Longest Videogames Marathon Playing a Card Game: 30-Hour Videogame Marathon sets world record (VIDEO) New York, NY, USA -- Kathleen Hankel, a 68-year-old grandmother from New Jersey, and Laura Rich in London,
played Solitaire Blitz on Facebook for 30 consecutive hours totaling more than 1,500 hands
- setting the new world record for the Longest Videogames Marathon Playing a Card Game, while raising tens of thousands of dollars for charity,
according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/. Photo: Kathleen Hankel, a 68-year-old grandmother from New Jersey, set a new world record for Longest Video Games Marathon Playing a Card Game. Photo: Mark Georgiev (enlarge photo)
The world record attempt, which took place simultaneously in New York and London, involved each participant playing PopCap Games' latest social game Solitaire Blitz on Facebook for 30 consecutive hours totaling more than 1,500 hands.
The Guinness world record for the longest videogames marathon playing an ice hockey game lasted 24 hours 2 minutes and was achieved by James Evans and Bruce Ashton (both Canada), who played NHL 2010 (EA, 2009) in Orillia, Canada.
Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the longest videogames marathon playing a mobile phone game; it lasted 24 hours 10 minutes, and was achieved by Paul Dahlhoff (Germany), Martin Fornleitner, Hans Peter Glock and Stefan Reichspfarrer (all Austria) who played on Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (TM) handsets in Vienna, Austria.
"I've spent countless hours working to improve the lives of others, specifically in Africa," said Henkel, a 68-year old grandmother.
"Solitaire Blitz literally leading to helping save lives is among one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I want to thank all those that pledged in my name. And to then be recognized with a World Record on top of it is an honored privilege."
"While achieving a world record today is an amazing feat, the thrill of helping earn nearly $100,000 for an organization as great as charity: water is arguably just as exciting," said Laura Rich, 31-year old mom of three from Cardiff, Wales.
"To know that my love for a videogame helped bring clean drinking water to thousands of people is an honor I will never forget."
All proceeds from the related pledge drive, which garnered US$92,577, will enable charity: water to build 18 new wells that each will provide 250 people in developing nations with clean drinking water for at least 20 years.
Combined with PopCap's own pledges of $5,000 per player, marathon players Henkel and Rich utilized a unique pledge mechanism created for the occasion to garner pledged charitable contributions from more than 1,400 people around the world.
