Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 is kicking off next January, and I'm already looking forward to its arrival. Mostly, that's because the event organizers announced not only the AGDQ 2025 schedule, but it plans on having a live band play during a Crazy Taxi speedrun.

Naturally, most folks would be excited to hear about the return of AGDQ and its week of speedruns for charity. I am as well, but as an old Sega fan, I can't help but admit that the news caused a double-take that nearly gave me whiplash. The Crazy Taxi speedrun is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, January 11, with a live rock band covering songs from the soundtrack. Hopefully, we get the "yeah-yeahs," as it ain't no Crazy Taxi without a bit of The Offspring. That's not an opinio?n.

AGDQ 2025 will host more speedy games for charity

The Crazy Taxi run isn't the only highlight of AGDQ 2025 if you can believe it. According to the release, AGDQ 2025 will showcase the event's first Astro Bot run on PlayStation 5. The playful, gorgeous game is a natural fit for speedrunning, so its inclusion is no surprise. There will also be a randomizer run of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo Wii, and a one-on-one race in Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire.

AGDQ 2025, organized by Games Done Quick, is once more benefiting the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Earlier in the year, AGDQ 2024 brought in a whopping $2.5 million for the nonprofit organization. The event earned a lot of attention, with many tuning in to watch a dog named Peanut Butter speedrun Gyromite. To date, Games Done Quick has raised over $50 ??million for charity.

The 24-hour-a-day event will run from January 5 to January 12. You can participate by watching it on its official Twitch and YouTube channels. Hit up this link to check out the full game list for AGDQ 2025, and click here for the schedule. It's a good-looking list of games, which includes Elden Ring, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Shenmue, and Horizon Forbidden West.

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Speedrunning is, from my own outsider's perspective, an impressive effort in constantly chasing new goals. At first, runners might try to simply finish a game as fast as possible. Then, they might try to fully finish it, or complete certain objectives, or hit credits with limiters on themselves. It's that last bucket that CarcinogenSDA's run of Resident Evil 2 Remake at AGDQ 2024 falls under.

I've been a fan of Carci's speedrunning for a while. His AGDQ 2018 run of Resident Evil 7 is an easy recommendation for anyone who wants to see someone exemplify their mastery of a game by quickly adjusting their run on the fly. Last night at AGDQ 2024, Carcinogen took the stage with one simple, but incredibly difficult, objective: make it to the end of either Leon or Claire's route in Resident Evil 2 Remake, without taking any damage, on Hardcore.

If you've ever spent some time running through the halls of Raccoon City P.D., especially on Hardcore d??ifficulty, you know how daunting that seems. Different types of undead litter the world, all with different placements and tendencies meant to keep players on their toes. Oh, and there's Mr. X, too.

A smooth run

As Carcinogen lays out at the top, this particular run falls a bit more under the challenge run category�smooth run," as he calls it—than a traditional speedrun. While there are instances where the character on-screen may flinch, or have to use defensive items like a knife, as long as they do not translate directly into damage the run is still good. While damage wouldn't hav?e stopped the showcase, Carci promised to donate $100 to the Prevent Cancer Foundation (the charity AGDQ benefits) for every instance of damage.

The fact that Carcinogen was ready to run either character's route through Resident Evil 2, based on audience votes, is already impressive. What followed was an even more impressive display of that knowledge, with a few teeth-clenching moments along the way. And if you don't want to know the result, maybe jump back up and watch the VOD quick before? scrol??ling on.

Escaping the city

If you couldn't tell by now, or were maybe avoiding it, Carcinogen succeeds in taking no damage throughout the run. It's an inc??redible achievemen??t to pull off in a marathon setting like Games Done Quick. While runners practice a ton, making something big like this happen on the stage, rather than in your typical set-up back home, is always an exciting moment. When someone has one shot to perfectly land a display of all their accrued knowledge, and they nail it? That's worth watching.

Fittingly, Carcinogen pops off. After the final boss of Resident Evil 2 is down and defeated, he yanks off his headset and takes a celebratory run through the crowd gathered behind him. He'd later post on Twitter that he was "still in disbelief" he pulled it off, and thanking fellow no-damage runner MattDaRoc, who was on call for the GDQ run as well.

It was the perfect cap-off to a heavily stacked, exciting day at AGDQ 2024. Twice a year, the Games Done Quick streams occupy my second monitor for a whole week, and the Tuesday line-up was a day of bangers. From retro hits run by humans and one very good dog, to a blindfolded bout with an Octopath Traveler 2 boss, to whatever happened in that Granny run, it was an exceptional day. What ??a fitting way to close it out, for the stateside folks that lost some sleep today to see the run through.

What's next for Carcinogen? Well, he teased something quite intriguing: working on a no-damage run of Final Fantasy VIII, as well maybe some Resident Evil 3 Remake. Follow the rest of GDQ's week over on Twitch here.

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If you tuned into Awesome Games Done Quick today, you might have seen one of the charity speedrunning event's biggest milestones as it welcomed its first dog speedrunner. 

Just as adorable as his name, Peanut Butter is a Shiba Inu who also happens to be an expert in assisting with Gyromite's Game B mode. Game B had Nintendo's short-lived robot assistant R.O.B. do the heavy lifting, pressing actuators to move pipes so Professor Hector can make it through each level unscathed. In this run, however, it was Peanut Butter who did all the hard work. You can see just how good this boy is right here.

The Peanut Butter Solution

While Peanut Butter makes it all look easy, speedrunner JSR spent a year training him to take over the role of the R.O.B. controller. He does so with a bespoke controller of his own, which allows him to press a few specific buttons on command with great accuracy (and with the looming promise of a delicious treat). JSR got the idea when he was trying to stream every game from every episode of Angry Video Game Nerd.

