Zeldathon is an annual video game charity marathon, broadcast live on Twitch. Traditionally, every major video game in The Legend of Zelda series is completed back-to-back throughout the event, over the course of several days. Viewers are encouraged to donate directly to a selected charity in order to reach various goals and motivate the attendees to perform various challenges, such as playing the game upside down, or dressing up as a recurring video game character.[1][2]
Zeldathon | |
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Genre | Video game charity marathons |
Frequency | Annual |
Location(s) | United States |
Inaugurated | December 27, 2009 |
Founder | Matthew "MC" Moffit |
Most recent | August 13 - 20, 2024 |
Next event | TBD |
Participants | 100+ |
Organized by | Kinstone, LLC |
Website | zeldathon |
As of 2024, more than 100 people from across the world have participated in the event, with the most recent instances featuring over 70 attendees each. Over the course of 30 marathons, the team has raised more than $3 million for various charitable causes.[3]
At the conclusion of the 22nd marathon, a documentary on the event's history, Money Making Game, was announced with a projected release of December 2019 to celebrate Zeldathon's 10th anniversary.[4] The documentary was premiered at the 25th marathon, Zeldathon Forces.
Founding
editZeldathon was first organized in late 2009 between Matthew “MC” Moffit and Zak Ondish, having taken inspiration from other charity gaming marathons such as TheSpeedGamers.
Following the first marathon, motivation was low to continue to create another event. However, another attendee of the initial event wanted to do a second as a high school senior project. Moffit agreed to help, and they planned and executed a second summer event. Following this, the marathon continued to return twice annually, in the summer and winter, with occasional mini-marathons being held as needed.[3]
Honors
editIn September 2016, the Zeldathon Team was awarded the "Help Award" by Help Hope Live, for excellence in fund-raising following their fifteenth marathon, Zeldathon Hope. The award was given as a direct result of their effort in raising more than $250,000 for Help Hope Live in the 150-hour event.[5]
List of marathons
editThere have been 30 mainline marathons to date.[6]
# | Title | Start Date | End Date | Charity | Total Raised | Duration | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Zeldathon for Charity | December 27, 2009 | December 30, 2009 | Child's Play | $301 | 72 Hours | |
2 | Zeldathon for the American Cancer Society | June 19, 2010 | June 22, 2010 | American Cancer Society | $3,322 | 72 Hours | a.k.a. Zeldathon ACS |
3 | Zeldathon for the American Diabetes Association | December 27, 2010 | January 1, 2011 | American Diabetes Association | $4,001 | 120 Hours | a.k.a. Zeldathon ADA |
4 | Zeldathon Quest | June 22, 2011 | June 24, 2011 | RJ's College Fund | $2,672 | 48 Hours | Mini-Marathon[7] |
5 | Zeldathon for the American Red Cross | July 19, 2011 | July 23, 2011 | American Red Cross | $13,280 | 96 Hours | a.k.a. Zeldathon ARC |
6 | Zeldathon Child's Play | December 29, 2011 | January 5, 2012 | Child's Play | $15,473 | 170 Hours | [8][9] |
7 | Ultimate Zeldathon | July 7, 2012 | July 12, 2012 | Child's Play | $27,176 | 120 Hours | |
8 | Zeldathon Water | December 27, 2012 | January 1, 2013 | charity: water | $45,273 | 120 Hours | [10] |
9 | Zeldathon Lives | July 5, 2013 | July 10, 2013 | National Foundation for Transplants | $53,039 | 120 Hours | [11] |
10 | Zeldathon: Headstone for a Hero | October 4, 2013 | October 6, 2013 | Zachary's Headstone | $10,202 | 48 Hours | Mini-Marathon |
11 | Zeldathon St. Jude | December 27, 2013 | January 1, 2014 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $54,965 | 120 Hours | |
12 | Zeldathon Adventure | July 10, 2014 | July 17, 2014 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $97,251 | 156 Hours | [12][13][14][15] |
13 | Zeldathon Relief | December 27, 2014 | January 2, 2015 | Direct Relief | $106,100 | 141 Hours | [16][17] |
14 | Zeldathon Deluxe | June 19, 2015 | June 25, 2015 | charity: water | $196,097 | 140 Hours | [18] |
15 | Zeldathon Hope | December 27, 2015 | January 2, 2016 | Help Hope Live | $251,554 | 147 Hours | [19][20] |
16 | Zeldathon Recovery | June 17, 2016 | June 23, 2016 | Direct Relief | $230,077 | 148 Hours | [21][22][23][24][25] |
17 | Zeldathon Classic | October 14, 2016 | October 17, 2016 | Child's Play | $27,546 | 72 Hours | Mini-Marathon |
18 | Zeldathon Cures | December 27, 2016 | January 2, 2017 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $376,157 | 143 Hours | [26] |
19 | Zeldathon Wild | June 5, 2017 | June 11, 2017 | The WILD Foundation | $169,982 | 147 Hours | [27][28][29][30] |
