Mario has been saving princesses from evil reptilian overlords since 1981. As far as things go, he's a pretty good guy. He's even managed to hold down his day job as a plumber throughout all his heroics. And this weekend, he's helping out in a very real way.

A group of nerdy gamer types located in New England are currently on a 72-hour Mario marathon. They're playing through all the major Mario games, from Super Mario Bros. 1 up to Super Mario Galaxy 2--and they're doing it all for charity. The New England Society of Information Technology is currently hosting the rampage, which started Friday around 3 and will go until they're finished on Monday afternoon/early evening. You can pledge a certain dollar amount to up the difficulty of the games or bid on other stipulations, like characters and cart styles in the Mario Kart games. You can also just donate however much you like to support the players. All the proceeds from the event will go to Child's Play, a charity founded by the guys who write the gaming comic Penny Arcade that helps provide children's hospitals and other institutions with toys, games, and books. 

If you're a veteran gamer, you've probably spent at least 72 hours making Mario jump around via your console buttons. Doing all 72 hours back to back is quite another feat, however. And doing it to help out sick kids across the country is pretty much as awesome as gaming gets. They're only nearing the halfway point of the marathon but have raised nearly $3000 for the cause already. The players are now on Super Mario World, with eight games left to go. Head on over to NESIT's website to donate, watch the live stream of the marathon, chat with players and other spectators, and read more about the project.