Wikipedia

Zeldathon

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
Official Zeldathon logo
GenreVideo game charity marathons
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)United States
InauguratedDecember 27, 2009; 14 years ago (2009-12-27)
FounderMatthew "MC" Moffit
Most recentAugust 13–20, 2024
Next eventTBD
Participants100+
Organized byKinstone, LLC
Websitezeldathon.net

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. On August 28, 2024 Matthew "MC" Moffit announced he is stepping down as Director of Zeldathon.[5]

Founding

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Zeldathon 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

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In 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.[6]

List of marathons

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There have been 30 mainline marathons to date.[7]

# 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[8]
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 [9][10]
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 [11]
9 Zeldathon Lives July 5, 2013 July 10, 2013 National Foundation for Transplants $53,039 120 Hours [12]
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 [13][14][15][16]
13 Zeldathon Relief December 27, 2014 January 2, 2015 Direct Relief $106,100 141 Hours [17][18]
14 Zeldathon Deluxe June 19, 2015 June 25, 2015 charity: water $196,097 140 Hours [19]
15 Zeldathon Hope December 27, 2015 January 2, 2016 Help Hope Live $251,554 147 Hours [20][21]
16 Zeldathon Recovery June 17, 2016 June 23, 2016 Direct Relief $230,077 148 Hours [22][23][24][25][26]
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 [27]
19 Zeldathon Wild June 5, 2017 June 11, 2017 The WILD Foundation $169,982 147 Hours [28][29][30][31]
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 [32][33]
21 Zeldathon Mission December 27, 2017 January 2, 2018 Direct Relief $224,665 149 Hours [34]
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 [35]
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+ 155 Hours [36]

Piece of Heart

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In addition to their primary marathons, in 2019 the Zeldathon Team announced Piece of Heart, a convention-based charity event featuring Zeldathon participants.[37]

# 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

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At 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.[38]

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.[39] 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,[40] with a new starting date of August 7 announced in July.[41]

# 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![42] October 28, 2022 October 31, 2022 Gamers Outreach Foundation $12,600 42 Hours Online-only Event
6 Waluigi's Arcade Heist![43] October 27, 2023 October 30, 2023 Starlight Children's Foundation $8,300 43 Hours Online-only Event

References

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  1. ^ Myers, Valerie. "Zeldathon to benefit children's cancer research". GoErie.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Fekos, Konstantine (July 12, 2014). "Charity marathon featuring Zelda gaming to benefit St. Jude's". Meadville Tribune. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "About Zeldathon". zeldathon.net. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "Money Making Game". kickstarter.com. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  5. ^ https://x.com/Zeldathon/status/1828840010692599841
  6. ^ "6 People Who Inspire Us With Courage, Strength and Selflessness". Help Hope Live. September 14, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  7. ^ "Zeldathon Timeline". zeldathon.net. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  8. ^ Bissoon, Neranjan 'Venom' (June 23, 2011). "Streaming for a good cause: Zeldathon and Mario Marathon". destructoid. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  9. ^ "Zeldathon for Child's Play". Child's Play. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  10. ^ Lien, Tracey (January 7, 2013). "Child's Play charity raised $5 million in 2012". Polygon. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  11. ^ Tach, Dave (December 27, 2012). "Zeldathon offers five days of Zelda for charity, streamed live". Polygon. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "Zeldathon a Huge Success for NFT!". www.transplants.org. National Foundation for Transplants. July 18, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ Fekos, Konstantine (July 18, 2014). "Zeldathon yields 'legendary' take of $101K for St. Jude's". Meadville Tribune. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Heraghty, Bryan (July 17, 2014). "Zeldathon Raises $100,000 in Donations". techraptor.net. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  17. ^ Futter, Mike (December 29, 2014). "Thirty-Three Gamers Participating In Charity 'Zeldathon' This Week". Retrieved May 4, 2018.[dead link‍]
  18. ^ "Zelda, The Legend, The Philanthropist". Direct Relief. December 17, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  19. ^ "New Zeldathon Revealed for the Summer: Live Stream for Charity". Zelda Dungeon. March 29, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  20. ^ "One Year Later: The Legacy and Impact of Zeldathon Hope". Help Hope Live. December 27, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  21. ^ "Zeldathon Hope: How The $250,000 Raised For HelpHOPELive Will Change Lives". Help Hope Live. January 8, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  22. ^ "Zeldathon, World's Most Legendary Gaming Marathon, Blasts Off for Charity" (Press release). Direct Relief. Retrieved May 4, 2018 – via www.prnewswire.com.
  23. ^ Paynter, Ben (July 7, 2016). "At Zeldathon, The Charity Race Meets The Game Controller". Fast Company. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  24. ^ "Playing Zelda for Charity: Zeldathon". Philanthropic People. June 23, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  25. ^ Lindquist, Joshua (June 22, 2016). "Annual Zeldathon event raising money for Direct Relief charity". Zelda Universe. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  26. ^ "Zeldathon Blasts Off for Charity". Direct Relief. June 15, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  27. ^ Johnson, Shona (December 29, 2016). "Zeldathon Cures streaming now; playing Zelda for charity". Zelda Universe. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  28. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (June 9, 2017). "Zeldathon Wild: The Best Moments So Far and What to Watch This Weekend". Shacknews. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  29. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (June 8, 2017). "A Livestreaming ZELDA Marathon Is Raising Money for Charity Right Now". Nerdist. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  30. ^ "Zeldathon gaming marathon put on by locals starts Monday". Meadville Tribune. June 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  31. ^ Etehad, Melissa (September 29, 2017). "When hurricanes hit, philanthropic video game enthusiasts came to the rescue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  32. ^ SuperMCGamer. Anything Other Than Zeldathon - Part 1. Luigi's Mansion. Retrieved May 4, 2018 – via Twitch.
  33. ^ SuperMCGamer. Anything Other Than Zeldathon - Part 2. Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Retrieved May 4, 2018 – via Twitch.
  34. ^ "Zeldathon charity event to raise money for Direct Relief". GamesIndustry.biz (Press release). December 21, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  35. ^ "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.
  36. ^ "We're excited to announce our next event! Zeldathon 1986: beginning August 13, 2024". Twitter. May 18, 2024.
  37. ^ "Piece of Heart - Trailer". YouTube. April 19, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  38. ^ "Zeldathon Update - 3.25.2020". YouTube. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  39. ^ "Join The #Zeldathon Team on June 5th for #SideQuest!". Twitter. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  40. ^ "#BlackLivesMatter". Twitter. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  41. ^ "#Zeldathon #SideQuest, benefiting @DirectRelief, will start on August 7th at 4PM EST!". Twitter. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  42. ^ "Coming to you this Halloweekend: Side Quest: Dampe's Twilight Tour!". Twitter. September 18, 2022.
  43. ^ "Coming to Twitch this October, Side Quest: Waluigi's Arcade Heist!". Twitter. September 4, 2023.
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