From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the tuning in, donating, heckling, laughing, chatting, emoting, fundraising, trolling, promoting, and UPickling you have done with us over the years.
(But no thanks for Superman 64. Harrumph.)
Sincerely,
These aren’t just super cool pieces of UPickVG fanart (though, they ARE that) – they’re also the designs you can get on a t-shirt, hoodie, baby onesie, tote bag, throw pillow, mug… and even more! All available from the UPickVG Redbubble Shop, but only for a limited time!
100% of the profits from everything in the UPickVG Redbubble Shop will be donated to fund clean water projects in the developing world through our charity: water campaign. But you have to hurry! The campaign closes at the end of the money to send all the money out into the field to get to work, so merch orders much be received by the end of the day on June 29th in order for us to have time to donate those profits!
Well, there are t-shirts, of course…
Including hoodies and ladies’ t-shirts, too…
And there are different types of liquid holders, both travel mugs and traditional…
And even more cool stuff!
So much stuff, we can’t possibly include it all in this blog post. So you should head on over to the UPickVG Redbubble Shop and see for yourself. On desktop, there’s a handy “Available Products” listing in the left sidebar, and on mobile you can find it by just scrolling down. Click “Show All Products” to see a list of all the amazing different pieces of UPickVG swag you can get!
But don’t forget, this is all available for a limited time only! Place your orders before the end of the day on June 29th so that we can donate all the profits to our charity: water campaign.
Alright, we’ll show you one more great thing available in our shop… little baby onesies for the next generation of UPickles!
Dawwww….
For our 5th big charity game-a-thon, the UPickVG crew is proud to be venturing off to a brand new, undiscovered land: Refraction co-working space in Reston, Virginia!
It’s like Neverland, with really high-speed internet!
“But wait!” you exclaim, because you are very clever, and you not only read the title of this post, but you also distinctly remember UPickVG IV last year broadcasting out of Refraction. Can’t put anything past you, now can we?
Except, this truly is a new space for us! In the last year (the last few months, actually), Refraction has grown and renovated their space, and created a brand new event space that is truly remarkable. And we’re not just saying that – we are so, so proud and lucky to be holding our event in this great new space:
Yes, THIS is where we’ll be for UPickVG 5!
This is all a great shock to us – we already thought Refraction was the bee’s knees after our great experience in their old space last year. But they’ve somehow topped the space that they had, and even put in a second kitchen cafe space… which our volunteers will be totally raiding for snacks:
That fridge in the back of the picture? Full of energy drinks. Perfect for powering a 48-hour game-a-thon for charity!
The folks at Refraction have been so wonderful and kind to us (and understanding of our fridge raids), we just want to give them a big ol’ shoutout: Special thanks to Rachael, Nick, and Jordan for setting us up and taking care of all our weird needs to make this thing happen, and to James of Canvas for working with us on this event and helping us to make it really shine.
Oh, and don’t worry: the arcade cabinets are still in the event space. Because the only thing better than 48 hours of video games, is MOAR VIJEO GAMES!
Check out Refraction’s website for more information, throw them a thank-you on Twitter for hosting UPickVG 5, and be sure to tune in June 3rd-5th to see the Refraction event space in action for our big event!
On Saturday June 4th starting at 12:30pm and ending at 1:30pm ET, we will be giving away a Limited Edition Mini Museum! This desktop acrylic museum contains ten amazing artifacts from earth and beyond.
The Mini Museum is a portable collection of curiosities where every item is authentic, iconic and labeled. It’s been carefully designed to take you on a journey of learning and exploration. Each Mini Museum is a handcrafted limited edition. And if you consider the age of some of these specimens – it’s been billions of years in the making.
The special ten specimen edition that will be given away during UPickVG 5 is one of a limited run of only 1971 units. Encased within the UV-resistant acrylic you will find:
In addition to the ten specimen Mini Museum itself, the giveaway for UPickVG 5 comes with a gray Microfiber Pouch, a custom Display Box, and Certificate of Authenticity. Also included is the full Companion Guide for the Second Edition with details on every item in the collection. (And if you have keen eyes while looking at the Companion Guide, you will spot several U-Pick volunteers in the photographs – a few of our team members are also Mini Museum Technicians!)
