by in When it comes to obsessing over a hobby, gamers are some of the most passionate and diverse groups in the world. Whether dedicating time and brainpower to build skill in a first-person shooter like Call of Duty, battle royale like League of Legends, or a strategy-based game like poker, millions of players pursue mastery each day.
Unsurprisingly, it can be hard to pull a gamer away from their latest obsession. Some might be looking to clear a new level, while others might instead be looking to perfect their latest strategy. And with the popularity of video streaming sites like Twitch, gamers are more motivated to share and record their long stretches of play than ever before.
But there’s also a slim margin of gamers who don’t just push for quality of play or look to build their subscriber list on Twitch. Instead, they’re also looking to bust records related to the longest stretches of continuous play. Think your seven-hour stint raiding other players’ bases in Rust is worth writing home about? Keep reading for some of the longest gaming sessions ever recorded, from shortest to longest.
Poker, 115 Hours
Phil Laak, USA
Back in 2010, poker professional Phil Laak sat down at a table in one of the Vegas Strip’s most prestigious casinos and kept playing… for almost four days. Today, given the availability of free poker online, such a feat would likely be tackled in a virtual setting—and then live-streamed via Twitch or YouTube.
Instead, Laak’s record-setting for the longest poker game ever recorded was streamed live via webcam. According to World Record Academy, around 130,000 people tuned in each day from over 90 countries to see the pro bet, fold and raise. He was allowed five minutes of rest each hour, which could be accumulated for longer breaks.
Call of Duty, 135 Hours
Okan Kaya, Australia
Two years after Laak set the record for the longest poker game, a sales manager living in Sydney, Australia decided to log on for a game of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Interestingly enough, Okan Kaya, opted to stay in his office to play.
On 19 November, after just over five days of gaming, Kaya managed to set the world record for the longest continuous video game marathon. Given his record-setting predates the global rise of Twitch, Kaya relied on UStream to live-stream his gaming.
Just Dance 2015, 138 Hours
Carrie Swidecki, USA
In 2015, a long-time fan of Just Dance decided to set a world record for the longest stretch of continuous play on a Just Dance title. Unlike the other mentions on this list, local teacher Carrie Swidecki wasn’t seated and staring at a screen but staying footloose with the game’s motion-detecting software.
She was looking to surpass her previous record of 15 hours—which she managed to top by another 123 hours. So, how did she manage to stay on her feet? Guinness World Records allows competitors ten minutes each hour to rest in order for participants to rest, eat, and even take a nap.
Unlike (non-digital) poker and other marathons, gamers looking to set a Guinness World Record are allocated an additional five minutes (total ten) per hour to rest. These can also be accumulated in order to let competitors get an appropriate amount of sleep.
Call of Duty, 145 Hours
Kory Breaden, Canada
Last year, Kory Breaden of British Columbia, Canada sought to beat Okan Kaya’s 135-hour record for Call of Duty. For almost ten years, Kaya had kept the record for a first-person shooter. However, Breaden successfully surpassed his stint before the screen by notching a total of 145 hours and 29 minutes playing his favorite game, or almost six full days.
This also pushed Breaden past Swidecki’s Just Dance record, which had held the world record spot for longest video game marathon since 2015. His marathon of play was streamed live via Twitch, but also included Zoom meetings when the streaming site crashed.
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