GameSpot is once again hosting its annual 72-hour Extra Life livestream. For three days, GameSpot’s teams will take turns hosting a livestream where staff members play all types of video games and help raise monetary donations for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
Every cent that GameSpot raises will be donated to the San Francisco-based hospital, which has a dedicated and passionate team of doctors, nurses, and other staff devoted to helping kids. By donating, you will be helping them and the children they care for. You’ll also be helping GameSpot reach certain stretch goals that unlock a wide variety of rewards–many of which are at our expense and all of which are for your amusement.
Below are details on how Extra Life is going to work this year, including the new loot box microdonations and battle pass. There’s also an outline for the overall schedule for the event and a list of the approximate times for when certain GameSpot staff members will be on the stream and the segments they’ll be doing.
This year, the worldwide Extra Life marathon begins on November 2. And, like always, GameSpot will be hosting its livestream the weekend before–so October 25. As per our tradition, we’ll be upping the usual 24-hour long gaming marathon to a 72-hour one.
Specifically, GameSpot’s Extra Life livestream will begin airing on October 25 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST, which is October 26 at 6 AM AEST. The stream will continue until October 28 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST, which is October 27 at 6 AM AEST.
You can watch this year’s GameSpot Extra Life marathon on YouTube, though we’ll be streaming through the website as well–just go to our homepage and you’ll see the stream in one of the top promo slots. GameSpot’s Twitter and Facebook accounts will be promoting links to the stream all weekend too, and they will also alert you to which GameSpot staff members are playing on the stream next.
Though it won’t be hosting the stream, GameSpot’s Instagram account will be capturing behind-the-scene looks all weekend, allowing followers to see what mischief the GameSpot staff members are getting up to once off-camera. We’re a strange bunch and we’d love for you to come join us in our tomfoolery.
How To Donate
To donate, simply go to GameSpot’s Extra Life page. At the top is a big green “Donate” button. Click it, and then fill out how much money you’re willing to give. You can donate as many times as you’d like, and the page accepts payments from Credit/Debit cards, PayPal, and Amazon Pay.
Unless you would prefer to remain anonymous, please also add your name or preferred online handle to the donation. This makes it easier for us to thank you for the donation and for your help in supporting UCSF Benioff.
Also, it will help us know who to blame if you’re specifically giving money to unlock one of the many donation incentives that will force GameSpot staff to participate in any manner of embarrassing or painful activities. And speaking of incentives…
Uncommon And Epic Donation Incentives
We’ve added a new type of incentive to this year’s GameSpot Extra Life marathon: microdonations. You can buy a loot box with a $30 USD donation, allowing you to randomly unlock one of several different rewards. These aren’t physical items that we’ll be sending to you though. The prizes within these loot boxes are commands for GameSpot staff to do something that’s dumb and/or embarrassing–like calling someone’s mom or forcing two people to switch accents while speaking.
For $15 USD, GameSpot staff will spin a wheel on the stream. Like the loot boxes, the wheel offers several different stream rewards for you all to enjoy. The main difference is that the wheel’s offerings will likely change with each segment, as the rewards are either tied to the game being played or the people who are playing. The loot box rewards are constant throughout the stream.
Legendary Donation Incentive
As you most likely know, not all loot box rewards are created equal. Our loot boxes are the same, with uncommon and epic prizes making up the bulk of the rewards and one legendary prize that is harder to win–a chance to be featured on GameSpot.
If you unlock a loot box and win the legendary prize, this section of this article will be changed into a personalized “thank you” post that our staff puts together to show our appreciation for your support of our articles and videos, as well as your donation to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
However, if someone else happens to win the legendary reward (and let’s face it, by sheer probability that’s likely over a 72-hour period), this section will be adjusted to show our appreciation for them. So if you do happen to win the legendary reward and you want an everlasting reminder that you were in a GameSpot article, be sure to screenshot this page when you’re featured on it.
Donation Stretch Goals
Buying microdonations isn’t the only way to unlock special prizes though. This year, GameSpot’s Extra Life marathon will also have a battle pass, and donating money–regardless of how much–will work towards unlocking the marathon’s largest prizes. Unlocking the battle pass is a GameSpot community team effort.
Our initial goal is to raise $1,500 USD for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. But we’ve created 10 stretch goals that are unlocked at different tiers in the battle pass–leading all the way up to $15,000 USD. At $6,000 USD, the GameSpot staff will temporarily stop playing games to take a class to learn how to floss (a very important life skill to have), for example, and at $12,000 USD Peter and Tamoor will shave each others’ beards.
