Zeldathon

Last updated

Zeldathon
Zeldathon Logo 2020.png
Genre Video game charity marathons
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)United States
InauguratedDecember 27, 2009;15 years ago (2009-12-27)
FounderMatthew "MC" Moffit
Most recentJune 9, 2025–June 15, 2025
Next eventTBD
Participants100+
Organized byKinstone, LLC (2009-2024)
Overproduced, LLC (2025-present)
Website zeldathon.net

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]

Contents

As of 2024, more than 100 people from across the world had 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 was stepping down as director of Zeldathon. [5]

Founding

Zeldathon was first organized in late 2009 by 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

In September 2016, the Zeldathon Team was awarded the "Help Award" by Help Hope Live, [6] 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. [7]

List of marathons

There have been 31 mainline marathons to date. [8]

#TitleStart dateEnd dateCharityTotal raisedDurationNotes
1Zeldathon for CharityDecember 27, 2009December 30, 2009 Child's Play $30172 hours
2Zeldathon for the American Cancer SocietyJune 19, 2010June 22, 2010 American Cancer Society $3,32272 hoursa.k.a. Zeldathon ACS
3Zeldathon for the American Diabetes AssociationDecember 27, 2010January 1, 2011 American Diabetes Association $4,001120 hoursa.k.a. Zeldathon ADA
4Zeldathon QuestJune 22, 2011June 24, 2011RJ's College Fund$2,67248 hoursMini-marathon [9]
5Zeldathon for the American Red CrossJuly 19, 2011July 23, 2011 American Red Cross $13,28096 hoursa.k.a. Zeldathon ARC
6Zeldathon Child's PlayDecember 29, 2011January 5, 2012Child's Play$15,473170 hours [10] [11]
7Ultimate ZeldathonJuly 7, 2012July 12, 2012Child's Play$27,176120 hours
8Zeldathon WaterDecember 27, 2012January 1, 2013 charity: water $45,874120 hours [12]
9Zeldathon LivesJuly 5, 2013July 10, 2013National Foundation for Transplants$53,039120 hours [13]
10Zeldathon: Headstone for a HeroOctober 4, 2013October 6, 2013Zachary's Headstone [14] $10,20248 hoursMini-marathon
11Zeldathon St. JudeDecember 27, 2013January 1, 2014 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital $54,965120 hours
12Zeldathon AdventureJuly 10, 2014July 17, 2014St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$97,251156 hours [15] [16] [17] [18]
13Zeldathon ReliefDecember 27, 2014January 2, 2015 Direct Relief $106,100141 hours [19] [20]
14Zeldathon DeluxeJune 19, 2015June 25, 2015charity: water$196,097140 hours [21]
15Zeldathon HopeDecember 27, 2015January 2, 2016Help Hope Live [6] $251,554147 hours [22] [23]
16Zeldathon RecoveryJune 17, 2016June 23, 2016Direct Relief$230,077148 hours [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]
17Zeldathon ClassicOctober 14, 2016October 17, 2016Child's Play$27,54672 hoursMini-marathon
18Zeldathon CuresDecember 27, 2016January 2, 2017St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$376,157143 hours [29]
19Zeldathon WildJune 5, 2017June 11, 2017 WILD Foundation $169,982147 hours [30] [31] [32] [33]
20Anything Other Than ZeldathonSeptember 29, 2017October 2, 2017Help Hope Live$26,80375 hoursMini-marathon - did not play Zelda titles [34] [35]
21Zeldathon MissionDecember 27, 2017January 2, 2018Direct Relief$224,665149 hours [36]
22Zeldathon ChampionsJune 15, 2018June 21, 2018St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$160,013144 hours
23Zeldathon ResponseDecember 27, 2018January 2, 2019Direct Relief$165,000145 hours
24Zeldathon HealsJune 13, 2019June 20, 2019Help Hope Live$170,049164 hours
25Zeldathon ForcesDecember 27, 2019January 3, 2020St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$173,700153 hours10-year anniversary
26Zeldathon AscentDecember 27, 2021January 2, 2022St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$176,843147 hours
27Zeldathon DaybreakAugust 2, 2022August 8, 2022Direct Relief$125,800145 hours
28Zeldathon EchoesJuly 6, 2023July 12, 2023charity: water$137,400151 hours [37]
29Zeldathon DimensionsDecember 27, 2023January 2, 2024 Make-A-Wish Foundation $112,445149 hours
30Zeldathon 1986August 13, 2024August 20, 2024St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$105,822155 hours [38]
31Zeldathon VoyageJune 9, 2025June 15, 2025charity: water$123,500134 hours

Piece of Heart

In addition to their primary marathons, in 2019 the Zeldathon Team announced Piece of Heart, a convention-based charity event featuring Zeldathon participants. [39]

#TitleStart dateEnd dateVenueCharityTotal raisedDurationNotes
1Piece of HeartMay 24, 2019May 26, 2019 MomoCon 2019 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$16,05126 hoursFinal duration excludes breaks between days.
2Piece of HeartMay 26, 2022May 29, 2022 MomoCon 2022 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$20,12242 hoursFinal duration excludes breaks between days.

Side Quest

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. [40]

It was also 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. [41] 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, [42] with a new starting date of August 7 announced in July. [43]

#TitleStart dateEnd dateCharityTotal raisedDurationNotes
1Side QuestAugust 7, 2020August 12, 2020Direct Relief$72,127127 hoursOnline-only event
2Take to the Seas!December 26, 2020January 2, 2021charity: water$87,887172 hoursOnline-only event
3A Fantastic Journey!June 11, 2021June 18, 2021Direct Relief$78,250157 hoursOnline-only event
4Banana Slamma!September 17, 2021September 19, 2021 Starlight Children's Foundation $8,04548 hoursOnline-only event
5Dampe's Twilight Tour! [44] October 28, 2022October 31, 2022 Gamers Outreach Foundation $12,60042 hoursOnline-only event, final duration excludes breaks between days
6Waluigi's Arcade Heist! [45] October 27, 2023October 30, 2023Starlight Children's Foundation$8,30043 hoursOnline-only event, final duration excludes breaks between days
7Winter MasqueradeDecember 29, 2024January 2, 2025Starlight Children's Foundation$29,05670 hoursFinal duration excludes breaks between days.

References

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