TheSpeedGamers

TheSpeedGamers (also abbreviated as TSG or TSG.TV) is a group of video gamers based out of Arlington, Texas, who raise money for various charities. They accomplish this by streaming live marathons of video games on Twitch (formerly Justin.tv). The group was founded by Britt LaRiviere in early 2008 and still hosts marathons regularly through the year. Viewers can interact with the commentators and other viewers via chat on Twitch. The group has raised over $845,000.00 for more than 20 different charities.

TheSpeedGamers
GenreGaming Marathon Group
Date(s)2008-present
FrequencyQuarterly Each Year
Location(s)Arlington, Texas
Years active11
InauguratedMarch 14, 2008 (2008-03-14)
FoundersBritt LaRiviere & Chase LaRiviere
Most recentJuly 2019
Websitewww.tsg.tv

History

Britt LaRiviere founded the group in March 2008. LaRiviere originally imagined the site as a source for gaming reviews, but over time, the idea evolved into forming a marathon group. Finally, they decided that if they ran marathons, then they should do it for a worthy cause. They adopted a Speedrun mentality and ran their first marathon, with a Zelda theme.[1] Since then, the group has continued on for over nine years, hosting multiple marathons and still going strong .[2]

On January 24, 2014, TheSpeedGamers re-branded themselves as TSG.TV with an ongoing overhaul of their website, forums, and other features. To mark the re-branding, the group did an unannounced 24-hour marathon of Sonic and Mario games, raising money for Mercy Corps. Donors had the option to apply their donation toward a total for Mario or a total for Sonic. At the end of the 24 hours, the respective totals were applied as a handicap system for a 40-minute computer-controlled Super Smash Brothers match between Mario and Sonic. The winner of that match would be the franchise for the December 2014 72-hour marathon, raising money for the Rocking H Ranch. Sonic won both the significant majority of the donations and the match, and the December marathon was for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

TSG 24/7 and Streams

Starting in February 2011, TheSpeedGamers started a 24/7 stream. Unlike marathons, no money was being raised. Also unlike marathons, games weren't continually being played. Instead, various music was played while the TheSpeedGamers' fans can chat in the chat room on Justin.tv. For a couple hours each day, Britt or Chase played games as part of an ongoing Let's Play. For the 7 days of the week, they usually played a different game each day. Then, the next week they picked up where they left off the previous week, thus making it a once a week Let's Play update. As of the end of the Metroid Marathon 2011, TheSpeedGamers stopped the 24/7 streams until further notice.

On Labor Day 2011, TheSpeedGamers once again started TSG 24/7. In the fall of 2011, TSG 24/7 became TSG Present!, a more occasional stream than the previous continuous efforts.

