Since 2017, we here at ArenaNet have taken great joy in supporting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals by participating in the Extra Life gaming marathon. Last year we even had the honor of being named Extra Life Partner of the Year—a reflection of the way the entire Guild Wars 2 community rallies around the cause. We're thrilled that this is part of our studio's tradition, and we're excited to be back for another year!
What is Extra Life?
During the annual Extra Life marathon, teams and individuals from many gaming communities stream games for twenty-four hours to raise funds in support of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a network of 170 nonprofit children's hospitals throughout the United States and Canada. Donations pay healthcare costs for critically ill and injured children not covered by health insurance or Medicaid, help hospitals purchase pediatric medical equipment, and fund disease research. Children's Miracle Network Hospitals provide 32 million treatments to children every year thanks to events like Extra Life.
Team ArenaNet has raised over $855,500 in donations for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals since we began participating seven years ago. Let's see how much we can add to that total together in 2023!
Game Day: November 3
Our 24-hour marathon livestream begins at noon Pacific Time (UTC-7) on Friday, November 3 and lasts until noon Pacific Time (UTC-7) on Saturday, November 4 on the official Guild Wars 2 Twitch channel. This year our streaming setup will be different: rather than everyone going into the ArenaNet office to stream, we're embracing the distributed nature of our workforce and streaming from our various home setups. That also gives us an opportunity to invite more folks to join our schedule, so you may see some members of our ArenaNet Partner Program or other folks participating. Our event may not look exactly the same this year, but Team ArenaNet is excited to see how much our community can raise for Extra Life in 2023!
During the marathon streaming session, we'll be giving away Guild Wars 2 gem codes to viewers for every $1,000 raised! If we hit the $12,500 donation milestone, we will reveal an epic Metal Legion music video created by our developers. And at $25,000, ArenaNet will match the donations up to that point, leapfrogging our donation total to $50,000 for this amazing cause!
All players can celebrate in the game well before our Game Day stream commences with a fixed Extra Life bonus enhancement from October 31 to November 7. This effect provides a 50% bonus to magic find and experience gain, as well as +30% WvW and PvP reward-track progress.
Join Team ArenaNet
There's more than one way to make a difference and help us with our mission. Besides donating directly, everyone is invited to be part of Team ArenaNet. To join, visit the official Extra Life website and choose "Team ArenaNet" as your team when you sign up.
If you'd like to create your own team, we invite you to join the ArenaNet Super Team. When you sign up on the official Extra Life website, choose "Create a Sub Team." Your team will still have its own page, members, and fundraising goals, but you'll be recognized on the ArenaNet Super Team's leaderboards and the funds you raise will contribute to the overall Super Team total.
Once you join Team ArenaNet, all donations will contribute to our overall donation total. You don't have to livestream Guild Wars 2 to team up with us. You can stream a game of your choice, or raise funds by telling your friends, family, and colleagues how they can donate to support Extra Life. Spread the word!
We couldn't do this without our amazing community, so thank you in advance, and we'll see you on November 3 for Game Day!