Brock gamers are doing their part to put smiles on the faces of children in hospital.

Members of Westmarches, the University’s student-organized Dungeons and Dragons club, recently put on a 24-hour session of the popular role-playing game to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through the organization Extra Life.

Thirty-two players put on a series of six four-hour games Feb. 15 to 16 to raise $4,548, far surpassing their $1,000 goal and taking top rank for Extra Life fundraisers in Ontario, second in Canada and eighth worldwide as of March 6.

“We decided to give to the Extra Life Mission Critical fund that mostly provides entertainment and video games to sick children in hospitals,” says club President and third-year GAME student Adam Henderson. “We surpassed our goal before we even started the live stream.”

The group took a unique approach to the game in the spirit of charity. To help raise money, players had to pay for in-game benefits. The catch, however, was that they could only buy benefits for other players, not for themselves.

Spectators, both in person and via livestream, contributed generously as well. The Twitch livestream attracted viewers from around the world, making it a truly international fundraising effort.

The event was organized by Henderson and fellow club leaders Landon McPhee, a second-year Interactive Arts and Science student, and third-year GAME students Kyle Jones, Nathan Lantz and Dylan Doyle.

The idea for the fundraising event came through collaboration with peers at Carleton and Guelph universities.

While only in its first year as an officially ratified Brock University Students’ Union club, Westmarches has already developed a strong sense of community and recruited 80 members.

“It’s an amazing social experience,” says Jones, the club’s Vice-President. “It’s a great way to come meet like-minded people from different programs.”

The group welcomes players at all levels, from complete beginners to experienced long-time players, and there’s usually a game session being held somewhere on campus most evenings.

Dungeon masters and players rotate through different groups, so every game is a different set of characters, although all take place in the created world of Westmarches.

Westmarches is open to all Brock students. Joining the club is free, although for a $3 fee club members can access all official Dungeon and Dragon manuals online through a special agreement the club organizers have with the publisher. For more information, visit the Westmarches Facebook page or contact the club leaders by email at brockwestmarches@outlook.com

Anyone interested in still contributing to the club’s fundraiser in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals can do so through the groups Extra Life team page.

Those wishing to make a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals may still do so through the group’s ExtraLife team page.