14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer PopCap Games, now a division of publisher Electronic Arts, has announced that it is using its latest release, Solitaire Blitz, to launch a Guinness World Record attempt, linked to the Longest Videogames Marathon Playing a Card Game category.
Moreover, it intends to start a donation drive that will benefit charity: water, an initiative to deliver clean drinking water to population in developing countries.
The company has chosen two very capable players, Laura Rich and Kathleen Henkel, and each of them will try to play Solitaire Blitz for no less than 30 hours during 26 and 27 June of this year, one in New York and one in London.
PopCap has linked a base donation of 108 British Pounds (167 dollars and 133 Euro) with each hour played by the participants and PopCap Games has also created an online mechanism allowing any interested donors to also deliver an hourly donation that will add up to serious sums as long as the 30 hour target is reached.
Contestant Laura Rich stated when the announcement was made that, “I’m thrilled to be attempting to set a Guinness World Record and supporting a very worthy cause at the same time.”
She added, “I’ll be logging some serious hours on Solitaire Blitz over the next couple of weeks to prepare for the occasion. I'm confident I’ll be able to reach the goal of 30 consecutive hours and help make a real difference in people's lives.”
charity: water aims to bring easy access to drinking water to the more than one billion people in the world who lack it and the company is determined to use all the funds it gets from donations towards this goal.
PopCap Games says that Solitaire Blitz has attracted more than three million players each month since it was launched on April 1.