From Nov. 3 at 8 a.m. until Nov. 4 at 8 a.m. Extra Life, a non-profit charity organization will host its nationwide day of play.

William Martinez, former SIU student, said every year Extra Life has a Nationwide Day of Play where major streamer and average players gather and stream, anything of their choosing, while trying to raise as much money as they can for charity.

“The rules are simple, you have to stream for 24 hours straight,” Steven Brunner, sophomore computer science major, said.   

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Martinez said Extra Life is a non-profit charity organization.

“Extra life works hand-in-hand with companies such as Children Miracle Network Hospitals, […] and Twitch, a live video streaming video platform, to help raise money for kids in need through video games and streaming,” Martinez said.

Extra Life benefits many hospitals that Children Miracle Networks reaches, Martinez said. All the money raised by you in this event will go to any hospital a part of the network of your choosing.  

“With all the money gained throughout the year, the Extra Life company give every penny back to children in need, by giving them equipment and medical supplies they need as well as entertainment to enjoy themselves just as we do.” Martinez said.

Martinez found out about Extra Life through a company called Rooster Teeth Film Productions, an American media and entertainment company.

“They alone raised over 1.2 million dollars for this charity,” Martinez said. “They do all sorts of activities and segments which made me want to do just that with a group of friends on my own.”

Martinez brought Extra Life to SIU in the fall of 2018.

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“Bringing it to SIU wasn’t hard at all, anyone can start their own group,” Martinez said. “You just have to make a name, grab some games, either board games or PC gaming, hook it up and hit stream. Just like that you will have started making a difference!”

Martinez said SIU made only $100-200, but as more people join, the more money can be raised.

Rish Chalam, sophomore Cinema and Photography major, said he was a part of Augmented Salukis when he participated in a previous Extra Life event.

“Participating in Extra Life was awesome. It was a night full of laughter, livestreaming the game Injustice,” Chalam said.

Hundreds of thousands of people join in on this nationwide day of play, Martinez said. Often times players will stream before and after to continue the hype of charity raising.

“As for my team, I had about 10-15ish friends in Carbondale that joined me to goof off, lose matches, win clutches, and just have a good time for this event,” Martinez said. “You can have as many people in your group as you want.”

Extra Life gives students a chance to do good while doing something they love.

“I’ve only participated for one year, but the best part of Extra Life, to me, was how it was a way to support a charity, while also doing what I love and spending quality time with friends,” Brunner said.

Chalam said the Augmented Salukis donated to HSHS St. John’s Hospital.

“HSHS St. John’s Hospital which is partnered with SIU Healthcare actually,” Chalam said. “We choose hospitals of our choices. So, we chose this one because it well works with our healthcare system.”

Some students found out about Extra Life through YouTube.

“I found out about it initially by watching a bunch of YouTube videos, but I never knew exactly what it was until last year when Will told me about it,” Nic DeDominicis, a sophomore studying Cinema and Photography, said.  

Martinez said he has about 13 participants so far for this year’s nationwide day of play.

Martinez said this event gives opportunities to himself and others to enjoy gaming while making a difference in other’s lives.

“Every penny counts, so if you have the chance to donate anything towards this cause I highly suggest you do,” Martinez said. “You can go to extra-life.org, and search up Augmented Salukis to donate to our team or just support a random team of your choosing.”

Staff reporter Emily Cooper can be reached at ecooper@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @ecooper212.

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