"It took us about a year of training, every single day," JSR said.?? "But I was able to get him to press and hold buttons down, and he's able to do it now for a long enough amount of time that he can speedrun games."

All that training resulted in a really cute run with a couple close calls. Much ham was expended to get the job done, and there's always the potential time loss hazard of an itchy belly. Even with the challenge of simply being a dog, Peanut Butter was able to blast through Game B of Gyromite and plenty o?f bonus kibbles in an impressive 2?6 minutes and 24.5 seconds. 

Those who want to celebrate Peanut Butter's accomplishment and donate to a good cause â€?further benefitting the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which AGDQ supports each year â€?can pick up a limited time GOOD BOY! t-shirt from The Yetee. Six bu??cks from every tee goes directly to the charity, and th??e shirt is almost as lovable as Peanut Butter himself. 

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Speedrunning events like Games Done Quick are a chance for people to break world records, while also raising money for charity. It was announced recently that Awesome Games Done Quick will?? be an in-person? event. On top of that, the event w??ill also see its fir??st non-human combatant.

That's right, according to speedrunner and streamer JSR_, AGDQ 2024 represents the first time a dog will officially participate in speedrunning on this level. A trailer video shows that Peanut Bu??tter, the Shiba Inu owned by JSR_, will be there to see if the??y can break their personal best.

What game will they be playing? According to a post on Twitter, Peanut Butter (sometimes referred to as PB) will be running the 1985 NES game Gyromite.

Not their first rodeo

While JSR_ will be assisting PB to some extent, game inputs will be conducted solely by the dog. A video from earlier this year shows they've done this before, making it through the game in 25:29. The basic set-up utilizes a series of ?colored buttons hooked up to the game, which ?Peanut Butter activates (for treats, of course).

Interestingly, both JSR_ and PB are up on Speedrun.com under their own category: Game B - Dog Assistance. The schedule on the AGDQ website shows that this will be an online r?un rather than in-person, with an? expected time of 30 minutes.

We can already see that Peanut Butter seems to have got down the specifics of Gyromite. Yes, I'm aware that t??hey probably don't fully understand what's happening, but who among us isn't the least bit tempted to watch a dog play video games? AGDQ will be going ahead in January.

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AGDQ 2023 is a success!

As someone who is both a fan of speedrunning and raising money for a good cause, Games Done Quick runs some of my favorite gaming events of the year. The organization's first event of the year, Awesome Games Done Quick, came to a close this weekend, but not after securing some big wins first. During the event's run on Twitch from January?? 8-15, they raised over $2.6 million for Prevent Cancer Foundation, and some of the participants broke some new speedrunning world records:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge: Co-op Any% Arcade Old Patch by Benja and Paul-Knives (56:18)
• Super Mario Galaxy 2: Any% with Bank Run by Jhay (2:54:51.33)
• PowerWash Simulator: 6 Players, All Vehicles, No Soap by Amyrlinn, Bullets, Biglaw, Enigma Requiem, AngelicKnight, and Acadiel (33:31.7)
• Steven Seagal Is: The Final Option (Prototype): any% 9 exits by Crak Atak (21:44.6)

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTpXQ9hSq_w

This year's Awesome Games Done Quick supported the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which is "the only U.S.-based nonprofit organization solely dedicated to cancer prevention and early? detection." GDQ has raised more than $43 million in its lifetime for various charities, including Doctors Without Borders, Direct Relief, AbleGamers, Malala Fund, and Organization for Autism Research. It's always great to see them in the news, because Games Done Quick has to be one of the most wholesome and uplifting organizations in gaming.

If you missed the live event this time around, don't worry! There's an archive of the entire AGDQ 2023 �as well as other past events �on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel.

Games Done Quick also announced the dates for some more of their upcoming events this year, including the all-female winter speedrunning event Frost Fatales (February 26-March 4, 2023) and Summer Games Done Quick (May 28-June 4, 2023).

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(Speed) Running Up That Hill

The Games Done Quick (GDQ) team has released a jam-packed schedule for its next speedrunning event, AGDQ 2023 �Once again, the fastest fingers in gaming will be gathering online to lay waste to a wide variety of new, classic, and debuting games, from ?a variety of genres, and all for a worthwhile cause.

While GDQ had planned to host the AGDQ 2023 extravaganza in a physical capacity, the team decided that Florida does not currently provide a safe enough environment, (from a social or COVID-19-related standpoint), for such a community gathering. As explained on the official GDQ Twitter, the cancellation of the Floridian venue has left the organizer out of pocket, and thus requires the event to now be held in a?n online capacity.

AGDQ 2023 will be held live, on Twitch, from Sunday, January 8 through Su??nday, January 15.

//twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick/status/1567558908948135937?s=?20&t=xCJ0JLRkstUGqmmHkilEFA

Viewers jumping online over the course of the week can expect to see an array of speed runs, challenges, and time trials across hundreds of great (and not-so-great) titles. These modern and classic Nintendo releases such as Splatoon 3, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Metroid Prime 1 & 2, to recent PlayStation, Xbox, and PC hits including Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Neon White, Dark Souls II, Cult of the Lamb, and Capcom's Resident Evil 7.

Of course, there will be a metric ton of retro action also on offer, so be sure to tune in for runs on Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers, Vampire Night, Ax Battler, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, and Gunstar Heroes, as well as a bevy of releases from the Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, and Mega Man franchises. Check out the full AGDQ 2023 schedule, adjusted for your time zone, right here!

The audience will be able to vote for bonus games, character names, and speedrun options, while entering competitions and giveaways. Once again, all proceeds and donations will go directly to AGDQ's chosen charity, the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Founded in 1985, this non-profit organization continues unceasingly in its efforts to research and fund life-saving developments in the curing and prevention of cancer in the worldwide populace. You can read more about the organization's tireless mission on the official website.

AGDQ 2023 takes place online January 8-15.

