Student helps raise money for charity through video games

Elizabeth Jones
News Writing Student

Video games taken to extremes could describe the marathon tournament journalism student Chase Cook is competing in from now until Christmas.

Cook traveled to Iowa the weekend of Dec. 4 to participate in a 48-hour gaming marathon for charity. He helped raise money for the Child’s Play Charity through the Piece of Heart gaming marathon.

Child’s Play is a charity started by Penny-Arcade.com that gives money and toys to hospitals. Child’s Play volunteers dedicate their time delivering video games to the children so that during their hospital stay, they can check them out.

“It’s a wonderful charity that has raised millions of dollars for these children,” Cook said. “It brings together a wonderful community of gamers that want to give back to the less fortunate.”

The friendly competition between the U.S. and Australia began Dec. 4 and continued for two days without any interruptions, except for the changing of discs, Cook said.

He said the two locations, Iowa and Brisbane, Australia, had a live video link as the competitors played Ratchet and Clank, a popular gaming series.

People were encouraged to go the Web site where they could watch the game, participate in contests, and donate while the competitors were playing, Cook said.

“Ratchet and Clank is a combination of 3-D platforming and action-adventure,” he said. “Players take the role of the characters as they battle to save their homeworld. It is one of the few games that critics have said ‘feels like playing a Pixar movie.’"

While there is combat, Cook said, the series has a lighthearted tone with crazy guns and tons of humor.

The U.S. team consisted of Cook, Josh Quinnett and Nick Simberg.

“During the competition, at least one member of the team played the game, another operated the cameras, while the third slept,” Cook said. They rotated positions, as they got tired.

The Australian team consisted of James Pinnell, Simon Jones, Kim Peterson, Tam Nguyen and Haley McNeill. The competition was a race, so both teams started at 5 p.m. Central Standard Time and played through as fast as they could, operating one machine at a time.

“Only members and their close friends participated in playing the games; however, anyone could participate by donating," Cook said. "Every dollar that was donated went straight to the Child’s Play Fund.”

The Child's Play Web site states that since 2003, 100,000 gamers worldwide have participated through the Child’s Play organization. The charity focuses on children’s hospitals and over the past five years has raised more than $5 million in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids across the world.

Cook said he found out about the Web site by searching for journalism jobs on Google. He said he has been playing video games since he was a little boy.

“It wasn’t until recently that I realized video games are a medium that can tell stories as well as, or better than, movies and books," Cook said.

He admits to being an above average player, but he wouldn’t consider himself someone that plays in tournaments, since he enjoys the stories more than the competition.

Cook has actively been volunteering with the Child’s Play charity for six months and said it is what motivated him to pursue journalism.

Cook said he would love to work in the video game or entertainment field in the future.