Jagex raised £100,000 for SpecialEffect's GameBlast 16

Jagex Games Studio raised more than £100,000 during its live-streamed GameBlast 16 event, with all proceeds going to SpecialEffect.

Mick Donegan, the founder and director of SpecialEffect, said that the total was, "something of a shock," being several times higher than the amount raised during GameBlast 15.

The money came from the RuneScape community, a mix of real-money and in-game currency donations. Those contributions were motivated by a 24-hour livestream, where a host of endurance testing challenges - from games to the eating of extremely hot chillis - played out for an audience that reached a peak of 19,000 concurrent viewers. Jagex also held a charity auction, which contributed to the £100,000 total.

"This is our most successful 24-hour live-stream for a GameBlast fundraiser, with more than three times the amount raised than last year," said commercial director Neil McClarty. "It is testament to both the RuneScape development teams, our community and their collective desire to support a wonderful charity."

Jagex was just one part of SpecialEffect's GameBlast 16 weekend. According to the charity's website, more than £172,000 was raised across numerous events, beating the previous year's total by £50,000.