‘Nerds for NAMI’ Annual Gaming Marathon to Raise Money for Charity

What is Nerds for NAMI?

A couple of years ago, some friends and I started Nerds for NAMI, a 24-hour video game and variety show marathon to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Now in its third year, Nerds for NAMI will return this weekend for a gaming marathon followed by a live comedy show at The Crowd Theater in Chicago.

Naturally, all of this will be live-streamed over Twitch, so we invite you to check us out and watch us play games and try out best to stay awake. After that stick around for the variety show, which will feature improv, sketch comedy, and a bunch of other humorous shenanigans. All the proceeds raised will go to NAMI Mercer in memory of Kathie Formoso. NAMI is the nation’s largest grass-roots organization dedicated to improving the lives of people suffering from mental illness. 

Sounds intriguing. How can I watch? 

The whole entire event, gaming marathon and comedy show, will be live-streamed from Saturday, April 27th at 9pm CDT to Sunday, April 28th at 9pm right here on Twitch.

For those of you in the greater Chicago area (or who feel like visiting the Windy City for a spell), you can come to see the show live at The Crowd Theater on Sunday, April 28th from 7-9pm. 

The Crowd Theater is located at 3935 N Broadway, Chicago, Illinois. 

What’s the schedule of events?

Schedule (CDT):

Saturday (April 28)

• 9:00pm Kingdom Hearts 3
• 10:00pm ” “
• 11:00pm Red Dead Redemption 2

Sunday (April 29)

• 12:00am ” “
• 1:00am Strangest Steam Games Spectacular 
• 2:00am ~Cocktail Hour~
• 3:00am Spooky Game Time 
• 4:00am ” “
• 5:00am SOMA
• 6:00am ” “
• 7:00am ” “
• 8:00am Not a Hero
• 9:00am “ “
• 10:00am Hatoful Boyfriend
• 11:00am
• 12:00pm Spelunky
• 1:00pm Fortnite
• 2:00pm Burly Men at Sea
• 3:00pm ” “
• 4:00pm Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
• 5:00pm Charity Tier Challenge 
• 6:00pm ” “
• 7:00pm VARIETY SHOWTIME
  – Variety Show featuring:
  – Random Fandom Improv
  – Improv by John and Nick
  – Comedy Studies Set
  – Fan Fiction Dramatic Reading by Perry Letourneau and Ellie McKnight
  – A Live Band
  and More!

How can I donate?

Easy, just click here! 

What happens if you raise a ton of money? Will something wild happen?

Yes. 

If $100 is raised, Andrew Agress (that’s me) will dress up as the 10th Doctor from Doctor Who for the variety show. 

If $500 is raised, Raphael Stigliano, a true gentleman, will smear himself with mustard while a young lad named Riely Allen watches along with a whole bunch of strangers (that’s you!!) 

Wow

Yeah.

Check out the event page for updates and opportunities to suggest which random bizarre steam games we play and what kind of fan fiction you like. Then tune into Twitch this weekend to keep us awake. Egg us on as we play games, read fan fiction, and crack jokes, all for a great cause. Hope you can join us!