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This year's lineup spans a surprising mix of new and old games being run for charity

[Update: AGDQ 2022 is now underway! Be sure to check out all of the action over on Twitch!]

It's that time once again. Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will be hosted this weekend, running Sunday, Jan. 9 through 15. Throughout the online event, speedrunne??rs from all o??ver will perform exhibitions and compete, raising funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

If you're familiar at all with speedrunning, then you probably already know about Games Done Quick. Speedrunners play 24/7 throughout the week, showing off their skills and skips while raising money for a good cause. Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will once again be held online, which has surprisingly allowed for some really cool runs to be featured, like Beat Saber and the arcade dancing game r?uns we've recently seen at GDQ.

This year, there's a pretty interesting mix of games both new and old on the docket. The show opens with an Any% Featherless run of Nioh 2 from AxelSanGo, and later heads into Deathloop and Axiom Verge 2, and even Death's Door. These are some surprisingly recent games, so it's exciting to see?? them being run already.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdEISFAtHVg

There are, of course, still some retro runs at Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 for the fans of the classics. Sonic and Mega Man exhibitions are still present, and a bid war will determine which 3DS version of a Zelda classic�em>Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time—will get showcased.

And closing the curtains on AGDQ this year will be an All Bosses Extreme run of Metal Gear Solid from dlimes13. My personal picks I'll be looking out for: the Final Fantasy XIII run and both the Slay the Spire and Hades exhibitions.

You can find the full schedule with the days and slots here, automatically adjusted to your timezone. The action will stream from Jan. 9 through 15 right here on the GDQ Twitch channel, and you can find donation information and prize info on the GDQ homepage throughout the event??. Here'??s to another year of speedruns galore!

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Mark your calendars for 2022

Games Done Quick's all-women speed-running event is back yet again, and ready to set some new records with their semi-annual marathon this winter. The event yet again will be run by GDQ's sister community the Frame Fatales. This time it's branded as the "Frost Fatales," as it will be snowballing onto our screens during the week of February 27 to March 5 in 2022. Over 100 women are set to participate, and will be racing through titles like Spyro: Year of the Dragon, Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, Ducktales: Remastered, and many, many more.

The event will also benefit The Malala Fund, which has been supported by the Frame Fatales in their previous events as well. Co-founded by activist, author, and youngest Nobel prize winner in history Malala Yousafzai, the fund is a non-profit organization that s??upports the second??ary education of women all over the world.

Last year during their event in November, Flame Fatales was able to raise over $80,000 for the cause, and are hoping to top that goal this year. With GDQ being one of the biggest fundraising events in all of gaming, it's only a matter of time before its sister event is able to catch up to its massive charity donations.

You can check out the full schedule on Frame Fatales' Twitter.

//twitter.com/FrameFatales/?status/1471203188636192769

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Blindfolded Sekiro, a Slay the Spire run, and more

Charity speedrunning event Awesome Games Done Quick has ??finalized the schedule for its 2022 event. And it's a pretty solid, surprisingly modern lineup filled with a lot of runs that seem like the??y'll make for excellent showcases.

The event will run from Jan. 9, 2022 through Jan. 15. If you're new to Games Done Quick, runners will showcase their talents of getting through games in surprising ways as fast as possible. Demonstrations happen around the clock, and often categories will feature unique parameters or even competition, adding so??me extra fun.

The full Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 schedule is live here, and the site will adapt to your local time-zone as the event goes on, so it's?? worth checking back on when AGDQ is live.

Highlights in my eyes are definitely some of the stranger runs. I'm a big Slay the Spire fan, so a four-character unseeded run of the game sounds incredible; same goes for the Hades All Weapons Race and Risk of Rain 2 Any% runs. With a Returnal run on the schedule t??oo, it's a good year for roguelite running.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov4fJmGCsZM

There's a surprising number of recent releases on the list this year, including Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Axiom Verge 2, Lost Judgement, and bonus game Resident Evil Village. It seems like runners have spent a lot? of time already breaki?ng down the newer games for showcase-ready runs.

Some impressive exhibitions are on display as well, like The Centurion category for Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes and a blindfolded Any% run of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. I don't even know how you get that done. And I'm also a sucker for long RPG runs, so count me in for the five-hour estimate Final Fantasy XIII run on Tuesday morning.

Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will once again be held online this year, for the health and safety of its staff and participants. And GDQ has, in my view, made an excellent jump to virtual events due to health concerns over the last year or so. Last year's event raised over $2.75 million for ?the Prevent Cancer Foundation. I'm eager to see how this year's event shapes up?, too.

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Submissions open May 18-25

The button-mashing speedrunners over at Games Done Quick are getting set to sweat once again. The GDQ organizers have announced that sibling community Frame Fatales w?ill be holding another fantastic, all-women's speedrunni??ng event this coming summer.

Rebranded "Flame Fatales", the week-long event will see some of the world's greatest speedrunners gather online to showcase their twitchy, glitchy abilities. Game submissions are set to open on May 18 and will remain open until May 25. So if you're a fast lass and want in on the action, drop a DM to the Frame Fatales Twitter for access to the official Discord, where you can speak to the?? event organizers and meet the friendly Frame Fatales community.

The "Fleet Fatales" event back in November 2020 successfully raised over $80,000 for The Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that fights to ensure women and girls across the globe are afforded access to safe, free, and high-quality education, regardless of?? status, background, nationality or economy. The team will no doubt be looking to smash that number this summer, so be sure to check out the action come August. Don't worry, we'll be sure to re??mind you!

Flame Fatales takes place August 15-21. For more information, visit Frame Fatales on Twitter.

Flame Fatales, an all women speedrunning event, will ?run from A??ugust 15th - 21st!

