GameDay 2011, a fundraiser put together by gamers who support the International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum, will take place during Memorial Day weekend, from May 27 to May 29, 2011.

If you're wondering what IVGHOF is, here's a quote from the organization's website:

The International Video Game Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring excellence in the field of electronic gaming by recognizing the champions, industries and professionals related to this popular activity. They will build and maintain a state-of-the-art interactive facility in Ottumwa, Iowa that will contain historical archive exhibits describing the milestones of the video game industry and will preserve significant video gaming relics, memorabilia and artifacts of the times past and present.

I strongly urge gamers from around the world to show their support by live-streaming themselves playing a game or attempting to set or break a world record. The goal is to raise money through donations for the International Video Game Hall of Fame & Museum. GameDay 2011’s target is $25,000. Those interested can donate around the clock and shouldn't hesitate to contribute if they're in a giving mood. Check out the IVGHOF website, and click "donate."

 

To put minds at ease, this is strictly for charity. All contributions go directly to the IVGHOF, which is registered with the IRS as a charity — that's a 501(c)(3) non-profit in legalese. As such, all donations are tax-deductible.

Donations go through ChipIn, so the organizations can track the total amount donated. (ChipIn is a free-of-charge service.) ChipIn forwards all donations directly to the IVGHOF’s PayPal account, so they can pay bills and build their facility.

Are you a company owner looking to sponsor the event? Send an email to sponsor [at] gamedayshow [dot] com, and you’re off and running. 

GameDay 2011 shirts are available as well, and those interested can purchase them from 8 Bit Designs. All money from shirt sales goes directly to the IVGHOF, except cost of materials and shipping.

To view the streams, we (those involved) have created a website specifically for this event. On the weekend of, you'll be able to pick from a list of streams currently airing. This makes jumping from stream to stream a snap. The site also features two chat rooms: one to chat about the general event (on the left) and one to chat about the particular stream you've chosen (on the right).

We've also set up an alert system that will notify viewers when a world record is about to be set or broken. You will actually have the chance to see the establishment of several world records happen live! Below is an incomplete list of gamers and the titles they'll be playing. (More are coming every day as GameDay 2011 draws closer.)

  • Bobby Wilson — Rock n' Roll Racing, Kick
  • Chad Brunsvold — Various Nintendo 64 and GameCube titles
  • Christopher Tirpak — Fallout 3, Mortal Kombat (2011), Tatsunoko vs. Capcom
  • Dan Cunningham — Call of Duty: Black Ops, FortressCraft
  • Dan Phillips — Hosting a fundraiser in Green Bay, Wisconsin (more details)
  • Dennis Weaver — Mortal Kombat (2011), Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX
  • Empire Arcadia — To be announced
  • Eric Akeson — To be announced
  • Eric Cummings (that's me!) — Castlevania, Capcom Classics Collection, Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2, Midway Arcade Treasures
  • James Sorge — Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden 2, Ninja Gaiden 3
  • Josh Houslander — To be announced
  • Kelly Tharp — To be announced
  • Liz Bolinger — Dance Central, Dance Dance Revolution Universe, Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3
  • Marc Cohen — Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection, Rock Band, Rock Band 3, The Beatles: Rock Band, NBA Jam, Pac-Mania, Gran Turismo 5
  • Michael Dudley — Duck Hunt, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • Michael Sroka — Rock Band 3
  • Mike Estep — Dragster, Cool Spot
  • Patrick O'Malley — To be announced
  • Patrick Scott Patterson — Tetris (versus 1990 Nintendo World Champion Thor Aackerlund)
  • Paul Zimmerman – A bunch of Atari 2600, WiiWare, and Virtual Console games
  • Phil Day — To be announced
  • Robert Gray — Crazy Kong
  • Rudy J. Ferretti — Multiple world-record attempts
  • Russell Archey — Dynamite Headdy, Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril
  • Ryan Intellivision — Namco Museum, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
  • Tim McVey — To be announced
  • Tom Votava — Mario Bros.
  • More to come

Game streaming is becoming more and more popular. How often do you get to see a world record being established on a live broadcast? My guess is not too often because secrets and strategies will be on display that some record holders would rather you not see. That's all the more reason to tune in!

Our website, www.gamedayshow.com, is up and running and the donate button is fully operational.

As a last thought, we are also looking for people interested in logistics like organizing the streams, promoting the event, or both. If you're itching to help out or want to stream yourself playing a game, fill out the form, and become a part of history.