Each Mini Museum is handcrafted and carefully encased in acrylic and ready to inspire you. Display it on your desktop, mantle, or coffee table. Or carry it in your pocket – Mini Museum can go wherever you go. It also makes a beautiful gift for the person that has everything. (We all know some of those people. Not one of them has anything like this!)
The U-Pick Crew is very grateful to Mini Museum for their donation to UPickVG 5, and we look forward to giving this rare collectible away to one of our viewers!
Tune in to UPickVG 5 on Saturday June 4th from 12:30pm – 1:30pm ET to enter to win this Mini Museum! (Click here to see the giveaway time in your local timezone.)
On Saturday June 4th starting at 4:30pm and ending at 5:30pm ET, we will be giving away a bundle of games via Steam. This collection covers a wide variety of genres and includes the following games:
The U-Pick Crew is very grateful to our own Doctor Gyarados for his donation to UPickVG 5, and we look forward to giving this awesome bundle away to one of our viewers!
Tune in to UPickVG 5 on Sunday June 5th from 4:30pm – 5:30pm ET to enter to win this bundle of Steam keys! (Click here to see the giveaway time in your local timezone.)
Brad Pitt just wants to know what the Mystery Games are for UPickVG 5!
Last year during UPickVG IV, we introduced a really fun game mechanic to our game-a-thon: Mystery Games. We had no idea how well it would go over. Would people hate it? After all, the name of our fundraiser is “U-Pick…” as in, YOU pick the games we play on air. What fun is picking if you, well, don’t know what you’re picking?
LOTS. The answer is “Lots of fun. Loads. Tons. AMAZEBALLS of fun.” (Whatever an amazeball of fun is, anyway.) You guys loved them, we the players and volunteers loved them – it was like opening a fun surprise every time a Mystery Game came up. Like a mini surprise birthday party every time, complete with presents to unwrap!
Some of the UPickVG 5 Mystery Games, all wrapped up. Aren’t they beautiful?
So, we’re bringing them back for UPickVG 5. The Mystery Games, that is. The volunteers, too, in case you thought we meant those. But this is about Mystery Games! So in case you missed it last year, or forgot, or just aren’t clear on the deal with these things, here it is:
*Gamesmuns Chip and Grant selected the Mystery Games, and they both have Player shifts. That’s okay – they will not be allowed to pick their own Mystery Games. Another volunteer who doesn’t know the games will pick for them.
You can probably see from the picture above that some of the Mystery Games have some hints as to what game is inside. You can also probably see that those hints are insane and not actually helpful at all. Does that one on the far right just have a “2” on it? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN, GRANT?
One last clue as to what the Mystery Games might be… here’s the video of us opening all of the un-opened Mystery Games at the end of UPickVG IV:
While that video might give you some insight into Grant and Chip’s thought process for picking Mystery Games, don’t think that any of those games will be Mystery Games again in UPickVG 5 – that was the 1 rule we gave them: “No repeats of last year’s Mystery Games.”
So go ahead and donate now for the Mystery Game, and tune in to UPickVG 5 starting Friday June 3rd at 7pm ET to see the Mystery Games unwrapped and played!
On Saturday June 4th starting at 6:30pm and ending at 7:30pm ET, we will be giving away a Limited Edition Gravity Gun Replica. This Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator is an officially licensed Half-Life 2 collectible made by NECA.
The device is a life-size 1:1 scale replica of Gordon Freeman’s fantastic contraption. It features orange LEDs, 2 handles, 2 triggers, and plays 4 unique sounds from Half-Life 2 (requires three C-batteries, not included). It’s a perfect item for cosplay, or sit on your mantle for all to bask in its glory.
The U-Pick Crew is very grateful to ThinkGeek for their donation of the Gravity Gun replica to UPickVG 5, and we look forward to giving this rare collectible away to one of our viewers!
Tune in to UPickVG 5 on Saturday June 4th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm ET to enter to win this amazing Gravity Gun replica! (Click here to see the giveaway time in your local timezone.)
