Desert Bus for Hope, a charity drive during which the internet sketch comedy group LoadingReadyRun plays through what is widely regarded as one of the worst video games of all time, is closing in on $80,000 after its first day.
During the charity drive, the LoadingReadyRun crew and friends play through the Desert Bus mini-game from the never-released Sega CD game, Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors. It asks players to drive a bus from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, keeping to a speed limit of 45 mph. It takes about eight hours of continuous play to complete. With nothing but sparse desert scenery and a bus that veers slightly to the right, it's pretty much torture to play.
Last year, Desert Bus for Hope raised more than $520,000, and so far it's on track to beating that record. This year's drive is Desert Bus' eighth, and it should hit a lifetime total of $2 million raised during its run.
LoadingReadyRun encourages viewers to donate by auctioning off gaming-related items donated by developers, and offering to do any number of silly things on camera. You can check out all the different items and donate on Desert Bus' official website.
All the money raised during the event goes towards the Child's Play Charity, which seeks to improve the lives of children in hospitals and domestic violence shelters by donating toys and video games.
If you want to really heighten your Desert Bus experience this year, you can also check out developer ShinyShoe's Desert Bus VR, a version of the game updated for the Oculus Rift.
Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on Twitter @emanuelmaiberg.
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