'Geek philanthropy': the gamers raising millions through marathon live streams

Charities are reaping the benefits of these modern-day telethons as video game players fundraise live on the internet

There has been a quiet revolution in the world of philanthropy over recent years, driven by the fact that sitting down to play a video game until you fall over from sleep deprivation can raise thousands or even millions of dollars for charity - as long as you do it live on the internet.

"The impact is big and getting bigger," says Jeremy Wells, fundraising events manager for Mi(C)decins Sans Frontiires, a popular partner for charity streams. "Summer Games Done Quick is our biggest fundraiser of the year - it brought in $2.1m last year out of $4.7m for our whole events program."