GameBlast18: January 2018 update
Later Levels is taking part in GameBlast18 for SpecialEffect, an amazing UK-based charity which puts fun and inclusion back into the lives of those with physical disabilities by helping them to play video games. To find out more, please visit the official website or take a look at this post.
Since signing up for GameBlast18 last month, the lads and I have been trying to come up with weird and wonderful ideas for our marathon stream in March. Last year we went all out: we played video games live on air for 72-hours; there were fundraising forfeits which saw us dressing up and playing while blindfolded; and there were giveaways, including a bunch of great prizes from the lovely team at Excalibur Games.
So we have two problems on our hands. First, how on earth do we top all that? And second, how do we impress when adult responsibilities mean we’re not going to be able to put on as big an event this year? Hell, we can’t even hold our stream on the official dates due to existing commitments and are therefore having to do it the following weekend… is all hope lost?
Let’s go retro
Not at all: if we can’t do a massive three-day stream, then let’s do the opposite and go retro. We all used to love getting friends over on a Saturday night for a gaming session that lasted into the early hours of the morning so why don’t we try to evoke that old-school feeling with a 24-hour marathon? We just need some good video games, plenty of snacks to keep us going, lots of laughter – and of course, you guys.
That means we’re looking for games which aren’t necessarily old, but which capture that vibe. Couch co-ops which inspire a bit of competition and friendly rivalry. Horror games which have everyone sitting on the edge of the sofa before screaming at a jump-scare and then teasing each other. Action titles so ridiculously hard that you end up passing on the controller to the next person every two minutes.
The Wheel of Forfeit
And forfeits: what’s a charity stream without forfeits? Last year we accepted suggestions from the community and entered them into a Wheel of Forfeit, which was then spun when we hit a fundraising target. We ended up playing Octodad one-handed, talking like pirates for an hour, walking on a bed of Lego and eating Carolina Reaper chilis. You lot sure do like to punish us in the name of a good cause.
We’d like to do something similar for GameBlast18 and so we’ll be spinning the Wheel whenever we hit a £50 milestone forwards our £400 goal for SpecialEffect. We just need to figure out which challenges to put on it this time – ones which won’t cause any reputational damage to the charity. Our own reputations on the other hand are an entirely different matter.
Over to you guys
Do you have an idea for a game we could play? Or a challenge you’d like to put forward for our Wheel of Forfeit this year? We’d love to hear your suggestions – please leave them in the comments below so we can include them in our stream, kicking off on our Twitch channel at 08:00 on Saturday, 03 March 2018.
Why not consider signing up for GameBlast18 yourself or even joining our team for the event? More details can be found on the official website, and you can stay up-to-date on our fundraising progress by heading over to our JustGiving page. We’ll bring you further news next month!
Kim View All
Video game lover, Later Levels blogger and SpecialEffect volunteer. Big fan of wannabe pirates and fine leather jackets.
I’m doing my one on the Thursday rather than the weekend of it due to being at a wedding. The parts of your I caught last year were great so I hope you enjoy it again. For a forfeit, perhaps you could purchase a game that is rated one of the worst of all time and have the victim play that for the next hour?
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Hang on… I’m going to a wedding on the official GameBlast weekend too… spooky! 😮
Your forfeit has been added to the list. Now for some research into the worst games so I can make sure we have it ready to go on the day.
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Good luck with this!
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Thank you, keep your fingers crossed for us! 😉
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Will do! Hopefully I’ll be able to watch some of the stream.
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Say hello if you do, we’ll make sure to give you a shout-out!
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This sounds like it’ll be a blast! Double Jump is now following you on Twitch. 🙂
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And Later Levels is now following you too!
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Thanks!
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This sounds like great fun. Good luck with achieving your goal. I’ll add you as a follow on Twitch and hopefully be able to catch some of your stream.
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Oh and Mario Kart, play a Mario Kart. It’s one of those games that really works as an old-school get together type. And, my friends and I found The Disney Afternoon Collection to be great fun passing the controller back and forth either between deaths or levels.
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We’ve got a multiplayer section scheduled for the stream so Mario Kart will fit in nicely!
*goes off to borrow stepson’s Wii U to get some practice in*
And The Disney Afternoon Collection is a good choice too. I’ve read a lot of positive posts about it, and it’ll give us the chance to relive our childhoods.
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Say hello if you get the opportunity… although I can’t advise how sensible the conversation will be, due to lack of sleep. 😉
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Hmmm… I’ll have a think of something suitably excellent for the wheel of forfeits. Looking forward to tuning in again this year!
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You did a great job at keeping us sane last year. The least we could do is add your forfeit to the Wheel.
*prays for something not too painful*
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So when we were kids, my sister and I would play Sonic the hedgehog with our feet… So maybe if you’re feeling particular toe dexterous something like 10 minutes of foot controlled gaming (… You may want to test this idea out first… And have some clean participation socks on standby… )
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Ok, it’s now on the list. I’d best get in training…
*flexes toes*
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Well the one good thing is I’m now following your Twitch account 😀
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Aw thank you, I’m following straight back!
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You should do a speed run of Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy in under 3 minutes. Good luck! 😂
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What the hell… ha ha ha
I’ve just added this one into our forfeit list.
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The human body can handle only so much pain. 😈
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I also need to think about what I want to do haha! Good luck to everyone! ❤
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There’s still over a month to plan… let us know when you decide to do an event and we’ll stop by!
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I will let you know!
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