Unfortunately, GameSpot’s UK office will not be participating in Extra Life this year, but staff members from the San Francisco and Australia offices (as well as contract workers from other locations, like Canada) will be on camera to entertain you with some of their favorite games. As the stream is around the clock, you can tune in anytime throughout the weekend. If you can show up, please stop by and say, “Hi!” Even if you can’t donate, we enjoy spending time with you all.
This year, we have a jam-packed schedule. After a year of writing articles and producing videos for incredible, but lesser-known games–like the mobile titles that make the platform worthwhile for gaming and the story about a plague that manages to capture what it feels like to be an older sibling–Edmond, Eddie, and Jess from the Australia office are playing through a collection of games that you probably haven’t gotten around to yet but should definitely check out. They’ve left room for more mainstream games too, though, like The Sims 4 and Mortal Kombat 11.
The San Francisco office is primarily tackling mainstream titles this time around, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Bloodborne, Rocket League, Destiny 2, and Pokemon Ruby. Be sure to check out at least parts of the larger blocks, like Michael leading a raid in Final Fantasy XIV or Tamoor and Jake having a speedrunning competition through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. You can find all the times in the schedule below. Keep in mind, all times are listed in PT.
Friday, October 25
12 PM – 2 PM — Jack Box Party Pack 6
Lucy James, Tamoor Hussain, Michael Higham, and Mat Paget kickstart the stream with the roster of minigames included in the newest Jack Box Party Pack.
2 PM – 4 PM — Metal Gear Solid Challenge Run
Tamoor Hussain, Jake Dekker, Ben Janca, and Matt Espineli take a nostalgic trip through the original Metal Gear Solid. Viewers can weaponize their donations to make the experience more difficult (and way more fun to watch).
4 PM – 6 PM — Lynel Hunting
Max Blumenthal, Peter Brown, Evan Langer, and Rob Handlery participate in a competition to see who can hunt down the most Lynels in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
6 PM – 8 PM — Monetize Miku
Michael Higham and Ben Janca steal away Hime’s girlfriend to host a Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future concert. Viewers can request songs by donating.
8 PM – 12 AM — The FFXIV Raid Block Party
Michael Higham, Ben Janca, Matt Rorie, and Jan Ochoa embark on a 24-player Final Fantasy XIV raid with members of the GameSpot and Giant Bomb community. Afterward, viewers can donate $10 USD to enter into a Glamour Competition for the chance to win 1 million gil.
Saturday, October 26
12 AM – 3 AM — Rock(et) Band
Rob Handlery, Peter Brown, and Jordan Ramée dunk on fools in Rocket League. Viewers can donate to unlock the trio’s true power: using musical instrument video game controllers to control their supersonic acrobatic rocket-powered battle-car.
3 AM – 5:30 AM — Destiny 2 Dungeon Speed Running
Destiny 2 veteran David Ahmadi leads novice Jordan Ramée and newbie Evan Langer through some of the loot shooter’s dungeons. Viewers can donate to make the experience more difficult for the fireteam.
5:30 AM – 8 AM — Becoming A Legend
Jordan Ramée, David Ahmadi, and Evan Langer jump into ranked Apex Legends to raise their respective rankings to Gold tier or higher. Viewers can donate to unlock penalties that will make that journey much more difficult.
8 AM – 11 AM — Competitive Sekiro
Jake Dekker and Tamoor Hussain face off in competitive Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, with points allocated for killing enemies and bosses. To ensure fairness, the competition will be overseen by Lucy James, Mat Paget, Peter Brown, and Kallie Plagge.
11 AM – 1 PM — Spooky Dreamcast Games
Take a walk down memory lane with Peter Brown, Mat Paget, and Jean-Luc Seipke as they play through some of the scarier games found on the Sega Dreamcast: Illbleed, Zombie Revenge, and Nightmare Creatures II.
1 PM – 3 PM — Devil May Cry 5 Stylish Run
Alessandro Fillari shows off some of the coolest combos in Devil May Cry 5 while Jean-Luc Seipke, Ben Janca, and Matt Espineli cheer him on. Viewers can mess with Alessandro’s flow by donating and unlocking in-game debuffs.
3 PM – 5 PM — Battle For The Grid
Samantha “Persia” Hancock is joined by the combat developers for Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. Viewers are encouraged to boot up the game and challenge us–by donating, they can force the devs to play with certain restrictions.
5 PM – 6 PM — Let It Rip! The Beyblade Hour
Tamoor Hussain, Lucy James, and numerous other members of the team break out the ol’ plastic stadiums to oversee the first inaugural GameSpot Beyblade Battle Tournament.