ðŸ—“ï¸ Upcoming Dates 🗓ï¸
🔘 Game Submissions Open:
May 18th - 25th
🔘 Gameslist / Schedule:
July 15th
🔘 Volunteer Submissions:
July 15th - 24th
🔘 Volunteer Schedule:
August 1st pic.twitter.com/EFV7ACIMLj

— Frame Fatales (@FrameFatales) April 30, 2021

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Summer Loving

The Games Done Quick team has announced that it will once again be hosting its sunny speedrunning event Summer Games Done Quick in July. The event will bring together some of the fastest and... furiouses??t pla??yers from across the globe to compete in a week-long extravaganza of speedrun challenges, tool-assisted chicanery, and fascinating longplays.

As the world remains rocked by the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year's SGDQ wi??ll once again be an online affair, with hosts and runners streaming directly from the comfort and?? safety of their own homes. While GDQ fans are most certainly missing the camaraderie of the event's traditional hotel gathering, the online GDQ events have been no less entertaining and enjoyable in terms of content.

The online setting and difficult world circumstances have also had seemingly no effect on the generosity of the gaming community, who last year donated an amazing $2.3 million USD to non-profit charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. The GDQ t??eam is yet to confirm who will be the beneficiary of SGDQ 2021, bu??t I wouldn't be surprised if they don't return to the global medical and healthcare initiative, as has been the case for several years now.

As I've made it known many, many times before, Summer Games Done Quick is one of my favorite times of the year. Chilling in the sun with good drinks and good games, all for a good cause. I haven't missed it in years, and I don't intend to in 2021. You can check out all of the action yourself when SGDQ 2021 kicks off Sunday, July 4, live on the official GDQ Twitch channel.

We'll be sure to keep you informed once this year's schedule is announ?ced.

Announcement: With the health and safety of all in mind, #SGDQ2021 is now SGDQ 2021 Online, happening July 4 - 11. Expect the same weeklong charity speedru?n event you know and love!

Runners: Submissions open March 31 at ??11:59 PM EDT!

More info: //t.co/Gja49VasM8

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) March 30, 2021

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Amazing success for the annual speedrunning event

Another Awesome Games Done Quick event has drawn to a close. The past week has seen some of the best – or at least fastest – video game players in the world come together to smash their way through a cavalcade of titles old and new, all in the name of ch??arity?.

As the curtain fell on the final run, (which saw runner CLG ZFG blitz through The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in just under 42 minutes), the grand total raised stood at an amazing $2,758,847. All of these proceeds will be donated directly to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, an international organization who work unceasingly to research life-saving developments in the curing of can??cer.

AGDQ 2021 was the first AGDQ ?event to be held in a strictly-online capacity, necessitated by the restrictions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this major hurdle, the GDQ team, global community of speedrunners, and a worldwide audience on Twitch came toget??her to celebrate the medium of video games, with seven straight days of exciting and occasionally mind-blowing challenges.

Newer titles such as Hades, River City Girls, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stacked up 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" playing Super Mario 64 blindfolded, and runner "PeekingBoo" battle through twitchy platformer Celeste using a dance mat!

All of AGDQ 2021's speedruns are now archived on both Twitch and YouTube, and are quickly accessible via 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 bears repeating: Video games have a perpetually bad rep. They did when I was dropping coins into arcades in the '80s, and they do today as a billion dollar industry. But away from the scaremongering headlines and the more toxic aspects of the hobby, gaming is built upon a global community of dedicated players, filled to the brim with good peo?ple bursting with passion and generosity.

The GDQ events epitomize this. And in times as chaotic, hazardous, and mournful as these, the community still came together to make this important charity event a showcase of what makes our favorite pastime truly special. Congratulations to the AGDQ faithful – its organizers, hosts and tech crew, runne??rs and donors – for their amazing success under the most difficult of circumstances. Your tireless energy and effort never ceases to amaze us all.

Summer Games Done Quick wil?l take place later in 2021. So get practicing.

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Now with added Hades

It's January, and you know what that means, it's once again time for some of the savviest players in the business to gather together for a non-stop marathon of fantastic gaming?? action.

Awesome Games Done Quick is upon us once again, and will see players from across the globe congregate to showcase their skills on a great (and not-so-great) plethora of titles. While the world remains mired in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, AGDQ 2021 has shifted to an online capacity - much like SGDQ 2020 - but that doesn't mean you can't tune in and watch all of the ?action from the c??omfort and safety of your own abode.

This year's schedule sees recent entries such as Hades, Carrion, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice rub shoulders with a bevy of AGDQ regulars from the Metroid, Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises. Entries from the Final Fantasy and Silent Hill series are in attendance, as are AGDQ mainstays such as Mirror's Edge, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon.

As the week progresses, viewers can donate to the event, with all proceeds once again going to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which continues its effort to research and develop groundbreaking advances in the curing of cancer. Last year's marathon raised a record-breaking $3.1 million USD, with the AGDQ event having cumulatively raised over?? $15 million USD since its inception back ?in 2010.

As always, viewers can expect competitions, giveaways, interviews, and daily roundups. While the event might have shifted online, the GDQ team still work tirelessly to deliver an exciting and engaging week of festivities with all of the expecte??d trimmings, despite limitations imposed by the current health crisis. Go??od luck to all of the presenters, crew members, and runners. Stay safe and have an awesome week!

AGDQ 2021 runs January 3 - January 10. Check out all of the action on the official GDQ Twitch channel.

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Speedrunning marathon was a great success

The Fleet Fatales extravaganza has finally wrapped. As the curtain falls on a week of daily game-busting esc??apades, the Games Done Quick team announced that an amazing total of $81,101 USD was accrued over the course of the seven-day, all-women's speedrunning event.

