Formed in March 2008 by brothers Britt and Chase LaRiviere of Texas, TheSpeedGamers, also known as TSGtv, started with a weekend of gaming in mind. The initial goal was to share how many games in The Legend of Zelda series they could beat within a weekend.
However, as the story goes, a question was brought up. Why not do this for charity? Why not do all this on a live stream and raise money for a good cause at the same time?
How a weekend of gaming turned into a long-running mainstay
Britt LaRiviere said that the idea for TheSpeedGamers came during his time as a student at the University of Texas at Arlington.
“I got the spark for TheSpeedGamers during winter break in 2007, probably December. I was on winter break from college and I came across a post on Digg , which was basically Reddit before Reddit really became popular. The post was about this group of college guys, and a guy named Cameron Banga was sort of leading it. Their goal was to beat every Zelda game in one weekend.”
In TheSpeedGamers’ case, JustinTV was where they called home for their first marathons. They eventually jumped to Twitch a few years later.
LaRiviere said, “What was cool to me was that they were live streaming it on Justin.tv and at the time live streaming felt brand new, at least to me. Watching them attempt something like that felt like a mix of a hangout and a challenge. I wanted to put my own take on this idea.”
The first marathon was focused on raising donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The group raised $1,090 in 72 hours. and TSGtv has raised donations for them multiple times since then, as recently as July 2025.
“We were thinking about it like an endurance event, kind of like a running marathon that people donate to, and honestly the closest comparison is probably the classic TV telethons, people tuning in, rallying together, and contributing to something meaningful while the event is happening.”
Setting records and inspiring others
One of TheSpeedGamers’ first real tastes of Internet fame came in the summer of 2009, during their week-long Final Fantasy Marathon.
TheSpeedGamers caught the attention of popular World of Warcraft database site MMO-Champion, and even had an on-air interview with Dallas-Fort Worth television station KXAS-TV, the Metroplex’s NBC affiliate.
The group ended up raising $50,734.63 over a week during their first Final Fantasy Marathon.
TSGtv’s efforts have in turn inspired other groups and organisations to play games and entertain audiences for charity. One of the largest charity events on Twitch, Games Done Quick (GDQ), credits teams like TheSpeedGamers for being the inspiration behind their bi-annual events.
“It’s been genuinely cool over the years to hear from GDQ and other groups that we helped inspire them to start their own charity events. And it goes both ways, we’re constantly inspired by what other groups do, too. We see ideas that are really creative and we learn from them, then we put our own spin on it. I think some of the best events come from that, sharing ideas, learning from each other, and building something unique for your own community.”
did you like register for AGDQ yet, uwu?🥺https://t.co/9cRiMVzuB8#AGDQ2026 pic.twitter.com/3X9CIfTKFa
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) November 27, 2025
During Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) 2025, the week-long event raised over $2.4 million, as over 37,000 donations were made. At the end of SGDQ 2025, Games Done Quick’s inspiration came full circle, as the channel led a Twitch raid on TSGtv that sent their viewers to the group that, in part, started a movement that has become a mainstay on Twitch.
“We’ve been doing this for like 17 years now, and our viewership has changed a lot over time, so to get that nice boost from SGDQ was awesome. We’re a much smaller event, so the fact that they even thought of us meant a lot. We really appreciate it.”
TheSpeedGamers’ current single-marathon donation record is $122,607.88, set in April 2014 during the three-day Indiethon event for Direct Relief.
17 going on 18
Fast forward to December 2025, and TSGtv is still around and raising money for wonderful causes, with a total of $964,350.78 raised over 17 years. Although members have come and gone since 2008, TSGtv remains one of the oldest active charity gaming groups out there.
But, a big $1 million lifetime donation total is within sight.
“Its hard to believe we are getting really close to the million-dollar milestone. I’d say it’s probably within the next two or three years, but it’s hard to predict because fundraising can vary a lot depending on the event and the year. That said, especially over the last couple years, it’s started to feel like a realistic goal, so it’s definitely been on our minds.”
However, the group still needs time to figure out how they will celebrate the million-dollar occasion, whenever it happens.
“We’ve been trying to think of something fitting to do when we cross it, maybe a big incentive, maybe tie it into a specific event, something that feels like a celebration and a real thank you to everyone who made it happen. I just never imagined when we started that a million dollars raised for charity would even be possible.”
During their October 2025 Nights of Fright event, TSGtv raised $2,400 for ZERO Prostate Cancer, a cause that the group has supported annually for its fall live streams since 2022.
A marathon about mushrooms, bananas, and water
This weekend, starting December 12 at 6:00 PM Central time, TSGtv kicks off its Jumpmen: Mario and Donkey Kong Marathon for charity: water. Newer hits like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World will get time in the spotlight, along with classics like Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country. TSGtv’s full schedule is now available for viewers to peruse.
I’ve been grinding Donkey Kong Bananza to get ready for our Mario & Donkey Kong Charity Marathon! 🍌🐵
— TSGtv (@TheSpeedGamers) December 1, 2025
Join us December 12–15, starting Dec 12 at 7 PM ET, as TSGtv raises money for Charity: Water!
📺 Watch: https://t.co/nIgdJThBZy
💧 Donate: https://t.co/Sf6zNkvz3x pic.twitter.com/KDiHEEDmIe
This will be TSGtv’s third marathon dedicated to raising donations for charity: water, following March 2024’s Mega Man Remote Marathon and March 2025’s Cozython Remote Marathon.
“I grew up on Mario and Donkey Kong, so my favorites really start early on in the franchises.Super Mario Bros. 3 was a huge one for me as a kid. I remember seeing it in a gaming magazine and just thinking the graphics leap was insane in my little kid brain. Then my grandma got our family a Super Nintendo, and it came with Super Mario World.”
However, the more modern hits on the Switch and Switch 2 are quickly growing on him.
“Super Mario Odyssey is probably my favorite 3D Mario, and Donkey Kong Bananza, which I’ll be playing during the marathon, is fantastic. It’s hard to say if it tops Donkey Kong Country for me, but it’s definitely in that conversation.”
As for the cause that TSGtv will be playing for, charity: water is a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 that aims to bring clean, safe drinking water to people across 29 different nations, particularly in Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and parts of southern Asia. LaRiviere hopes that some fresh eyes will tune into TSG’s marathon from December 12 to 15 to support the cause.
“I’d love to see some newcomers in the chat for our upcoming marathon. We’ve been doing these marathons on Twitch for a long time now and it’s cool to see fresh faces. There have been so many fun moments throughout the course of our events and what makes them special is the chat interaction.”
Editor’s Note: JamesRatcliff has been a member of TSGtv’s social media and marketing team since 2018 and has participated in some marathons, both in person and remotely.
