 million in 2009

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST

Though the guys over at Penny Arcade would probably find more eloquent ways to articulate this piece of news, we'd like to simply say: Holy crap, you guys. The annual Child's Play charity drive raised over $1.7 million in donations in 2009. Despite the fact that everyone lost their jobs, and the stock market ate all our monies, you still found a way to dig deep and give games to sick kids. This is us high-fiving you. (Smack!)

To learn more about the charity, check out the latest episode of PATV. Not only does it give a nice history of the foundation, it also does a great job of showing you where your donations end up.

Child's Play charity raises more than $1.7 million in 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Desert Bus for Hope raises more than $132,000 for Child's Play

Justin McElroy — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

After five days and 16 hours of playing the world's most boring game, the Desert Bus for Hope crew has reached its final stop for the year, bringing in a staggering $132,392.94 to benefit the Child's Play charity. With the third iteration of its annual marathon play session of "Desert Bus" -- a mini-game from the unreleased Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors -- comedy troupe LoadingReadyRun raised nearly $110,000 more than its first year. If you want to see just how brutal the experience was, you can try the game for yourself right here.

It's just the latest piece in a long line of evidence proving that a bunch of good-hearted gamers and Canadians with a brutal, masochistic streak can accomplish just about anything. Congrats, everybody.

Desert Bus for Hope raises more than $132,000 for Child's Play originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Episode five of A LIfe Well Wasted explores 'Help'

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

As we diligently promised so many months ago, we're writing another post with the intention of informing you that Robert Ashley's pseudo-monthly gaming podcast, A Life Well Wasted, has just released a new episode. Titled "Help," Ashley's fifth full show profiles a "successful" pinball maker, talks to a man who pledged to give up gaming of all types for one year (and how he lived to tell the tale), and discusses Desert Bus for Hope with the yearly charity event's creators.

We'd normally suggest you run over and grab an Olly Moss poster for the episode to support future productions, but it turns out that all 200 of them already got snatched up. If you've yet to check out the episode, head over to the website and have a listen.

Episode five of A LIfe Well Wasted explores 'Help' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Help the Desert Bus for Hope at 2 p.m. EST and win terrible games

Justin McElroy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST

Today at 2 p.m. EST, Joystiq's own preternatually handsome Justin McElroy will be visiting the brave men and women of the Desert Bus for Hope, and you should tune in! For starters, you'll get to watch former people who have been turned into little more than husks by extended exposure to one of the worst games ever draw strength from the timeless good looks and boundless compassion of Mr. McElroy. But, almost just as importantly, you'll also have a shot of winning a box of terrible games.

The Desert Bus team will select one person who donates here between 2 and 3 p.m. at random, and we'll send that unlucky SOB a box full of unpleasant games and other random swag. It's better than nothing but just barely. Besides, you're helping sick kids while treating your ears to a heaping dollop of everyone's favorite Thanksgiving treat: Justin McElroy. isn't that enough for you?

Help the Desert Bus for Hope at 2 p.m. EST and win terrible games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Desert Bus for Hope 3 pulls onto the road tomorrow

Justin McElroy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

Can something still be considered a game if you know you're going to lose? That's the exact question the brave crew of the Desert Bus for Hope will have to answer as it sets off on its third annual excursion tomorrow. As they play the Desert Bus mini-game from Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors for days on end to raise money for Child's Play, sick kids will win, we the viewers of their live video stream will win, but the bleary-eyed LoadingReadyRun driving team will absolutely, positively lose.

If you'd like to help their sacrifice not be in vain (while at the same time prolonging it), you can donate on their homepage.

[Thanks, Koehler83]

Desert Bus for Hope 3 pulls onto the road tomorrow originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wherein Joystiq helps sick kids by punishing Canadians

Justin McElroy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:20:00 EST

Filed under: Culture

The best way to wield the hulking girth of the Joystiq Biomass is to help people. The second best way? Helping people by hurting Canadians. It's so rare that the opportunities to do that present themselves, we wanted to draw your attention one last time to LoadingReadyRun's "Desert Bus for Hope," wherein the British Columbia-based troupe raises money for the Child's Play charity by playing the world's most boring game.

They've been at it for four-and-a-half days now, and have raised a staggering $55,000. Sadly, though, it could all come to an end around 11 p.m. EST tonight unless you act now, give all you can give, and help keep those Canadians stationary. Go, Joystiq Biomass! Attack!

Wherein Joystiq helps sick kids by punishing Canadians originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Desert Bus for Hope 2 rolls on for Child's Play

Justin McElroy — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture

As a reminder to those of you who like either helping sick kids or bearing witness to the most boring things in existence, the crew from LoadingReadyRun has just launched the second annual "Desert Bus for Hope" campaign. You can watch as they raise money for the Child's Play charity by playing the astonishingly boring "Desert Bus" mini-game from the unreleased Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors. How long they'll play is entirely up to you.

They're already guaranteed a 71 hour run, but by giving cash you can force them to go even longer. If there's a better way to spend your money than helping charity while simultaneously making a group of grown men die a little bit inside, we haven't heard of it.

Desert Bus for Hope 2 rolls on for Child's Play originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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