Fleet Fatales, which made its debuted in 2019, is an event which has grown out of the Frame Fatales community, supporting women speedrunners from across the globe. Over the past seven days, the socially-distanced marathon saw players smashing through great titles including Hades, Resident Evil 2, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, and Cadence of Hyrule, alongside entries in legendary franchises such as Tomb Raider, Mega Man, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

All of the proceeds raised will be donated directly to The Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that fights to ensure women and girls across the globe are afforded access to safe, free, and high-quality education, regardless of status, background, nationality or economy.

The Frame Fatales team will return in 2021 for its next event, Flame Fatales. In the meantime, you can learn more about the community and how to get involved over on the official Frame Fatales Twitter. Congrats to everyone involved - from the runners to the production team and the generous donators - in making the week's events a success.

That's a wrap! #FleetFatales has officially raised $81,101 for @MalalaFund! â­ï¸

Shout out to all of the volunteers, runners & staff that made this event possible. And thank you all for your generosity & supporting this cause! We'll see you next year for Flame Fatales 2021 â¤ï¸ðŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/nPsZFK8hH0

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) November 22, 2020

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Keep on Speedrunnin'

The record-smashing folks over at Games Done Quick are at it again, as anot??her awesome speed running event is scheduled for this week. Dedicated video game fans will once again be ?blitzing through a host of titles, old and new, in a worthy effort to raise money for a good cause.

Fleet Fatales is slightly different in concept to GDQ's typical marathon events, however, in that it specifically boasts an all-women squad of runners. Born out of GDQ community Frame Fatales, the week-long event will see expert players burn through a list of rad titles, old and new. The schedule includes modern releases such as Hades, Celeste, Resident Evil 2, and Cadence of Hyrule, alongside classic entries from the Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Legend of Zelda series.

As with all GDQ events, Fleet Fatales will feature bidwars, challenges, and interviews alongside the fundraising action. 100% of the proceeds donated throughout the week will go directly to The Malala Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to championing every girl's right to safe, free, and high-quality education, ??regardless of background, status, ??and economy.

Fleet Fatales kicks off tomorrow, November 15, and ends on Saturday, November 21. The event will run from 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET until 21:00 PT / 00:00 ET each day, so be sure to tune in to the GDQ Twitch channel, check out some great speedrunning action and, of course, d??on??ate if you are able.

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It's that time of year again

Awesome Games Done Quick is getting ?set for its 2021 iteration. The organizer of the annual speedrunning marathon has released a tentative games list for the event, revealing over 150 titles from the pantheon of gaming - all being played in efforts to raise money for a worthwhile cause.

The AGDQ 2021 schedule includes a huge list of great titles, old and new. In attendance will be GDQ mainstays from The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros. and Metroid series, alongside games making their GDQ debut. These include Supergiant's Hades, WayForward's River City Girls, and Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2. Also on deck are a selection of fun and unique retro titles such as Mr. Bones, Snow White: Happily Ever After, and Rollergames.

As was the case with summer's SGDQ 2020 event, AGDQ 2021 will be an online affair, keeping all runners and staff safe and socially-distanced in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The week-long event is expected to feature giveaways and competitions, alongside hours upon hours of awesome gaming action. All runs will be broadcast live over on the official GDQ Twitch channel.

The proceeds raised by generous viewers will be directly donated to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, with which GDQ has long been a benefactor. Earlier this year, AGDQ 2020 raised a record-breaking $3.1 million for the cause, so here's to hoping the 2021 event will be every bit as su??c?cessful.

AGDQ 2021 takes place January 3-10. You can check out more details on the GDQ website.

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Charity marathon returns in socially-distanced capacity

Unsurprisingly, the Awesome Games Done Quick team has confirmed that their first event of the new year, AGDQ 2021, will be an online-only affair, as the world continues to be rocked by the on??going COVID-19 pandemic.

Much like last month's SGDQ 2020 event, the week-long charity speedrun marathon will features players from acro??ss the globe showcasing their amazing gaming prowess from the safety of their own homes. Viewers on Twitch will be able to check out seven days of speedruns, ?while entering prize draws and, most importantly, donating money to a worthy cause.

Despite eschewing the usual haunt of the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Minnesota, SGDQ 2021 still managed to raise a very impressive $2.3 million for global medical network Medecins Sans Frontieres. All of the streams from the summer event can be found bookmarked over on the GDQ VOD website.

AGDQ 2021 will take place between January 3-10. Game submissions will open on September 24. Additionally, an all-women's speedrun event, Fleet Fatales, will take place between November 15-21. For more info on all events, visit the official GDQ website.

With COVID-19 being a continuing concern, for the community's safety we have decided to move #AGDQ2021 to an online format with the? same January 3rd-10th dates.

For more info: //t.co/umiMSaefOZ

Game a??nd select volunteer submissions will open September 24th!

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) September 12, 2020

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The light in the storm

Against all of the odds, and despite all of the hurdles 2020 has put in place, the annual Summer Games Done Quick s??peedrun marathon has delivered once again. As the curtain fell on this year's event, SGDQ 2020 succeeded in raising an amazing $2.3 million US?D for charity.

Typically held every August at? the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Minnesota, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the GDQ team to move their annual summer extravaganza to an online-on??ly format, with an army of speedrunners showcasing their skills from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

As a week of awesome gaming action closed with a five-hour speedrun of Nintendo's Pokemon Shield, a grand total of $2,309,530 had been raised by a home audience watching along on Twitch. The money raised will be donated directly to international charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, a global network of medical professionals who provide relief, medic??ine and care wherever it is needed worldwide, regardless of race, creed or political persuasion.

The week saw engaging playthroughs of modern titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us, Demon's Souls, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, alongside classics Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Doom 64, Super Metroid, and Elevator Action Returns. If you missed the action, don't fret, as all of the week's runs are now bookmarked over on the GDQ VOD website.

Once again the gaming community has succeeded in coming ??together, even under the most frustrating and oppressive of circumstances, to celebrate the medium of video games while raising a staggering amount of money for those who need it most. It makes you proud. Congratulations to the GDQ crew, the streamers, and the donors for contributing to a great event and keeping hope and hearts beating during this exceptionally difficult year.