Notable Marathons
  • The Legend of Zelda Marathon I (March 14–17, 2008): This was TheSpeedGamers' first marathon, which lasted 72 hours. All the mainstream console Legend of Zelda games were played. They raised $1,090.00 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[3]
  • Pokémon Marathon 2009 (December 18–21, 2009): TheSpeedGamers played the Third and Fourth Generation Pokémon games (Excluding Emerald and Platinum) to catch all 493 Pokémon. They raised $18,395.96 for Ally's House.
  • Final Fantasy Marathon 2009 (July 17–24, 2009): TheSpeedGamers played a week-long marathon. During this time, they played 12 Final Fantasy titles and raised over $50,000 for ACT Today!, a charity for autism. At one point, the marathon had more than 19,000 simultaneous viewers thanks to advertisement on MMO-Champion.[4][5][6]
  • Mario Marathon 2010 (June 11–19, 2010): TheSpeedGamers longest marathon. They played over 30 Mario games and raised $57,000 for ACT Today, they originally were only going to play for a week, but extended the marathon for an extra day because of donations. Thanks to a viewer embedding the stream on MMO-Champion, the views raised to over 30,000. Prizes given away included a Nintendo Wii, posters, hats, etc. At certain points, viewers who donated $100 could join a skype call with one of the commentators.
  • Star Wars Marathon (July 8–15, 2011): A week-long marathon, raised $11,254 for Direct Relief (short of the $30,000 goal). At the conclusion of the marathon, announcements were made pushing the Zelda Marathon from the fall of 2011 to the Christmas marathon slot of 2011. The Pokémon Marathon scheduled for that slot was pushed to be made 2012's week-long event, later scheduled to start June 15, 2012.
  • The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2011 (December 16–18, 2011, extended 24 hours to December 19, 2011 upon reaching their $15,000 goal): The charity for the marathon was The Rocking H Ranch (where this and a number of their previous marathons have been held). Thanks to a renewed push by the group, the marathon reached its $15,000 goal before the end of the initial 72 hours and was extended an additional 24 hours, the extra time highlighted by 2011 Zelda release The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. On December 29, 2011, on TheSpeedGamers' Twitter account, it was announced that the final grand total for the marathon was $20,016.00.[7] Since the marathon reached its "new goal" of $20,000, as stated during the extension, TheSpeedGamers announced that their Christmas 2012 marathon would be a marathon of games within the Mario franchise.
  • Pokémon Marathon 2012 (June 15–22, 2012, 168 hours): The charity for the fourth-annual week-long marathon was ACT Today. The renewed push after 2011's week-long marathon continued, as a series of cutthroat auctions for various donated artwork aided TheSpeedGamers to reach their highest donation total in history, over $59,000, beating the record set in 2010's week-long Mario Marathon.
  • Indiethon (April 25–28, 2014): TheSpeedGamers partnered with Humble Bundle in spring 2014 to raise money for Direct Relief, and a total of $122,607.88 was raised for the charity through the bundle.
  • Pokémon Sun & Moon Marathon (December 16–20, 2016): Weeks after the launch of Pokémon Sun & Moon on the Nintendo 3DS, TheSpeedGamers held a marathon with the goal of catching every Pokémon available in-game at the time, which was accomplished on the final day of the event. The marathon helped to raise money for buildOn, and the funds went toward the building of a school in Mali.[8]
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Marathon (March 3–6, 2017, 90 hours): To celebrate the launch of the Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the 9-year anniversary of TheSpeedGamers, the group held its first launch marathon that began as soon as the game released in North America.[9]
  • Ten-Year Anniversary The Legend of Zelda Marathon (March 9–13, 2018, 96 hours): In honor of the ten-year anniversary of TheSpeedGamers, a 96-hour marathon of The Legend of Zelda franchise was held for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Marathon and Special Event List
Marathon Date Length Charity Money Raised
1 The Legend of Zelda Marathon I March 14–17, 2008 72 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $1,090.00[3]
2 The Legend of Zelda Marathon II June 13–16, 2008 72 Hours Giggles Therapy $1,450.75
3 Mario Marathon 2008 July 11–13, 2008 48 Hours None N/A
4 Metroid Marathon 2008 August 15–18, 2008 72 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $6,123.79
5 Mother/Earthbound Marathon 2008 August 28–31, 2008 55 Hours None; support of American localization (PK Siege) N/A
6 Halo Marathon September 26–27, 2008 24 Hours None N/A
7 Halloween Marathon 2008 October 31-November 2, 2008 48 Hours Lupus Foundation of America $1,060.00
8 Pokémon Marathon 2008 December 19–22, 2008 72 Hours ACT Today! $5,923.69[10]
9 The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2009 March 13–16, 2009 72 Hours Ally's House $6,235.39[11]
10 Mother/Earthbound Marathon 2009 May 15–18, 2009 72 Hours Susan G. Komen for the Cure $10,586.00[12]
