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CanadaRAM

macrumors G5
Original poster
The annual DesertBus charity marathon is on (and approaching day 4) See it at http://www.desertbus.org

My friends from the Loading Ready Run sketch comedy troupe in Victoria are playing the most boring video game ever made (Penn & Teller's DesertBus*) to raise money for the Child's Play charity. They will keep driving the DesertBus 24/7 for as long as people donate to the charity. While they are driving the bus, they hold auctions, do skits and songs, and accept challenges to do hilarious and/or embarrassing things all for donations.

When I last checked, they were over $90,000, and looking to beat last year's total of $140k

Tune in and support the gang and the Child's Play charity, which provides toys and games to children who are seriously ill and in hospital.


* Developed by comedians Penn and Teller, the "anti-game" DesertBus is a first-person driving game, where you drive a bus from Tuscon to Las Vegas, in real time. The road is dead straight, and --- nothing happens. Then when you reach Las Vegas 4.5 hours later, you..... turn around and go back. The bus' steering is defective, so if you don't pay attention it will veer off the road and crash. At which point a tow truck is dispatched to tow you back -- in real time.
 

CanadaRAM

macrumors G5
Original poster
DesertBus 2011 is underway for the fifth consecutive year
The DesertBus crew has raised over $400,000 for charity to the start of this year's marathon.

22/11/2011 10:30 AM PST DB2011 is standing at $188,000 with 140 hours of driving to go
 
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CanadaRAM

macrumors G5
Original poster
DesertBus for Hope - 2012 now on

The annual DesertBus for Hope charity marathon has started
http://www.desertbus.org
It's their sixth annual Internet telethon raising money for the ChildsPlay charity (who supply toys and games for children in acute care and isolation wards In hospitals in many countries).

In the past 5 years the sketch comedy team Loading Ready Run have raised $840,000, they are looking to break $1.25 million total with this years effort.

Lots of auctions of memorabilia and art, challenges, and general hilarity. The more bids come in, the longer they have to drive the Desert Bus.

(play it yourself - if you dare - http://desertbus-game.org/ - requires Java RE to be enabled, it is off by default in Lion and ML)
 

CanadaRAM

macrumors G5
Original poster
DesertBus 2014 is now in progress, http://desertbus.org/ the bussers still have 20 hours to drive (keep them driving by donating, the more money raised, the longer they are tortured by having to play the worst-game-in-the-world.)

DesertBus for Hope has passed $400,000 on this years campaign so far, and have raised over 2 million for charity since 2007
Tune in, and donate if you are so moved!

From my 2010 post:

My friends from the Loading Ready Run sketch comedy troupe in Victoria are playing the most boring video game ever made (Penn & Teller's DesertBus*) to raise money for the Child's Play charity. They will keep driving the DesertBus 24/7 for as long as people donate to the charity. While they are driving the bus, they hold auctions, do skits and songs for donations, and accept challenges to do hilarious and/or embarrassing things for donations.

Tune in and support the gang and the Child's Play charity, which provides toys and games to children who are seriously ill and in hospital.

* Developed by comedians Penn and Teller, the "anti-game" DesertBus is a first-person driving game, where you drive a bus from Tuscon to Las Vegas, in real time. The road is dead straight, and --- nothing happens. Then when you reach Las Vegas 4.5 hours later, you..... turn around and go back. The bus' steering is defective, so if you don't pay attention it will veer off the road and crash. At which point a tow truck is dispatched to tow you back -- in real time.
 

bradl

macrumors 603
Jun 16, 2008
5,917
17,396
I heard about this this morning!

However, I have to say that I do not feel any sympathy for those playing the game. I say that, because I've made that Tuscon-Las Vegas run, and it is NOT fun! I'm glad there were a few gas stations on the way (going up US-93, there isn't much), but other than that, it's about as lonely as riding across US-50 in northern Nevada, or US-95 from Las Vegas to Reno). Both are nothing but miles and miles of nothing, for 8 hours or more.

I've donated, but I don't really feel for the gamers. :p

BL.
 
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