Skip to content
CGMagazine
  • News
  • ArticlesExpand
    • Buyers Guides
    • Features
    • Interviews
    • Previews
    • Spotlight
    • The Vault
  • ReviewsExpand
    • Game Reviews
    • Comic Reviews
    • Anime Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • Tabletop Reviews
    • Hardware Reviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • TV Reviews
  • Guides
  • Magazine
  • MediaExpand
    • Podcasts
    • Video
    • Sound Off
    • First Fifteen
    • Weekly Goods
    • Video Interviews
    • Video Reviews
  • Store
  • Newswire
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
CGMagazine
Desert Bus for Hope Charity Kicks Off Today 1

Desert Bus for Hope Charity Kicks Off Today

  • Robert B. Marks Robert B. Marks
  • November 17, 2017
  • 3 Minute Read

Desert Bus for Hope is an annual charity telethon on Twitch that raises money for Child’s Play. It kicks off on Friday, November 17 at 10:00 AM PST, and runs for about a week. A group of comics and volunteers headed by Victoria’s Loading Ready Run plays Desert Bus for as long as viewers keep donating money. Last year, they raised $695,242.57, and this year, they might break $700,000.

Desert Bus is a game created by Penn and Teller to show what a realistic video game would look like, and it competes with Daikatana for the title of the worst video game ever made. The player drives a bus from Tucson, Arizona, to Las Vegas, Nevada…in real time. It takes eight hours. If they get there, they get a point, and have to drive back. And, the bus lists to the right. If the bus crashes, it gets towed back…in real time.

Desert Bus for Hope Charity Kicks Off Today 1
(photo credit to Andrew Ferguson www.goldengod.net

They also perform improv, turn themselves into the puppets of the Twitch chat by doing challenges, carry out giveaways, silent auctions, and live auctions, and have celebrity call-ins. This year, for example, the writer of Rogue One, Gary Whitta is calling in at 4:00 PM PST on Saturday, November 18th.

All of the donations are handled through the Desert Bus homepage, with the money going directly to Child’s Play. If you want to participate in the live auctions, you’re going to need to link your Desert Bus account to your Twitch account, as they’re all done in chat.

The live auctions can be insane—items rarely go for under $1,000, and a packet of silica gel once sold to Notch (the creator of Minecraft) for $10,000. So, if you want to stand a chance at winning one of the live auctions, you’re going to need a budget of at least $5,000, if not more. The silent auctions are a bit more affordable—they tend to stay under $1,500.

The team driving the bus picks a figure for the donation drive (like $7.01), and everybody who donates a multiple of that amount gets entered into a draw (with one entry for every multiple – so if you donate $14.02, you get two entries, and if you donate $21.03, you get three, etc.). At the end of that donation drive, they draw the winning entry using a computer. If you win, they ship it to you using the address you provided when you created your Desert Bus account. And they ship them out FAST—prizes have been known to arrive before the telethon is over.

With the setup they’ve got right now, Child’s Play can outfit a hospital room with a complete video game system for under $20. Think about that—for less than the cost of an indie game on Steam, you can help not only a sick child and their family, but every single child and family who use that room after them. That’s a really low barrier to making a huge difference for the better in a lot of lives.


Liked this article and want to read more like it? Check out more by Robert B. Marks such as Creating Dread: The Design Decisions Behind Horror Games and How Diablo Became an Instant Classic!

Want to see more videos? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and check out the First 15: Star Wars Battlefront II, Sonic Forces + Episode Shadow, and  Super Mario Odyssey!

Don’t forget to tune in every Friday the Pixels & Ink Podcast to hear the latest news, previews, and in-depth game discussions!

Never miss when new CGM articles go out by following us on Twitter and Facebook!

CGMagazine is Canada’s premiere comics and gaming magazine. Subscribe today to get the best of CGM delivered right to your door! Never miss when a new issue goes live by subscribing to our newsletter! Signing up gives you exclusive entry into our contest pool. Sign up once, you’ll have a chance to win! Sign up today!

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Robert B. Marks

Robert B. Marks

Robert B. Marks wears many hats, only two of which are a Stetson or Tilly - he is an author, editor, publisher, military historian, and university instructor. He lives in the area of Kingston, Ontario, with his wife and daughter.
All Articles

Must Read

Samsung Note 20 Ultra Review 18

Gaming on the Go: Talking Note 20 as Gaming Alternative

Samsung Reveals Galaxy S21 Lineup at Unpacked 2021 5

Samsung Reveals Galaxy S21 Lineup at Unpacked 2021

ASUS ROG Line Expands With RTX 30 Series and 11th Gen Intel CPUs 12

ASUS ROG Line Expands With RTX 30 Series and 11th Gen Intel CPUs

MORE FROM Robert B. Marks

Command & Conquer Remastered Review

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection Review

HBO’s Watchmen: What It All Meant 4

HBO’s Watchmen: What It All Meant

Why the Best James Bond will never Appear on the Screen

Why the Best James Bond will Never Appear on the Screen

What the Critical Backlash Against Midway Means for Cinema 2

What the Critical Backlash Against Midway Means for Cinema

CGMagazine Logo

Advertise with us
Jobs @ CGMagazine
© 2020 CGMagazine Publishing Group

Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Linkedin
Instagram
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Policies
  • Jobs
  • Contests
  • CNW News
Menu
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Policies
  • Jobs
  • Contests
  • CNW News
  • News
  • Articles
    • Buyers Guides
    • Features
    • Interviews
    • Previews
    • Spotlight
    • The Vault
  • Reviews
    • Game Reviews
    • Comic Reviews
    • Anime Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • Tabletop Reviews
    • Hardware Reviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • TV Reviews
  • Guides
  • Magazine
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Video
    • Sound Off
    • First Fifteen
    • Weekly Goods
    • Video Interviews
    • Video Reviews
  • Store
  • Newswire
Search