Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury video gamer completed two types of marathon in one weekend

A committed video gamer completed two different types of marathon last weekend to raise money for people with disabilities.

Published
Last updated
Rob Walker completed two different types of gaming marathons

Rob Walker, manager of Game in Shrewsbury, took part in the UK's biggest gaming marathon weekend, GameBlast, in aid of Special Effect.

The charity uses technology to help people with disabilities to benefit from the fun of video games.

On Friday, Rob walked 26.2 miles on his treadmill at home while playing the popular game Fortnite.

The following day, he and his wife Amy, joined by two friends, played video games continuously for 24 hours.

"A lot of people have said playing video games for 24 hours straight is easy so I wanted to do something new," Rob said.

"I started at 9am and finished at about 6pm. I streamed it all on Twitch and played Fortnite because it's such a popular game and people enjoy watching it."

It is the third year in a row Rob and Amy have participated in GameBlast and have raised more than £2,200 for charity.

Rob is hoping to raise £950 from this year's efforts and has so far received £515 in donations.

He added: "Thankfully my wife is quite into games so we played lots of fun multiplayer games like Tricky Towers, Overcooked and Gang Beasts.

"Lots of people spend hours playing a game when a new release comes out but playing for 24 hours straight isn't as easy as it sounds. But we did have a lot of fun doing it.

"I'm already planning next year's challenge and I'm hoping to do something bigger and better."

To sponsor Rob justgiving.com/fundraising/gameblast19