Who is malfunct?

I, Malfunct, am known outside the internet as Scott Wendt. I am a software engineer and a lifelong gamer. I started watching charity gaming marathons in 2009 when I caught wind of Mario Marathon. Over the years, I have watched numerous other charity marathons and have always wanted to do one of my own. In 2012, I decided to do something about it, and gave my birthday to charity. This year will be my 6th time getting together with all of you to play minecraft, have fun, and support the children.

What is this event?

On my birthday, July 5th from 10am until 10pm, I will play Minecraft on stream and encourage the viewers to kindly donate to Child's Play charity. Celebrate with me and give gifts to the children.

And what can I, the audience member, do?

The most important thing you as an audience member can do is watch the marathon and have fun. Participate in the chat, we won't bite! Then, while you are having all of this fun, tell all of your friends, relatives, aquaintences and even strangers you meet on the street about the marathon and encourage them to come watch. If you are able, make a donation to Child's Play charity. So tell all of your friends to show up and together we will have a great time!

What is Child's Play charity?

In the words of the charity itself, Child's Play is "a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in our network of over 70 hospitals worldwide." They work in two ways. First, they work with hospital staff they set up wish lists full of video games, toys, books, and other fun stuff which kind people may find and fill by sending in a wished for gift. Second, they recieve cash donations throughout the year which they use to purchase new consoles, peripherals, games and more for hospitals and therapy facilities. These gifts allow children to enjoy wonderful fun during an otherwise generally unpleasant experience in their lives.

Why did you choose the Child's Play charity to sponsor with this event?

I enthusiastically support the Child's Play charity as a way to show, along with all of the other supporters of the charity, that contrary to sometimes popular belief gamers can do good in the world. I also believe that games themselves are a force for good in the world. A great way to demonstrate the positive value of games is use them to make children's lives happier when they are having what is likely a frightening and painful time in their lives. I also love the community that has formed around this charity, especially the teams that put on their own game marathons or the audiences that regularily watch them. Finally, I think that the administration of the Child's Play charity is top notch. They maintain a very low overhead so that the maximal amount of our donations goes directly toward providing benefits to the children in need.

How do we know Child's Play gets the money we donate through your event? I mean, you could just take all the money and buy those games for yourself, right?

While I'd like to think I am a trustworthy guy and would follow through on my promise to donate the money to Child's Play, trust is unnecessary. When you click the donate button, you are taken directly to the Child's Play donation system. As this is a direct donation to the charity there is no possible way for me to access the funds, and you can be completely secure in knowing your support will be used for all of the wonderful goals of the charity.