FAQ

What’s the purpose of the weekend?
Minecraft Marathon benefits Child’s Play Charity, an organization that provides books and games to children in hospitals. You can find out more about them here.
What is a gaming fundraising marathon?
A gaming fundraising marathon is where a group gets together and streams a live video feed of a game being played until a set time or money goal has been reached. Typically, the hosts interact with the viewers, thanking them for incoming donations, and auctioning or raffling related prizes. Two great examples of successful marathons include Desert Bus for Hope and the Mario Marathon.
When is the event?
Minecraft Marathon runs from noon PST (UTC-8) on January 13, through 5:00pm on January 15.
Will you be doing Single Player? Multiplayer? Creative? Adventure Maps?
We will have a local group of gamers doing team-based competitions and objectives. Our second server will be a creative server, and we will be streaming our creations throughout the weekend. Wil Wheaton has commanded us to build an Evil Wil Wheaton colossus, so that’ll be part of it too!
How can I help?
Before the event, we need help spreading the world. Please link to our site, follow us on Twitter, and retweet our tweets. If you have prizes that you’d like to donate, please contact info [at] minecraftmarathon [dot] org. Once the event starts on January 13th, tune into this website, watch us live, chat with us, bid on auctions, and send some money to Child’s Play!
What is your server IP/Skype name?
Minecraft Marathon is an interactive viewing event. We will be playing Minecraft, and our audience can watch us, chat with us, win prizes, and bid in auctions. At this time, we are not looking for additional players.
Can I be a special guest?
We expect to draw a large audience during the marathon. If you are noteworthy within the Minecraft or nerd community and would like to play or chat with us, please email us at info [at] minecraftmarathon [dot] org.
So who will be playing on your servers?
The majority of people on our team survival and creative servers will be PAX Enforcers and Minecon Agents. All players on the team survival server will be with us in person, in Seattle. It gives us complete control over the event, and makes it easier to coordinate.
No really, how do I play in the marathon?
Sorry, we are not looking for additional players at this time.
Can I send items for you to auction?
Please note that we cannot accept most items now, so close to the event. If you have a special item that can reach us in time, you can make arrangements by sending an email to info [at] minecraftmarathon [dot] org. If it’s something that we can take, we will give you an address to send to.
What do you do with all the money?
We use a service called Chipin to track donations, and it goes directly to Child’s Play’s paypal account. Additionally, our auctions will be handled through eBay, and will go straight to Child’s Play. Less hassle for us, more secure for you.
Are you those Minethon guys?
No, but they’re nice people and you should check them out too! They’ve said that they were unaware of Minecraft Marathon when they started to plan their event, and with a shorter planning period, were about to raise over four thousand dollars! We’ve been planning since September, and hope to be an even bigger success! But whatever we raise, it’s all for the same cause.
Are you affiliated with Mojang?
We helped to run their convention, Minecon, and have worked with them to offer some fantastic prizes, but we do not work for Mojang (we totally wish we did).
Are you affiliated with Child’s Play?
We worked at the annual Child’s Play Dinner and Auction, and have supported Child’s Play events in the past, but we are not a part of Child’s Play.
I have a question that was not answered here.
Please contact us on Twitter or email us at info [at] minecraftmarathon [dot] org.