London's Laura Hill, near the beginning of her 30-hour odyssey playing Solitaire Blitz.

Now, it may seem like playing video games for 30 hours straight is not that much of a task. We probably all know someone — or are someone — who plays games way too much in one sitting. But consider this: These two women had to do it in public, in front of cameras and witnesses, with everything being officially recorded for Guinness, and had to play nonstop, except for 10-minute breaks after every continuous hour of play. Except for those breaks, they had to be playing the game every minute. The official Guinness rules specify that they couldn’t go longer than 20 seconds without interacting with the game, or the world record wouldn’t count.

In the spotlight: Kathleen Henkel, a 68-year-old grandmother from New Jersey, sitting in full public view on Lexington and 47th in New York City, with cameras recording her record-setting attempt.

But despite the pressure, the lack of sleep, the unfamiliar surroundings, and the lack of a decent meal, both women completed the marathon, and in doing so raised over $92,000 in pledges from folks all over the world rooting them on to finish.

Those of us in attendance at the two events were tired just watching them play — and we got to take naps!  How both Laura and Kathleen kept this up, while staying in good spirits the entire time too, is a mystery for the ages. But at least part of it could be attributed to some of the surprise visitors that showed up to help cheer them on.

Kenley Collins from Project Runway stops by to cheer Kathleen on.

Meanwhile, in London, Solitaire Blitz's very own Pearl lends Laura Hill some smiles and moral support.

Finally, there were these folks, who admittedly scared us at first, but turned out to be the hilarious, charming and astoundingly talented group called Voca People, who you can find at www.voca-people.com.

Thanks so much to both Laura and Kathleen for helping us raise this money. We hope they are both away from their computers and sound asleep. And thank you, too, for the generosity with your pledges, which far exceeded even our best hopes. If you want to learn more about charity: water and help out (because it’s never too late), check out their site.  And here is a great interview that charity: water conducted at the event with Kathleen. Good night, everyone! We’re going to bed, too!

Greetings Earthlings!

I write to you now from the muggy and balmy land known as New York City, where our colossal Solitaire Blitz marathon charity event is now underway.  This is just one half of the event, though, as yet another, identical Solitaire Blitz marathon charity event is happening simultaneously in London, England. Yes, two identical events, in two cities thousands of miles apart, both simulcast on one exciting web page! It’s like a science fiction movie come to life!

At this point, especially because it’s so early and you may not have had enough coffee yet, you may be wondering what this event actually is. This is why I am here now. What is happening is that PopCap is raising money ($89,000 pledged so far!) for charity:water, a non-profit organization that helps bring clean, safe drinking water to people in developing countries. We are doing this by trying to set a Guinness World Record, with the help of two brave, intrepid, and soon-to-be extremely sleep deprived Solitaire Blitz fans.

Live, from New York! This is where Kathleen Henkel will soon be sitting, in full public view, to attempt to play Solitaire Blitz for 30 hours straight!

Our two players — Laura Rich in London and Kathleen Henkel in New York — are each going to attempt to play Solitaire Blitz for 30 hours straight to try to set the record for the longest-continuous stretch playing a computer card game. This is an official attempt, complete with judges on hand to monitor their activity, as well as a list of rules so long that it’d take three more blog posts to cover it all. Here’s one, though, which is the one most people ask about: Each player is allowed a 10-minute break for every continuous hour of play.  So, if Laura plays one hour non-stop, she can take a 10-minute break. Or she can bank the time, saving up for a longer break.  When they are playing, they can pause for no longer than 20 seconds or it’s over. This is why we gave both players extremely uncomfortable chairs, just to keep them alert.  (Just kidding: We have other chairs on standby if they need more comfort!)

Two official witnesses need to be on alert at all times to watch and ensure that the Guinness World Record is actually being achieved. Let's hope they don't fall asleep either!

We are live streaming this entire event, if watching two people play a computer solitaire game for 30 hours straight is your thing. (And, hey, who knows — I myself have sat through day-long marathons of Storage Wars.)  We’re on hand at both locations, tweeting from both the official PopCap Twitter page and this writer’s personal Twitter page.  (We’ll be using the clever hashtag #solitaireblitz if you want to follow that way.) And we may even appear on camera now and then to offer pithy commentary, interview a few surprise celebrities who are stopping by, and say hi to our moms. Oh, and if you happen to be in New York City,  come on down to the Roger Smith Hotel, where one half of the event is taking place, and you can watch us through the window and wave, just like those people on the Today Show.

Finally, and perhaps most important, it is not too late for you to pledge. You can pledge for as little as 10 cents an hour, which is just a mere $3.00 total if I’m doing my math correctly. And that alone is a crucial contribution to a great and vital charity.

In any event, please join us in extending a hearty “good luck” to Laura and Kathleen, as they get set to embark on a fun yet totally exhausting 30-hour playing session of Solitaire Blitz! And wish us luck, too, in trying to stay awake to cover this darn thing!