11 Metal Gear Marathon June 19–22, 2009 72 Hours None N/A
12 Final Fantasy Marathon 2009 July 17–24, 2009 168 Hours ACT Today! $50,734.63[5][6][13][14]
13 Mega Man Marathon 2009 August 14–17, 2009 72 Hours Earth Day Network $7,188.06
14 Resident Evil Marathon 2009 October 30-November 1, 2009 49 Hours (due to Daylight Saving Time) Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation $16,349.54[15]
15 Pokémon Marathon 2009 December 18–21, 2009 72 Hours Ally's House $18,395.96
16 Metroid Marathon 2010 March 12–15, 2010 72 Hours Halton Autistic Family Support Group (HAFS) $11,616.50
17 Mother/Earthbound Marathon 2010 May 7–10, 2010 48 Hours Susan G. Komen for the Cure $10,749.32
18 Mario Marathon 2010 June 11–19, 2010 189 Hours (due to 21-hour extension) ACT Today! $57,399.00 [9][16]
The Summer of Zelda July 1-August 1, 2010 27 Nightly Streams ACT Today! $20,000.00 *
19 Assassin's Creed/Prince of Persia Marathon August 20–23, 2010 72 Hours Gulf Restoration Network $10,550.04
Community Stream Month 2010 October 2010 N/A ACT Today! $2,075.00
20 Castlevania Marathon 2010 October 29–31, 2010 48 Hours Rocking H Ranch $6,926.50
21 Kingdom Hearts Marathon December 17–20, 2010 72 Hours BestFriends.org $10,624.65
22 Retro Pokémon Marathon 2011 March 11–14, 2011 72 Hours ALS Association $15,394.03
23 Metroid Marathon 2011 May 6–9, 2011 72 Hours Civic Force $8,251.85
24 Star Wars Marathon July 8–15, 2011 168 Hours Direct Relief $11,254.09
25 The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2011 December 16–20, 2011[17] 96 Hours (24-hour extension) Rocking H Ranch $20,016.00 [7]
26 Pokémon Marathon 2012 June 15–22, 2012 168 Hours ACT Today![9] $59,324.36
27 Mario Marathon 2012 December 14–17, 2012 72 Hours Make-A-Wish Foundation! [9] $12,056.00
28 Mega Man Marathon 2013 March 8–12, 2013 96 Hours (24-hour extension) Rocking H Ranch $11,880.50
29 Final Fantasy Marathon 2013 June 24-July 1, 2013 [2] 168 Hours ACT Today![9] $32,753.00
30 Halloween Marathon 2013 October 18–21, 2013 [2] 72 Hours Heifer International $14,598.50
31 The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2013 December 13–16, 2013 [2] 72 Hours Mercy Corps $17,852.00
Mario vs. Sonic Minithon January 24–25, 2014 24 Hours Mercy Corps $1,257.00
Donkey Kong Minithon March 7–8, 2014 24 hours Heifer International $1,128.00
32 Indiethon April 25–28, 2014 72 Hours Direct Relief $122,607.88
33 Pokémon Marathon 2014 June 20–27, 2014 168 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $32,073.33
Minithon Series July–November, 2014 Varies ACT Today ~$3,000 ***
34 Sonic Marathon December 12–15, 2014 72 Hours Rocking H Ranch $4,321.00
35 Mario Marathon 2015 July 17–24, 2015 168 Hours St. Jude's Children Research Hospital $29,027.00
36 Retro Pokémon Marathon 2015 December 17–21, 2015 96 Hours (24-hour extension) Rocking H Ranch $16,300.00
37 The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2016: Hyrule vs. Lorule June 24-July 1, 2016 168 Hours St. Jude Children Research Hospital $40,180.00
38 Trick 'r' Treat Marathon 2016 October 14–17, 2016 72 Hours St. Jude Children Research Hospital $4,553.27
39 Pokémon Sun & Moon Marathon December 16–20, 2016 96 Hours (24-hour extension) buildOn $9,226.13
40 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Marathon March 3–6, 2017 90 Hours (started at midnight CST) buildOn $2,000.01
41 Final Fantasy Marathon 2017: Pixels vs. Polygons July 14–20, 2017 144 Hours (24-hour extension) St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $33,580.00
42 Resident Evil Marathon 2017 October 13–16, 2017 72 Hours Direct Relief $7,042.69
43 Mario Marathon 2017 December 15–18, 2017 96 Hours (24-hour extension) ACT Today![9] $6,518.00
44 The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2018 March 9–13, 2018 96 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $10,624.00
45 Pokémon Marathon 2018 June 8–15, 2018 168 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $17,260.00
46 Soulsborne Marathon October 12–15, 2018 72 Hours Direct Relief $8,286.00
47 Nintendo All-Stars Marathon December 14–18, 2018 96 Hours (24-hour extension) St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $9,105.00
48 The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2019: Hyrule vs. Lorule II July 12–19, 2019 168 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $28,496.00 (Includes May 2019 PLAYLIVE Total)
49 Castlevania Marathon 2019 October 18–21, 2019 72 Hours Direct Relief $6,000.00
50 Retro Pokémon Marathon 2019 December 13–16, 2019 72 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $10,230.00
TSG Generations! 2020 May 1-31, 2020 Daily Streams St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $8,800.00
51 Mario Marathon 2020 July 17-20, 2020 72 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $7,200.00
52 Resident Evil Marathon 2020 October 16-19, 2020 72 Hours Direct Relief $3,000.00
53 Nintendo All-Stars 2 Marathon December 18-21, 2020 72 Hours St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
54 The Legend of Zelda Marathon 2021: Hyrule vs. Lorule III Summer 2021 168 Hours St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Total $880,274.46

