Gaming fundraiser PB connected for an extra-innings home run while playing the 1994 videogame Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball during a July Fourth 2024 fundraiser. The two-run shot, a majestic arc that landed in the left field seats, capped a win for PB during a Summer Games Done Quick (GDQ) speedrunning event.

By winning the game, PB also won the event (one of many held during the week). To date, viewers and well-wishers following PB’s play have celebrated by donating more than $35,000 (final numbers were not in as of deadline) to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. All in all, participants in Summer Games Done Quick 2024 generated more than $2.5 million during the weeklong event, which was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota between June 30^th and July 6^th.

Normally the exploits of one player who raised just more than 1% of an event’s take would not be newsworthy. But PB — short for his given name, Peanut Butter — is not a typical gamer. PB is a four-year-old Shiba Inu, who thanks to a combination of patience, a modified set of controls and copious amounts of string cheese treats from owner James Stephens, is establishing himself as the greatest player in the admittedly minute field of canine videogamers. (A full video of PB’s Summer Games Done Quick run is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2FZKJ4QBdA. The critical moments (bottom of the 12^th, game tied 3-3) start at 31:45.)

Stephens acquired the then-three-month-old puppy in October 2020, opting for a Shiba Inu because Stephens’ Las Vegas, Nevada home does not have a lot of yard space. To Stephens’ delight, PB did not exhibit the shyness often associated with Shiba Inus. “He was just this little puppy of joy,” Stephens told The NonProfit Times. He’s such a positive dog. He’s always happy.”

PB was smart, as well. He mastered basic obedience training within a week, although he proved resistant to advanced agility training. “He’s not a big outdoorsy guy,” Stephens said. “When he goes outside, he just wants to sit in the bushes.”

That suited Stephens, an avid gamer who specializes in “retro” games, just fine.

While training to speedrun Gyromite, a mid-1980s game designed for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Stephens had an epiphany: an ancillary character within the game, R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) performed relatively simple tasks such as grasping and moving objects. Given the simple controls needed to make R.O.B. function, could PB be trained to play the character?

“All I did was put an object in front of him and train him to press it when I said ‘Button’,” Stephens said. “I switched to an arcade stick [controller], and he would press the button and hold it. I worked with him hard. It took about nine months before he did his first run.”

Eventually Stephens and a friend jerry-rigged a controller made with larger, paw-friendly balsa wood pedals. “PB can hit the button but, you know, he’s a dog so his aim isn’t always great,” Stephen said. “So, we gave him big buttons to target.”

That initial controller had three main buttons and a separate function button. Stephens has designed a more intricate controller which will enable PB to play a wider range of games. “Right now, we’re looking at games that are reasonably simple in terms of how many buttons you have to press at once — for example, [early versions of] Mega Man or Castlevania,” Stephens said.

But the basic idea remains: PB is prompted with a “Watch!” command, which focuses the dog’s attention on Stephens, and then hits certain buttons based on other commands. What is essential, however, is that during gameplay Stephens does not touch any of the controls. Executing moves, and even the rare slip-up, are PB’s responsibility alone.

Games that require a rapid series of simultaneous inputs such as the Mario series will likely remain out of PB’s reach.

Stephens acknowledges the dog likely has very little understanding of the actual games. “As long as he’s in the mood for treats, he’ll sit there and perform for an hour. Sometimes even more,” Stephens said.

PB has participated in two fundraising events: the onsite July Fourth GDQ video baseball game contest and a remote run from Stephens’ home this past January on behalf of Prevent Cancer Foundation that also raised $35,000.

Stephens, who is better known within the gaming community as JSR_ (the underscore is part of his identity), is no stranger to fundraising through videogaming. Since 2017, he has participated in events either as a solo participant or as part of a team. He calculates his and PB’s total fundraising impact as between $200,000 and $250,000 for a number of recipients, including MSF, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Finally, a note to those who play video baseball games. When pitching to a Shibu Inu, always – always – put in a lefty.

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Source From Non Profit Times