6 PM – 9 PM — Pokemon Ruby Nuzlocke Run
The SF office’s resident Pokemon expert Kallie Plagge embarks on a journey through the Hoenn region, with the stipulation that she can only catch the first Pokemon she encounters in each area and must abandon any that faint. Lucy James, Jake Dekker, Ben Janca, and Tamoor Hussain will commentate and viewers can donate to add rules and make the run harder. See how far she can get!
9 PM – 10 PM — Vine Theater
GameSpot meme Slack channel leaders Lucy James, Ben Janca, Tamoor Hussain, Kallie Plagge, and Jean-Luc Seipke showcase some of their favorite Vines and try and get to the bottom of why they love them.
10 PM – 12 AM — The Definitive Smash Bros. Cop Ranking
Jake Dekker, Jean-Luc Seipke, Kallie Plagge, Ben Janca, and Tamoor Hussain discuss how much of a cop each of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s characters is, and then decide on a definitive, completely correct tier list.
12 AM – 8 AM — GameSpot After Hours
Chastity Vicencio, Ben Janca, Evan Langer, and Alessandro Fillari amp up the stream all through the night with intense multiplayer sessions of Killer Queen Black and Tekken 7, followed by an energizing Just Dance competition and Deadly Premonition spooks.
8 AM – 10 AM — More Rocket League
Rob Handlery and Peter Brown return to play some more Rocket League. This time, they’re joined by Ben Janca.
10 AM – 12 PM — Fortnite Tips From A 10-Year-Old And Ninja’s Book
Randy Ramsay brings in his kids who will first explain how adults are playing Fortnite incorrectly and then delve into how you can use Ninja’s Tips For Influencer Success to become a pro gamer. If there’s time, there will be a special follow-up makeup tutorial segment.
12 PM – 2 PM — The Bard’s Tale Singalong
As GameSpot’s Australia office takes over, Jess McDonell kicks things off with The Bard’s Tale. There will be singing too. Donate for a solo or donate for them to stop, totally up to you.
2 PM – 5 PM — Gaming Mashup
Eddie Makuch dives into a trio of games, switching things up every hour. He’ll first play the opening hour of Strange Brigade, then show off some of the wacky challenges in What the Golf, and finish his time with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the latest entry in the shooter franchise. Ask him to eat an onion like it’s an apple–he’ll do it! (If you donate).
5 PM – 7 PM — Sims 4 Speed Run
Jess McDonell is going to get her Sim famous as fast as possible. Or get them to the top of the career ladder. She hasn’t decided–but one thing is for sure: she has a system and a plan. Viewers can influence said plan by donating and helping or hurting her track to Sim stardom.
7 PM – 8 PM — Some Very Dangerous, Life-Threatening Kombat
Edmond Tran plays an hour of Mortal Kombat 11.
8 PM – 9 PM — Spin Rhythm
Edmond Tran plays an hour of brand new rhythm action game, Spin Rhythm XD.
9 PM – 11 PM — Taking On The Blair Witch
Eddie Makuch dives into the creepy world of Blair Witch while Jess McDonell tries to keep the shrieks to a minimum. Every big scare comes with a reward for those who donate so come for the laughs and the spooks!
11 PM – 12 AM — SpyParty
Jess McDonell, Eddie Makuch, and Edmond Tran rotate roles in SpyParty, a two-player game where one person must guide characters through a mission at a party filled with NPCs and the other person is a sniper who must figure out who the player-controlled characters are and kill them.
Monday, October 27
12 AM – 2 AM — Siege The Day
Jean-Luc Seipke, Mat Paget, and Evan Langer jump into some Rainbow Six: Siege online multiplayer matches as the stream reverts back to the San Francisco office.
2 AM – 4 AM — Luigi’s Mansion
In preparation for the release of Luigi’s Mansion 3, Jean-Luc Seipke and Evan Langer play the opening hours of the original GameCube game.
4 AM – 8 AM — Jackie Chan Stuntmaster
Kurt Indovina and Evan Langer play through True Fiction-related video games, make balloon animals, shoot confetti, and reveal strange facts about one another’s lives. Things get weird at four o’clock in the morning.
8 AM – 10 AM — Baby’s First Bloodborne
Rob Handlery has never played Bloodborne, but he hears it’s a decent game so he’s going to try it out. Bloodborne fanatics Tamoor Hussain, Jake Dekker, Kurt Indovina, and Mat Paget are on standby to make sure he doesn’t make any significant blunders.
10 AM – 12 PM — More Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Michael Higham concludes this year’s Extra Life with more online multiplayer matches in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Kallie Plagge (who’s reviewing the game) and Jake Dekker will be joining him to commentate on his performance or take over if he needs a break.
Livestream Segment Explainers
Some of the segments in this year’s Extra Life marathon are a bit more complex than the others. Below, you’ll find a list of articles that expound on certain Extra Life segments in a bit more detail.