20 | Anything Other Than Zeldathon | September 29, 2017 | October 2, 2017 | Help Hope Live | $26,803 | 75 Hours | Mini-Marathon - Did not play Zelda titles [31][32] |
21 | Zeldathon Mission | December 27, 2017 | January 2, 2018 | Direct Relief | $224,665 | 149 Hours | [33] |
22 | Zeldathon Champions | June 15, 2018 | June 21, 2018 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $160,013 | 144 Hours | |
23 | Zeldathon Response | December 27, 2018 | January 2, 2019 | Direct Relief | $165,000 | 145 Hours | |
24 | Zeldathon Heals | June 13, 2019 | June 20, 2019 | Help Hope Live | $170,049 | 164 Hours | |
25 | Zeldathon Forces | December 27, 2019 | January 3, 2020 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $173,700 | 153 Hours | 10 year anniversary |
26 | Zeldathon Ascent | December 27, 2021 | January 2, 2022 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $176,843 | 147 Hours | |
27 | Zeldathon Daybreak | August 2, 2022 | August 8, 2022 | Direct Relief | $125,800 | 145 Hours | |
28 | Zeldathon Echoes | July 6, 2023 | July 12, 2023 | charity: water | $137,400 | 151 Hours | [34] |
29 | Zeldathon Dimensions | December 27, 2023 | January 2, 2024 | Make-A-Wish Foundation | $112,445 | 149 Hours | |
30 | Zeldathon 1986 | August 13th, 2024 | August 20th, 2024 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $102,361+ | 154 Hours | [35] |
Piece of Heart
editIn addition to their primary marathons, in 2019 the Zeldathon Team announced Piece of Heart, a convention-based charity event featuring Zeldathon participants.[36]
# | Title | Start Date | End Date | Venue | Charity | Total Raised | Duration | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Piece of Heart | May 24, 2019 | May 26, 2019 | MomoCon 2019 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $16,051 | 26 Hours | |
2 | Piece of Heart | May 26, 2022 | May 29, 2022 | MomoCon 2022 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $20,122 | 42 Hours |
Side Quest
editAt the end of Zeldathon Forces, the Zeldathon Team announced Zeldathon Parallel Worlds, an event focusing on non-Zelda titles. The team has said that this is its own line of events, rather than part of the main list of Zeldathon marathons. While originally planned to begin on June 4, 2020, it was announced in March 2020 that the event would be delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.[37]
In the same March 2020 announcement as the delay of Parallel Worlds, it was revealed that an online-only event would be held in its place, scheduled to begin on June 5, in support of Direct Relief. The event was later given the title of Side Quest.[38] On June 3, it was announced that Side Quest would be delayed in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement following the George Floyd protests,[39] with a new starting date of August 7 announced in July.[40]
# | Title | Start Date | End Date | Charity | Total Raised | Duration | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Side Quest | August 7, 2020 | August 12, 2020 | Direct Relief | $72,127 | 127 Hours | Online-only Event |
2 | Take to the Seas! | December 26, 2020 | January 2, 2021 | charity: water | $87,887 | 172 Hours | Online-only Event |
3 | A Fantastic Journey! | June 11, 2021 | June 18, 2021 | Direct Relief | $78,250 | 157 Hours | Online-only Event |
4 | Banana Slamma! | September 17, 2021 | September 19, 2021 | Starlight Children's Foundation | $8,045 | 48 Hours | Online-only Event |
5 | Dampe's Twilight Tour![41] | October 28, 2022 | October 31, 2022 | Gamers Outreach Foundation | $12,600 | 42 Hours | Online-only Event |
6 | Waluigi's Arcade Heist![42] | October 27, 2023 | October 30, 2023 | Starlight Children's Foundation | $8,300 | 43 Hours | Online-only Event |
References
edit- ^ Myers, Valerie. "Zeldathon to benefit children's cancer research". GoErie.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Fekos, Konstantine (July 12, 2014). "Charity marathon featuring Zelda gaming to benefit St. Jude's". Meadville Tribune. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ a b "About Zeldathon". zeldathon.net. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Money Making Game". kickstarter.com. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "6 People Who Inspire Us With Courage, Strength and Selflessness". Help Hope Live. September 14, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zeldathon Timeline". zeldathon.net. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ^ Bissoon, Neranjan 'Venom' (June 23, 2011). "Streaming for a good cause: Zeldathon and Mario Marathon". destructoid. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zeldathon for Child's Play". Child's Play. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Lien, Tracey (January 7, 2013). "Child's Play charity raised $5 million in 2012". Polygon. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Tach, Dave (December 27, 2012). "Zeldathon offers five days of Zelda for charity, streamed live". Polygon. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zeldathon a Huge Success for NFT!". www.transplants.org. National Foundation for Transplants. July 18, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Gamers virtually raise thousands of dollars for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® patients battling cancer, other deadly diseases" (Press release). St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Fekos, Konstantine (July 18, 2014). "Zeldathon yields 'legendary' take of $101K for St. Jude's". Meadville Tribune. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Whitehead, Thomas (July 8, 2014). "The Zeldathon Adventure Kicks Off This Week To Raise a Whole Lot of Rupees". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Heraghty, Bryan (July 17, 2014). "Zeldathon Raises $100,000 in Donations". techraptor.net. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Futter, Mike (December 29, 2014). "Thirty-Three Gamers Participating In Charity 'Zeldathon' This Week". Retrieved May 4, 2018.[dead link]
- ^ "Zelda, The Legend, The Philanthropist". Direct Relief. December 17, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "New Zeldathon Revealed for the Summer: Live Stream for Charity". Zelda Dungeon. March 29, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "One Year Later: The Legacy and Impact of Zeldathon Hope". Help Hope Live. December 27, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zeldathon Hope: How The $250,000 Raised For HelpHOPELive Will Change Lives". Help Hope Live. January 8, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zeldathon, World's Most Legendary Gaming Marathon, Blasts Off for Charity" (Press release). Direct Relief. Retrieved May 4, 2018 – via www.prnewswire.com.
- ^ Paynter, Ben (July 7, 2016). "At Zeldathon, The Charity Race Meets The Game Controller". Fast Company. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Playing Zelda for Charity: Zeldathon". Philanthropic People. June 23, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Lindquist, Joshua (June 22, 2016). "Annual Zeldathon event raising money for Direct Relief charity". Zelda Universe. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zeldathon Blasts Off for Charity". Direct Relief. June 15, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Shona (December 29, 2016). "Zeldathon Cures streaming now; playing Zelda for charity". Zelda Universe. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Mejia, Ozzie (June 9, 2017). "Zeldathon Wild: The Best Moments So Far and What to Watch This Weekend". Shacknews. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Rossignol, Derrick (June 8, 2017). "A Livestreaming ZELDA Marathon Is Raising Money for Charity Right Now". Nerdist. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zeldathon gaming marathon put on by locals starts Monday". Meadville Tribune. June 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Etehad, Melissa (September 29, 2017). "When hurricanes hit, philanthropic video game enthusiasts came to the rescue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ SuperMCGamer. Anything Other Than Zeldathon - Part 1. Luigi's Mansion. Retrieved May 4, 2018 – via Twitch.
- ^ SuperMCGamer. Anything Other Than Zeldathon - Part 2. Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Retrieved May 4, 2018 – via Twitch.
- ^ "Zeldathon charity event to raise money for Direct Relief". GamesIndustry.biz (Press release). December 21, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "We're excited to announce our next Zeldathon will be July 2023, celebrating the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom". Twitter. September 17, 2022.
- ^ "We're excited to announce our next event! Zeldathon 1986: beginning August 13, 2024". Twitter. May 18, 2024.
- ^ "Piece of Heart - Trailer". YouTube. April 19, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ "Zeldathon Update - 3.25.2020". YouTube. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Join The #Zeldathon Team on June 5th for #SideQuest!". Twitter. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- ^ "#BlackLivesMatter". Twitter. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "#Zeldathon #SideQuest, benefiting @DirectRelief, will start on August 7th at 4PM EST!". Twitter. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ "Coming to you this Halloweekend: Side Quest: Dampe's Twilight Tour!". Twitter. September 18, 2022.
- ^ "Coming to Twitch this October, Side Quest: Waluigi's Arcade Heist!". Twitter. September 4, 2023.