Great success for the annual speed running event
Another Awesome Games Done Quick event is coming to an end. Over the past week, some of the best – or at least fastest – video game players in the world have gathered to work their way through a deluge of titles old and new, all in the name of charity.
When the curtain fell on the last point (where runner CLG ZFG overshoot The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in just under 42 minutes), the total collected was $ 2,758,847. All of these proceeds will be donated directly to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, an international organization that works tirelessly to research lifesaving advances in cancer cure.
AGDQ 2021 was the first AGDQ event to be held strictly online, necessitated by the limitations of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this great hurdle, the GDQ team, the global speedrunners community and a global audience on Twitch came together to celebrate the video game medium, with seven consecutive days of exciting and sometimes stunning challenges.
Newer titles such as Hades, River City Girls, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stacked against old-schoolers, including Ecco the Dolphin, Strider, and Aladdin. AGDQ regulars Silent Hill, Metroid, Spyro the Dragon and Donkey Kong Country were all present and correct, while two specifically notable challenges saw runner “Bubzia” play Super Mario 64 blindfolded, and runner “PeekingBoo” fights through nervous platformer Celeste using a dance mat!
All AGDQ 2021 speedruns are now archived on both Twitch and YouTube and can be accessed quickly from this handy Reddit thread. Seems like a perfect way to while away a lazy Sunday.
I know I’m like a broken record, but it always has to be repeated: video games have an ongoing bad reputation. They did when I tossed coins into arcades in the 1980s, and they do it now like a billion dollar industry. But aside from the terrifying headlines and more toxic aspects of the hobby, gaming is based on a global community of dedicated players, filled to the brim with good people bursting with passion and generosity.
The GDQ events epitomize this. And in times as chaotic, dangerous and sad as these, the community still came together to make this important charity event a showcase of what really makes our favorite pastime special. Congratulations to the AGDQ believers – its organizers, hosts and technical crew, runners and donors – for their tremendous success in the most difficult of circumstances. Your tireless energy and effort never cease to amaze us all.
Summer Games Done Quick will take place later in 2021. So get started.
Filed under …