Operation: Infinite Bus

Possibly the coolest charity to ever grace the internets is Desert Bus for Hope. Before getting to what these insane people do, it might help to talk about the charity involved.

In the year twenty zero three, the super chill guys over at the webcomic Penny Arcade decided that toy drives were lame, and that little Timmy did not deserve a Hot Wheels set for Christmas. Nay, Tycho and Gabe felt that Timmy deserved a brand new Playstation 2. Thus Child's Play was born.

Shamelessly ripped from their website:

With the help of hospital staff, we've set up gift wish lists full of video games, toys, and movies. You can go to each hospital's list and buy a toy, and that toy will be sent to the hospital. Some of these kids are in pretty bad shape. Imagine being stuck alone in a hospital over the holidays, getting something from a fellow gamer would really raise their spirits. Some of the stuff the hospital will give away for kids to keep, while other gifts (like consoles) will be kept by the hospital for patients to use throughout the year.

Now that's out of the way, it's time to tackle the enigma of Desert Bus for Hope.

You may know of many charity raising marches/runs/walks etc. Some famous example being The Relay for Life, March of Dimes, and the Lupus Walk. Now, you may say to yourself, what does driving a bus in the desert have to do with raising money?

Enter the mini-game Desert Bus.


Part of the Sega CD game Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors

Another shameful copy and paste from Wikipedia:

Desert Bus is the best known minigame in the package, and was a featured part of Electronic Gaming Monthly's preview. The objective of the game is to drive a bus from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada in real time at a maximum speed of 45mph, a feat that would take the player 8 hours of continuous play to complete, as the game cannot be paused.

The bus contains no passengers, and there is no scenery or other cars on the road. The bus veers to the right slightly; as a result, it is impossible to tape down a button to go do something else and have the game end properly. If the bus veers off the road it will stall and be towed back to Tucson, also in real time. If the player makes it to Las Vegas, they will score exactly one point. The player then gets the option to make the return trip to Tucson—for another point (a decision they must make in a few seconds or the game ends). Players may continue to make trips and score points as long as their endurance holds out.

Simply put these guys are driving from Tuscon to Las Vegas as long as you keep on donating. Now gaining popularity, Penny Arcade has decided to match all donations, up to a maximum to 10,000. Those Canadians are going to be riding the desert bus for a very, very, long time.