On Saturday June 4th starting at 9:30pm and ending at 10:30pm ET, we will be giving away a bundle of Fallout 4 merchandise, along with a PS4 DLC code. This bundle has all sorts of useful items for lone wanderers of the wasteland, including:
Fallout 4 Vault 111 Beanie
Travel the Commonwealth in style with this fashionable headgear. Let all of the monstrous mirelurks and ravenous raiders know just which Vault you represent!
Funko Pop! Vinyl Figures: Hancock and T-60 Power Armor
Standing at roughly 4 inches tall, these adorable figures make perfect companions for the long journey through the war-ravaged quagmire of violence and despair.
Nuka Cola Bottle Caps
You won’t make it very far in the Commonwealth without a pocket full of bottle caps! These 3D-printed replicas come from Jon Peters and Imagination Proclamation Studios. This bundle includes 20 or so of these hard-earned caps, so be sure to spend them wisely.
Playstation 4 DLC Code for Fallout 4 Wasteland Workshop
Looking to spruce up your settlements in the Commonwealth? Look no further than the Wasteland Workshop DLC for Fallout 4! With this additional content, you can design and set cages to capture all sorts of creatures from the wasteland. Just imagine, catching a Deathclaw to tame and keep as an adorable deadly pet! Wasteland Workshop also includes a mess of new design options for your settlements like nixie tube lighting, letter kits, taxidermy, and more! (Please note: this DLC code is exclusively for the PS4 version of Fallout 4).
The U-Pick Crew is very grateful to jontpeters, genphotoic, and our anonymous donor for donating these prizes to UPickVG 5, and we look forward to giving this fantastic bundle away to one of our viewers!
Tune in to UPickVG 5 on Saturday June 4th from 9:30pm – 10:30pm ET to enter to win this Fallout bundle! (Click here to see the giveaway time in your local timezone.)
Earn Karma Points, Win Prizes!
We have a number of prizes for the UPickVG 5 charity marathon, donated through our sponsors and players.
“Prizes? I love prizes!” you say. We do too! Who doesn’t? What prizes do we have? These!
Just a few examples of fabulous prizes we have to give away during UPickVG 5!
“How get prizes?” Well my articulate friend, it’s easy. Karma! But this is a more immediate version of karma. The UPickVG Audience Love System (UPVGALS) operates on Karma Points. Earned through regular interactions in our live chat, showing your love for our fundraiser, signing up for the newsletter, and most of all, DONATIONS!
Our fabulous chatbot (MechaGengarBot) has been well trained to log everyone’s Karma points. You can type !karma into chat and see how many you have. Karma points give you bragging rights in the chat: as you earn more Karma, you’ll earn new titles in the chat. Type !rank in our live chat to see your current title, how many points you need to get to the next title, and your rank among all the other chatters.
Karma points can also be traded in for raffle tickets for our fabulous prizes. When a raffle starts (start & end times are all on the Prizes page!), you’ll just tell the bot how many raffle tickets you want to buy with your Karma points. The more Karma you have, the more raffle tickets you can buy! It’s like a carnival, but doesn’t smell like 3 day old hotdogs and you don’t have to wear pants!
When each raffle ends, MechaGengarBot will randomly draw a raffle ticket from it’s little MechaHat and announce the winner in chat. Wow, thanks buddy!
We also regularly update the @UpickVG twitter account when we get ready to raffle off a prize. So, you should like, follow that.
On Sunday June 5th starting at 6:30pm and ending at 7:30pm ET, we will be giving away a Limited Edition Portal Gun Replica. This Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is an officially licensed Portal/Portal 2 collectible made by NECA.
The device is a life-size 1:1 scale replica of Chell’s fantastic contraption, limited to only 5000 pieces worldwide. It features adjustable blue and orange lights, along with unique sounds that correspond to each color (requires three C-batteries, not included). It’s a perfect item for cosplay, or sit on your mantle for all to bask in its glory.
The U-Pick Crew is very grateful to ThinkGeek for their donation to UPickVG 5, and we look forward to giving this rare collectible away to one of our viewers!
Tune in to UPickVG 5 on Sunday June 5th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm ET to enter to win this amazing, customizable replica Portal Gun! (Click here to see the giveaway time in your local timezone.)