Desert Bus is probably the cruelest, most boring video game ever made. It was created by (now) Two and a Half Men producer Eddie Gorodetsky, and comedy-magician duo Penn and Teller in 1995 for a compilation of scam games that was never officially released. It's overly realistic nature was a satirical response to controvercies surrounding violent video games at the time.
The objective of the game is to drive a bus from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada in real time at a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour. It takes 8 hours of continuous play to complete, since the game can't be paused.
The bus contains no passengers, and there is no scenery or other traffic on the road. It veers to the right slightly, so it's impossible to tape down a button to go do something else and have the game end properly. If the bus veers off the road, it will stall and be towed all the way back to the start, also in real time.
If the player makes it to Las Vegas, they will score exactly one point. The player then gets the option to make the return trip to Tucson for another point. It's a decision they must make in a few seconds or the game ends. Players may continue to make trips and score points as long as their endurance holds out. Some have earned as many as 99 points, (the maxumum allowable by the game,) which would take over 41 days of continuous play to accomplish.
In 2007, Victoria-based online sketch comedy group LoadingReadyRun started a marathon session of the game called Desert Bus for Hope to raise money for worldwide children's hospital toy drives. Their team played the game continuously in turns. More donations meant more hours of gameplay added to the marathon.
November 20th marks the third year of the event. Last year's marathon lasted over 5 days and raised over $70 thousand.
Watch and donate here. And spread the love.