The next Awesome Games Done Quick event is scheduled for January 2021. An all-women's speedrunning event - Frame Fatales' Fleet Fatales - will take place in November.

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What catches your eye?

Demon's Souls has never been more prominently relevant than it is right now. Possibly the most infamous of the From Software Souls-type games, everyone has their eyes trained on that PS5 remake that was announced last month. It's being made by Bluepoint, who handled the excellent Shadow of the Colossus remake a few years ago.

Maybe it's premeditated or maybe it's coincidence (or maybe it's destiny) but Demon's Souls kicks off Summer Games Done Quick this year. For anyone who hasn't played it, it's a fine opportunity to see what you're getting into on PS5. For everyone else, it'll be cathartic watching someone kick Demon's Souls ass when usually Demon's Souls is the one doing the ass-kicking.

It takes some scrolling -- there are a lot of games -- but there's some more SGDQ runs worth pointing out. Monday night gets a three-hour Alien: Isolation run on Nightmare difficulty (which saddles Ripley with a broken tracker that has a distorted display). Half-Life: Alyx is included as a bonus game on Thursday.

What sticks out to you as must-see viewing? Here's the full SGDQ 2020 schedule. The speedrunning festivities run from August 16 through August 22. However, SGDQ will be held online instead of in Minn????esota this year because of the ongoing pandemic.

SGDQ2020 Schedule [Games Done Quick]

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The meetup in Minnesota is off

Summer Games Done Quick has a format sha??keup this year, even though every part of its name still holds true. It's the world's largest and most prominent speedrunning ev?ent, so the "Games Done Quick" part is accurate. And, it takes place in August, so the "Summer" designation is still good.

However, there won't be a live, in-person event this year. Because? of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns, the GDQ organizers have opted to scrap the week-lo??ng event that's always held in Bloomington, Minnesota. Instead, it'll be online only.

This isn't the first online-exclusive GDQ. In April, there was an emergency Corona Relief Done Quick charity event where they raised more than $400,000 over the course of a weekend.

It's a bit of a bummer, but it's also the reality of 2020. One of the cooles?t things about GDQ is the ballroo??m full of people cheering them on. Understandably, that won't be the case this time. No local co-op this time, online only.

Summer Games Done Quick is set to take place August 16 through August 23. All the speedrunning can be found on Twitch. As always, all money raised goes to Doctors?? Without Borders.

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Burning through almost 50 games in three days

[Update: Corona Relief Done Quick continues today. As of this writing, the team has raised an amazing $220,000. There's still some great games ahead, including Pokémon Sword, Super Mario Odyssey, Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Metroid. Check it out!]

The annual Summer Games Done Quick marathon live-stream event was pushed into August, but the speedruns can't stop. A new stream for 2020, Corona Relief Done Quick, kicked off today on Twitch.

When I hopped onto the stream, Sonic Mania was running – a good omen if I've ever seen on?e.

Corona Relief Done Quick is a miniature stay-at-home version of past Games Done Quick events. It's a three-day sprint through new and old video games in support of Direct Relief, an organization assisting "all 50 states and more than 80 countries" with COVID-19 relief efforts. Donations are sorely needed.

Beyond personal protective equipment, the nonprofit supports "U.S. community clinics and health centers with chronic disease medications to make sure that people living with these conditions do not go into acute ?crisis as a result of the surge of people needing medical care due to COVID-19."

I'm terrible about making time for particular games and tend to bounce in and out of these streams when I can, but if you're more punctual, here's the Corona Relief Done Quick game schedule.

I'll never get tired of seeing people crush Dark Souls (tonight at ~7:30 p.m. Pacific) and Resident Evil 7 (tomorrow at ~8:15 p.m.), and while I haven't finished Ori and the Will of the Wisps yet, I'm so tempted to spoil myself rotten. A half-hour speedrun of? the gorgeous new metroidvania sounds entertaining.

If you've got time to kill this weekend, consider throwing the stream on in the background. The lineup is mostly classic speedrun fodder, but they're tearing up Doom Eternal tomorrow at ~5:00 p.m.

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SGDQ inevitably postponed

As everyone comes together (but stays appropriately far apart!) to help solve the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the speedrunning community is taking steps to contribute in the only way they know how: By be??ating video games extremely quickly.

Games Done Quick has announced an emergency charity event called Corona Relief Done Quick. It'll be an online-only event (obviously) that takes place the weekend of April 17-19. All donations will go to Direct Relief. This page details all of Direct Relief's coronavirus effor?ts.

Unfortunately and inevitably, Summer Games Done Quick has been postponed. It was scheduled for the week of June 21, being held in Bloomington, Minnesota as always. However, it has been pushed back to Au?gust 16 -- and hopefully we're out of the woods by then.

Consider for a moment the tremendous potential of Corona Relief Done Quick. A charitable organization that reliably raises a lot of money, but this time for an issue that affects everyone including the people who will be donating. Oh, and it's also being held at a time when no one is allowed to do much more than sit at home and watch Twitch. Corona Relief Done Quick is going to be a godsend for a lot of folks who are bored out of their skull, and we can only hope the donation total accurately reflects?? that.

Announcing Corona Relief Done Quick [Games Done Quick]

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Another hugely successful event draws to a close

We've come to the end of another amazing week of exciting, amusing, and heart-stopping  speedruns, as the curtain falls on another amazing Awesome Games Done Quick event, which ??saw expert players from across the globe gather at the Double Tree Hotel in Orlando, Florida to raise a stupendous amount of money for a good cause.

After a week of intense, non-stop gaming action, a whopping $3,131,475 had been raised from donors worldwide. Since the stream ended, that figure has pushed even higher, with the grand total being in the region of $3,134,000, beating out AGDQ's 2019 total by some $700,000. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, whose tireless efforts continue to brin?g the world? new and life-saving developments in the curing of cancer.

AGDQ debuts were made by games such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Super Mario Maker 2, Blasphemous and Untitled Goose Game, (with "Honk" being the callout meme of the event). These games joined event regulars such as Super Mario, Super Monkey Ball, Donkey Kong Country, Grand Theft Auto, Metroid and Castlevania. There was also a wild, two-person-one-controller blindfold run on NES classic Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

If you want to check out any of the runs for yourself, they are all handily bookmarked on the AGDQ 2020 VOD Reddit. I personally recommend the one-credit-clear attempt on bullet-hell shmup Mushihime-sama Futari, which had me on the edg??e of my seat and ends with an amusing call to arms from runner "Gusto."

C?ongratulations to the entire AGDQ community - from its organisers, hosts and tech crew, to the runners, audience and donators. Once again you all showcased how, even in these tough t??imes, the video gaming community is willing and able to come together to help those in need. You should all be very proud.

Summer Gam?es Done Quick?? 2020 takes place in Bloomington, Minnesota on June 21-28.

The final total for #AGDQ2020 is: $3,131,475!

Thank you so much to everyone involved in this event, everyone that donated, and to all our runners! Nearly 100k over our previous record! #AGDQ2020 pic.twitter.com/eqIo2rzN5O

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 12, 2020

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All for MeMeMeMeMeMe

The source code for one of the greatest video games of the last decade, VVVVVV, has been released to the public by its creator Terry Cavanagh. The surprise drop happened during AGDQ, after runner Mohoc's crazy 100% run, ?which was held to commemorate ?the 10th anniversary of the tricky platformer.

After a short tweet from Cavenagh, the VVVVVV source code was dumped in GitHub, where it is now available for download. It should be noted that VVVVVV is not strictly "open source", however, as there are still licences pertaining to the game's visual assets and amazing soundtrack. Players who want to tinker with their own levels would be better served picking up the "Make and Play" edition. The source code has b???een released more as a curio for the technically-inclined.

Speaking on his blog, Cavanagh modestly notes that he's looked forward to pulling back the curtain and letting people see just how simplistic VVVVVV is in structure. "I was young and more interested in getting something on the screen than implementing it properly," notes Cavanagh. "Maybe the best thing about VVVVVV’s source code is tha?t is stands as proof of what?? you can hack together even if you’re not much of a programmer."

"Hacked together" or otherwise, VVVVVV is an amazing, engaging?????????????????????????? and ?addictive title, and legitimately one of my favourite video games of all-time. If sharing this code can inspire future bedroom programmers to make similar modern classics, that'd be VVVVVVunderful.

VVVVVV is available now on PS4, ?PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, and mobi?le devices.

VVVVVV is now open source <3 //t.co/reAzQETiK7 pic.twitter.com/g8a7o1Jytn

— Terry Cavanagh (@terrycavanagh) January 10, 2020

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Crazy ADGQ run on NES classic

In between the speedruns, tool-assisted gimmickry, and marathon RPG sessions, Awesome Games Done Quick is also known for its interesting "stunt" runs, which sees players take on games under specific (?and usual??ly quite odd) rules and conditions.

Take for example this crazy run from yesterday, where friends Sinister1 and Zallard1 came together to take on 1987 NES release Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! Sharing a single controller between them, Sinister1 was in charge of throwing f??ists??, while Zallard1 kept Little Mac ducking and diving... oh, and both players were blindfolded.

Given Punch-Out!!'s gameplay is entirely based on timing, pattern-recognition, and audio/visual cues, such a feat would require expert teamwork, double-time reactions, and an ability to read the game's mechanics and counters t?o your every action, let alone know how many Star Punches you had queued up, or when you were in "Pink Mode."

Thus Sinister1 and Zallard1 stepped up against Glass Joe, King Hipp??o, Super Macho Man et al in the name of charity. How did the run go? You can check out the action below.

This wasn't Zallard1's first run in the ring, as some of you may remember his appearance at AGDQ 2018, where he defeated both Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! and SNES sequel Super Punch-Out!! simultaneously. I'm not sure if I've beaten just one of them yet??.

Awesome Games Done Quick 2020 continues throughout this week, and comes to a close on Saturday night. You can find the full schedule right here, localised for your time zone.

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It's the 10th anniversary

Looking for something to semi-mindlessly watch this cold winter weekend while you melt into your chair? Awesome Games Done Quick 2020 starts this Sunday, January 5, at 11:30am ET in Orlando, FL.

As usual, the streaming-for-charity event is a week-long gathering of video game speedrunners hosted in support of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The runners practice all year long, show off their latest time-shaving techniques, and bring in donations for a good cause – a staggering $22 million across ??multiple charities since 2010. Speaking of which, yep, AGDQ 2020 marks the tenth ??anniversary.

I'm always partial to the head-to-head races – if you've never seen any, there's this extra energy in the room as multiple speedrunners try to stay in the zone and not let the pressure get to them – but you've got tons of options. The full AGDQ 2020 schedule is listed here. My eyes immediately jumped to The Outer Worlds (Jan. 6), Control (Jan. 10), and Untitled Goose Game (Jan. 11). Those runs are all new to me.

Awful block: an AGDQ tradition. #AGDQ2020? will be no different, with gems abound starting with a bonus game on Wed night, Jan 8!

If it's anything like AGDQ 2019, it'll be an unforgettable time! Take last year's Virtual Hydlide run, where you can really see the game's "charm": pic.twitter.com/wBq4Somnpe

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 2, 2020

You might also want to carve out some ti??me for the "Awful Block." Janky games can be magical.

Awesome Games Done Quick runs until January 12, so if you aren't free this Sunday, you'll have plenty of opportunities to catch some runs next week. You can also check the GDQ YouTube for archives.

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What looks awesome?

It's nearly the end of the year, which means it's nearly 2020, which means it's nearly time for one ?of the most exciting events in video games. Awesome Games Done Quick 2020 kicks off in just under three months, so it's time to see which games will be done quickly.

The full list of games (but not the schedule) was released today, and there are some really interesting entrants. Some newer titles that will be speedrun are: Subnautica, Cadence of Hyrule, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Destiny 2's Last Wish raid. Of course, the classics are well-represented too; there's plenty of Zelda, Mario, Mega Man, and Sonic.

The longest game done quick? That honor goes to a run of Final Fantasy VIII that's going to take just a bit less than nine hours. Or, you could look to someone who's going to play every Fallout game one after another (sans Fallout 76) for more than 10 hours. There sure are? some long blocks.

Peruse the list and figure out what you need to see. Animorphs and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends are getting circled, highlighted, and triple und??erlined on my calendar.

Is This the AGDQ2020 Games List ?! [Games Done Quick]

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There almost isn't enough praise in the world

Sunday saw another amazing week of speedrunning come to an end, as the curtain fell on Summer Games Done Quick 2019. For seven days, players from all over the world descended on the DoubleTree Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis Hotel in Minnesota to burn their way through a catalogue of amazing video games and Last Action Hero, while viewers generousl??y offered up donations for a worthy cause.

When the closing credits rolled on the last game of the week - beloved SNES RPG Chrono Trigger - everybody watching at home and in attendance was gobsmacked by an incredible final total of $3,004,039, smashing last year's total by almost a million dollars. The money raised will be going toward international organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres, a network of medical aid professionals who provide relief, medicine and care wherever it is needed wor??ldwide, regardless of race, creed or political persuasion.

The GDQ team has bookmarked every single one of last week's runs on Twitch, and are currently uploading each playthrough to their official YouTube channel. You can find a full list of games, as well as handy links, over at this Reddit page. From classics such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, TMNT: Turtles in Time, Silent Hill 3 and Gauntlet, to modern releases like Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect and the Resident Evil II remake, there is more than enough video here to while away the la?zy hou?rs.

There almost aren't the words?? to congratulate the team on their incredible success. Well done to everyone involved at SGDQ 2019, be they runner, show host, crew member, or even the thousands of generous donors. I sound like a broken record, but video games have forever been the scapegoat of the media, pilloried as a waste of time at best and dangerous at worst. But we've always known different, and events such as GDQ prove the amazing power, passion, generosity and caring nature of so much of our community, coming together to achieve such awe-inspiring success.

Aw??esome Games Done Quick wi??ll take place in Orlando, Florida in January 2020. Start practicing.

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A week of charity speedrun goodness

There's no event in gaming's calendar year I look forward to more than Games D?one Quick's charity speedrun extravaganzas. And today sees the return of such an event, with the start of the group's mid-year marathon, Summer Games Done Quick.

From today until June 30, speedrunners from across the globe will converge upon the DoubleTree Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis Hotel in Bloomington MN, com??ing together en masse to rip their way through a catalogue of great (and not-so-great) video games from past and present. Speedruns, wacky challenges, tool-assisted chicanery and more can be expected over the next seven da?ys, along with panels, interviews, giveaways, and lots of fantastic prizes to be won by lucky viewers.

The schedule for SGDQ 2019 is live now, with this year's event seemingly leaning toward the old-school. Alongside classic remakes such as Spyro the Dragon Reignited and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, we have Nintendo mainstays Castlevania and Metroid, multiple titles in The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man and Super Mario series, as well as a glut of 8-bit/16-bit releases such as Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, Punch-Out!!, Boogerman, and even Last Action Hero. There's also a sub-four hour run on Kingdom Hearts III planned. You can check out the full schedule - adjusted for your own timezone - right here.

All proceeds raised during SGDQ 2019 will go to relief organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres, a international network of professionals who work tirelessly to provide aid wherever it is needed, regardless of race, colour, creed or political persuasion. MSF have saved countless lives through their amazing efforts, relying on the generous donations of their benefactors in order to provide equipment, care and staff worldwide. Last year's SGDQ event raised an incredible $2.1 million for the group. Here's hoping they can smash that record over the c??oming week.

You can watch all of the action over at the GDQ twitch channel. For more information on the event, check out the official GDQ website. Good luck to a??ll of th??ose involved in this week's activities, be they speedrunners, hosts, staff or spectators. It's sure to be another fantastic week of gaming, as well as a testament to the positive impact video games and the gaming community can have on the world at large.

SGDQ?? 2019 runs from June 23-30 at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, Blooming??ton, MN.

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Incredible work, everyone

Another fantastic Awesome Games Done Quick?? event has drawn to a close. For the past seven days in Rockville, MD, video game fans have played their way through a catalogue of modern, classic and not-so-classic games in efforts to raise money for charity.

As the live stream drew to a close last night, the stream total had hit $2,395,288, though some late donations have since helped push that amazing figure past the $2.4 mark. This total is up some $150,000 dollars on last year's event, making it a new personal best for the AGDQ crew. All the money will be going to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, helping to fund research and ??development into curing, and hopefully one day eliminating, c?ancer.

Over the week, standard and glitch-assisted speedruns were held on over 130 games, with titles including NieR: Automata, Castlevania III, Another World, Hollow Knight, Super Mario Odyssey, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Mega Man, Metal Gear Solid 2 and many, many other??s. Viewers could also win some great pri?zes and fan-created artworks, kindly donated by various developers and community members.

If you want to watch any of the runs on VOD, you can find a full list of links right here. Congratulations once again to everybody involved in AGDQ, from crew, to community, to runners. You should all be immensely proud of your hard wor?k, talent and effort.

Summer Games Done Quick will take place in Bloomington, MN on June 23-3??0.

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