Desert Bus for Hope Nearing End of Charity Marathon

Desert Bus for Hope is a yearly charity event that was started in 2007 by a comedy group, LoadingReadyRun. The event is centered on a marathon of the game Desert Bus, and all of the proceeds go to Child’s Play. Desert Bus is a mini-game from Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors. Smoke and Mirrors was developed by Imagineering in 1995 with an intended release for the Sega CD, however the game never hit store shelves.

Desert Bus is a game in which you play as a bus driver who drives a bus from Tucson to Las Vegas and back again. The bus travels at 45 mph on a straight road and it takes about eight hours to get to your destination. Each time you make it to Las Vegas or Tucson, the player is rewarded with one point.

On paper, the marathon sounds simple, just tape down the accelerator, right? Wrong. The bus is constantly veering slightly to right side, requiring someone to constantly straightening out the bus. If you go off the road, the bus will stall and you lose. Also, you cannot pause the game.

The gang has bussed for nearly 125 hours, with a goal of 148. Celebrity guests have periodically called in to discuss various topics, including Mythbuster Grant Imahara, and Bobak Ferdowsi, a Systems Engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The whole event is streaming on Twitch, with occasional updates on the Desert Bus for Hope Twitter account, @DesertBus. Desert Bus was released for iOS and Android, with proceeds going to Child’s Play.