Next weekend Team StubbledGamer will be taking part in GameBlast16 to raise money for Special Effect – The Gamer’s Charity. Starting at 5pm on Saturday evening stubbledgamer & greatmuerte will be setting up camp on our sofa and gaming non-stop for 24 hours.

I first read about Special Effect on Twitter, after they’d shared a video about one of the people they’d been working with. I watched it and was amazed at the technology they were using. By reducing the weight of controllers, adding different buttons and using eyegaze technology Special Effect have been able to make gaming more accessible for loads of people. The video below is just one example of the magic moments which have been created – there are plenty more on their YouTube Channel.

We got to see the work of Special Effect even more in depth this year at EGX where they had a stand and stubbledgamer got to try out their Eye-Gaze VR system. We also got chatting to some of the team and they told us about GameBlast16 and how we could get involved. GameBlast16 happens on 26th – 28th Feb and gamers across the country will be taking part in marathon gaming activities to raise money for Special Effect.

Special Effect Gamer’s Charity at EGX

Now ordinarily, if stubbledgamer told me that he was going to play on the PlayStation (on our good telly) for 24 hours, I wouldn’t be that enthusiastic. However, in this instance I’m pretty up for it. I’ve offered to feed and water the boys (this I may come to regret – one of them doesn’t like pizza?!) for 24 hours and live tweet throughout. I’m also acting as a sub for bathroom breaks and power naps.

The game schedule at the moment is still being decided but at the moment they are planning to play through Until Dawn from 10pm onwards. This I am looking forward to. Stubbledgamer has refused to play it alone after attempting it when it was released and terrifying himself. I think it will be hilarious to watch, especially after seeing some of the reaction videos to Until Dawn on YouTube – oh and they’re live streaming on Twitch throughout the 24 hours. Is it bad that I’m secretly hoping they make idiots of themselves..?

Of course it’s going to be fun and we’ll have a laugh taking part in GameBlast16, however it is important to remember why we are doing it in the first place. We want to raise money for Special Effect. We’ve set up a page through EverydayHero and set ourselves a small target. I’ve been involved with different charities over the years and I know how hard it is to raise money so if anyone can donate anything to this awesome charity please hit the button below and make a donation (it doesn’t matter how much!) we’d really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading guys – and if any of you have any tips on how to get through a gameathon or are taking part in GameBlast16 please leave us a comment!

This post was written by msaveragejones