This weekend in Lafayette, Indiana three guys are planting themselves on a couch and holding a Mario Marathon.pixel mario

They’re playing all the Super Mario games from the original, Super Mario Bros. to the latest, Super Mario Galaxy. I found out about it from at Mashable tweet yesterday afternoon and thought it was a really cool concept and I love the Mario franchise, myself.

The marathon began last year spawning from a guy named Cameron Banga and his group of friends who held a 48-hr 3D Legend of Zelda marathon. They ended up raising $2,477 (according to mariomarathon.com) for Child’s Play, a charity started by the guys at penny-arcade.com, a popular gaming website.

Child’s Play is “a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in our network of over 60 hospitals worldwide.”

Last year, the guys at Mario Marathon helped raise $11,676 for the charity, and as I’m writing this, they have raised over $8,100, with more than a day left of gameplay.

The gamers are using UStream.tv and from what I’m seeing now, have about 700 viewers. They’ve done local radio and TV shows along with showing the Twitter feed with the hashtag #mariomarathon actively encouraging people to spread the word. It’s a great way to not only help a cool charity, but to promote the gaming community.

Donations can be made on the site itself for as little as $5 (Toadstool Level) to $100 (Mario Level).