Desert Bus for Charity

[coreys429]

There is a group of guys playing this game for charity. If you do not know what the desert bus is here is a link to it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_&_Teller's_Smoke_and_Mirrors#Desert_Bus

The game is basically a bus simulator driving from Tucson Arizona to Las Vegas going 45mph. It takes 8 hours to do.

http://desertbus.org/ Check it out. These guys are going for a long haul for driving more then 80hours to come.

[ccovell]

That is awesome! It's great to see some social benefit coming from an unreleased Sega CD game.

[coreys429]

They have to play for a total so far for 94 hours. Gah I can't stand to be in a car more then 3 hours driving.

[swlovinist]

This is totally awsome. I got to play this abonimation a couple of years ago. I hope they raise alot of money!

[TheRedEye]

Dude, Eddie Gorodetsky, the guy who created Desert Bus, donated $500. That is AWESOME.

[Wolfrider31]

ROFLMAO. I'm watching the live feed, and it looks like they're about to die. For a good cause though.

[TheRedEye]

It's really terrible that we ruined the legacy of this treasured, coveted game by allowing people to play it :(

That poor, poor legacy, so much more valuable than $11k in charity for sick kids.

[Pantechnicon]

This is insane...in the best way possible for something to be insane. :hail:.

Are there any DP'ers here who live in Tucson or thereabouts who've really made this sort of pilgrimage to, say, CGE, and can give some additional perspective?

[TheRedEye]

I've driven Tucson to Vegas, it's not as incredibly boring as the game makes it seem, though it is bad.

Vegas to Reno, on the other hand, is a literal recreation of Desert Bus. It's a straight line with absolutely no scenery.

[MachineGex]

I have tried to download this game a few times and always had a hell of a time burning it. I still to this day can't figure it out. Everyone says how easy it is, I must be really stupid. One day I will play this.

[2Dskillz]

Man, that is some real self abuse. I would love to see the 3 or 4 points they build up in the process though.

[BocoDragon]

I'm pretty sure these guys are in my city of Victoria, since I glanced over a newspaper story about them today. They picked a good time to do this... it's cold and wet outside. Desert Bus might actually be a welcome change.

[boatofcar]

You're right--

Article Link (http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/games/story.html?id=e51af44e-3d53-48a7-989a-4d975d9dc082&k=60017)

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/133a26b3-7939-4ba4-b93e-0c570ecf1751/videogame.jpg

Gamers risk going comatose to raise funds for kids' charity
Rob Shaw , Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, November 22, 2007
A group of iron-willed young Victoria men, in peak physical condition, is planning a heroic feat of endurance tomorrow to benefit a children's charity.
Their goal: Play the world's most boring, frustrating and all-round worst video game for more than three days straight. "The idea is sort of like the 24-hour relay, only with video games, and much longer than 24 hours," said Paul Saunders, one of the organizer of the event, and a member of Victoria humour group LoadingReadyRun.
They hope to raise $5,000 with the marathon, which will see four men take turns in front of a television for three and a half days straight, while their plight is broadcast via Internet webcam.

View Larger Image
James Turner takes one for the team, suffering through a stint of Desert Bus, a 1995 Sega release described by many veteran gamers as the worst video game of all time. Turner and three compatriots will be boring themselves silly over a three-and-a-half day stretch starting tomorrow, but for a good cause. Their marathon feat of endurance is designed to raise funds for the children's charity Child's Play.
Darren Stone, Times Colonist


Email to a friend

Printer friendly
Font:

The money goes to Seattle-based Child's Play, a charity that raised more than $1 million last year to buy video games and toys for children in U.S. and Canadian hospitals.
So far, the Victoria group has collected $1,000 in donations from online fans and gamers who might not otherwise donate to charity. And they'll continue to solicit donations via the webcam during their marathon. The more money donated, the longer they are forced to sit and play.
"The mixture of generosity and spite is a really powerful thing," said Saunders.
They'll be playing Desert Bus, a 1995 Sega CD game some people call the worst video game of all time -- perhaps even worse than Atari's infamous 1983 dud E.T. The Extraterrestrial (a game so bad the company buried the unsold copies in the New Mexico desert).
Created by magicians Penn and Teller (who had tongues firmly in cheek), the entire point of Desert Bus is to drive between Tucson, Ariz., and Las Vegas, Nev. in real time at 72 km/h.
The trip takes eight hours each way. And, in a twist of what is assuredly some sort of evil genius, the bus veers to the right, requiring a gamer to correct the vehicle's course every few seconds. If you leave the road, the bus is towed back to Tucson.
James Turner, Bill Watt, Morgan vanHumbeck and Saunders, all 24 years old, will take four-hour shifts behind the virtual wheel, supported by a pit crew of friends who will undoubtedly prepare copious snacks and caffeinated beverages. They start the "Desert Bus for Hope" marathon tomorrow at 6 p.m.

[coreys429]

They are up to $20K in money for charity. Props to them on driving that long.

[Kitsune Sniper]

The poor, poor bastards.

[boatofcar]

You don't want to know how much time I spend looking at the bus and driver cam :eek 2:

[sidnotcrazy]

This is great, I love that they are playing Desert Bus for charity. On a side note, just how many DP regulars have played Desert Bus, or any part of Penn and Tellers game for that matter? I am not what you would consider a regular on this board, but I have yet to play it.

[coreys429]

I want to, I just dont have a sega cd to play it on. I'll wait for it for now.

[MachineGex]

This is great, I love that they are playing Desert Bus for charity. On a side note, just how many DP regulars have played Desert Bus, or any part of Penn and Tellers game for that matter? I am not what you would consider a regular on this board, but I have yet to play it.

I have tried several times to burn this game, all of them turned out to be coasters. If anyone could help me out, give me a shout via PM. I downloaded the fan-made cover art which I would love to finally print out. Someone also posted a copy of the instructions. It would be pretty cool to print everything and have a professional looking game of this.

[dlopez9069]

its over but man thats quite a bit of money