*: The Summer of Zelda, a month-long effort of nightly streams,[18] was originally designed to raise money for ACT Today! through the Pepsi Refresh Project in place at the time. The second weekend of the month, a user notified TheSpeedGamers that ACT Today! was also in the running with Chase Community Giving on Facebook, a similar project by Chase Bank.[19] With only three days to do it, the community was able to garner enough votes to gain the charity a $20,000 donation for placing in the top 200 charities at the event.
***: During a few months in mid-2014, there were several minithons which all aimed to raise money for ACT Today. About $3,000 was raised in total. Exact total still needs to be added.

References
  1. McGee, Maxwell High Scores for Hope 2009-2-24. Retrieved on 2010-1-28
  2. TheSpeedGamers (24 November 2012). "2013 Marathon Schedule". YouTube. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  3. Marlo Thomas Thank you letter from St. Jude Retrieved 2010-1-26
  4. Gaming For a Cause ACT Today
  5. Video Gamers Hold Marathon Session For Charity CBS 11/TXA21 2009-7-21. Retrieved on 2010-1-26
  6. Wilcox, Lindsay Would You Play 168 Hours Of Video Games?NBC Dallas-Fort Worth 2009-7-25. Retrieved on 2010-1-26
  7. TheSpeedGamers (28 December 2011). "It looks like some e-checks cleared. :D I think our grand total for the Zelda Marathon is $20,016.00. ~Local". Twitter. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  8. "Members of the Movement: TheSpeedGamers". Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  9. "TSG.TV". TSG.TV. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  10. 2008 November/December issue of GEE Magazine, Germany
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2010-01-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Mother Marathon to Raise Money for Breast Cancer - News". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  13. "RPGFan News - Final Fantasy Marathon to Raise Money for Autism". Rpgfan.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  14. "CharityWatch: TheSpeedGamers tackling Final Fantasy I - XII". Engadget. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  15. TheSpeedGamers' Resident Evil Marathon Will Be Starting Shortly! Official Capcom Website
  16. "TheSpeedGamers Mario Marathon - June 11-18, 2010 - Act Today!". Act-today.org. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  17. "thespeedgamers [TheSpeedGamers' Wiki]". wiki.thespeedgamers.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  18. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-07-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-07-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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