Bay Area Gamers Break Records for Extra Life 2017!

It was another historic year for Extra Life – a 24 hour gaming marathon where gamers raise funds for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. In the Bay Area, over 650 gamers of all types played video games, board games, pinball and more to raise funds for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

Many Bay Area companies in the video game industry rallied their employees to participate. Setting up streams on Twitch.tv and joining colleagues in gaming tournaments within their offices. Employees of Imgur HQ in downtown San Francisco hosted a 24 hour gaming event open to the community where they crushed their fundraising goal of raising 10K!

Others in the community rallied family and friends to game in unique ways. Inspired by the patients he teaches every day at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, school teacher, and pinball wizard, Andrei along with his friend Gene hosted a 24 hour pinball tournament at the Myriad in San Francisco where they raised $2,000 through family and friends.

As Game Day weekend came to a close over $400,000 had been raised for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, the most ever raised on Game Day weekend! Since it’s inception in 2008, millions of dollars raised through Extra Life have gone toward critical funding areas within UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. This includes areas like uncompensated care, social services, and child life programming.

Extra Life began as a tribute to one brave little girl from Orange, Texas. Since then thousands of Extra Lifer’s have found their own inspirations for why they participate. This includes our very own Ashley of team Playing With Fire who games in memory of a dear friend who was treated at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Hear what Ashley has to say about what Extra Life means to her in her own words: