Another Summer Games Done Quick marathon has come and gone. As sad as we are to see the 'round-the-clock speedruns end, it's always impressive when the final donation tally is revealed. They ended up topping last summer's total for a whopping $2?.5 million raised for Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières.&nb?sp;

This year's Summer Games Done Quick event went down from June 30-July 6 at the Hilton Minneapolis, with both in-person attendance and a week-long stream on GDQ's Twitch channel. Every run is now available to stream on YouTube, so? you can catch?? up on anything you may have missed. 

As usual, the week was full of memorable runs, from synchronized Alan Wake II dances to a Low% Ninja Gaiden run that didn't quite go as planned but was thrilling and inspiring nonetheless. Beloved Shiba Inu Peanut Butter even made a return visit to the event along with JSR, this time slamming a home run in Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball on SNES. There were classic mainstays, like a four-way Super Metroid Any%race, and newcomers like Another Crab's Treasure, which LilAggy and spicee took on in a head-to-head race in under an hour. 

If you have a couple hours to spare, the closer was a 2:38:18 Normal RTA run of the Super Mario RPG remake. 

Games Done Quick has now raised $51 million for charity

Summer Games Done Quick 2024 brings the lifetime total that GDQ has raised to an incredibl??e $51 million. That number encompasses the 14-year history of the marathon, which includes Awesome Games Done Quick, Summer Games Done Quick, and the all-women and femmes Frame Fatales speedrunning showcases. Charities supported ??over the years include AbleGamers, Doctors Without Borders, Organization for Autism Research, Malala Fund, National Women's Law Center, and Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Speaking of Frame Fatales, they're the focus of GDQ's next big event. Look for Flame Fatales to run from August 18-25, live on th?e official Twitch channel. After that, the flagship Awesome Games Done Quick marathon makes its annual return from January 5-12, 2025 in Pittsburgh. 

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Summer Games Done Quick is well underway, so we've already been treated to a couple days worth of fantastic speedrunning feats. One of today's had TheRetroRunner taking on a Low% run of Ninja Gaiden on NES, and the fact that it nearly ended in defeat really showcases what makes? these events special in the first place.

For those unfamiliar with the Low% category for Ninja Gaiden â€?I had never seen it before myself â€?it's essentially a sword-only run with some key restrictions. While it's okay if you pick up a few items by accident, ?you can't use them on enemies and you can't pick up anything that automatically activates. That means no fire wheel, no time stoppi??ng, and no health potions. 

Thankfully, TheRetroRunner and others who run this category have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Chief among them is the sword cancel technique, which lets you mash down and B in mid-air to execute slashes in rapid succession. Even with those tools at his disposal, though, the final halls of Ninja Gaiden provided cruel company. A few misplaced boost??s left his? health on the wrong end of the bar, and he soon succumbed to the third form of the game's final boss.

And then it happened again, a?nd again, and, unfortunately, again! 

Dance with the demon

TheRetroRunner's rapid-fire down+B slashes �for which he even had a cutting board on his lap to make things a little more stable �made short work of both the?? Masked Devil and big bad Jaquio. Thus, he went into the battle with the Demon Statue with plenty of confidence.

A single misstep ended Ryu's fight just as it was about to conclude, but TheRetroRunner and his couch were quick to hop back in with just a dash of disappoinment from the Runner himself. You only have to replay one stage and you end up right at the final form of the fight again, after all. As the following attempts failed in the same spot, though, his enthusiasm was wavering. The last couple of runs through the final stage were grueling. Not??hing had changed in the game, of course, but the mood had certainly taken a turn.

It was rough enough that TheRetroRunner was ready to call it quits. He questioned whether or not the folks behind GDQ wanted him to go on, as he was fa??st appr??oaching his estimate, which could affect the overall schedule. That's where the runner's couch and the GDQ attendees and viewers came into play. TheRetroRunner was on the cusp of victory but needed that extra push, and he got it every time. 

The jaws of defeat

After some thorough encouragement, TheRetroRunner eventually made it through to the end while strictly adhering to the Low% rules established from the start. No on?e would have blamed him for putting the controller down after a handful of last-minute losses, but that's the beauty of Games Done Quick and other similarly positive and welcoming events. Victory wasn't guaranteed, but there's always room for improvement in the next attempt. 

It's easy to get caught up in the virtual acrobatics associated with marathon speedrunning. There's nothing like watching a flawless run that pushes a game beyond its boundaries. TheRetroRunner's sword-only dash through Ninja Gaiden reminded me of what really makes these e??vents special, though. The downs can have just as much impact as the ups, and it's a good reminder that these runners are really doing it live and trying their best in front of thousands of viewers who are donating money to a good cause in exchange for some well-rehearsed entertainment. 

I'm pumped that there's still almost a full week of Summer Games Done Quick to go. I'll be looking forward to the next mind-blowing, potentially record-breaking run on the packed schedule. I'll also be keeping an eye out for the speedruns that aren't quite so clea??n. Let's che??er them all on for good measure. 

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This June marks the return of a summer speedrunning staple, as Summer Games Done Quick prepares to kick off another weeklong stream of incredible gaming feats. It all starts on June 30, and ahead of that the full list of games has been revealed. 

There are a ton of classics being revisited this time around, and there's also the typical mix of new games getting their very first run in the spotlight. Chief among them is the PlayStation 5 version of Alan Wake 2. Speedrunner suavepeanut has an "Alan%" run â€?meaning just the Alan-centric Initiation chapters from Remedy's celebrated sequel â€?planned, aiming for r?oughly an hour and some change. 

Developer LocalThunk's poker roguelike Balatro is also in the mix for the first time as a Bonus Game. These games are typically inserted into the schedule after a specific fundraising incentive has been met. Folks who donate to the cause, which is once again humanitarian medical nonprofit Doctors Without Borders, can decide which goal they want to contribute toward. Keep that in mind if you're dying to see a "3 Deck Random Seed, Skipless" run of Balatro! 

While no one has tossed in the sprawling Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth into the mix yet, tapioca is cooking up a 90-minute any% run of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Happybythree will throw their hat into the heist-pulling ring with an Any% PlayStyle A run of Turnip Boy Robs a Bank. The week typically closes with a lengthy role-player, and this time it's the Nintendo Switch remake of Super Mario RPG from runner V0oid. There's no better way to bring th?e house down than to bring Smithy do?wn LIVE.  

Still goin' fast

If you're familiar with the Games Done Quick streams, you'll see plenty of familiar titles this time around, from a handful of Mega Man games �Mega Man 4, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man X5, specifically �to a Super Metroid race. There are welcome oddities in there, too. Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain will have TheShadedMaster going for 100% in roughly 15 minutes. There's also the Silly Games Done Quick block, which features the likes of Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, Barbie on NES, Birds Aren't Real: The Game, Mad Panic Coaster, and more.

Most importantly, there's a Chibi-Robo! race on the way, pitting Jaxler and Kobazzco against one another in the 1v1 Lockout Bingo category. It all goes down June 30 - July 6 at the Hilton Minneapolis Downtown in Minnesota, streaming live on Twitch and the official site. If you see my productivity dropping that week, you know ??what's up. 

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2 Quick 2 Charitable

That’s a wrap on the 2023 edition of Summer Game Done Quick. It’s been a full week of playing video games way faster than the Gods of Gameplay intended. Speedrunners gathered in Minneapolis, MN, and awed us with their speedy thumbs for a solid week. Now that the dust has settled, the Summer Games Done Quick organizers have revealed that this year netted a total of $2,239,204 for Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Fr?ontières).

Doctors Without Borders is a charity that puts trained professionals where they’re needed. They provide medical care, ??support, and relief to wartorn areas and locations affected by disease. They also collect statistics in these areas, on top of other humanitarian work.

//twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick/status/??1665316048831143936

In case you missed it

If you missed the Summer Gam??es Done Quick festivities, here are some highlights:

EoDTexSR tackled Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined. This is a bit of an odd choice since a lot of the game is auto-scrolling sections.? However, it’s pretty interesting to see them place optimize their power-ups and place their character exactly where they need to be to keep the screen moving.

//youtu.be/UJMxnFkUj5s

Want some kusoge? I should probably add this to my list of games to cover in my weekly(ish) column. It’s Cat in the Hat, released?? on PlayStation in 2004!? Speedrunner Mildew completes the dubious game in a short 10:49. Damn! That is efficient.

//youtu.be/C3ERWywx8hI

How about the hidden NES gem (that I’m not a huge fan of) Shatterhand? I get bored?? after maybe two levels, but Amad fin??ishes it in 21:55. Wow! I think even my short attention span could handle that.

//youtu.be/m_NYH95TlDQ

There were also some awesome attempts at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild while blindfolded and Tony Hawk’s Underground at Summer Games Done Quick. A really interesting event was around Super Mario Maker 2 being played competitively in a team-based relay style. Team members played le??vels they had never seen before and competed to see who could do them quicker.

To put this into context, Summer Games Done Quick 2022 raised over $3 million. While this year's number is lower, it’s still a massively impressive number and something to be proud of. Breaking games to see the credits faster is a terrific way to get gamers?? to open their wallets for charity, as Games Done Quick proves year after year. Good job to everyone involved, the gamers?, the hosts, and, of course, the organizers.

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Pre-recorded footage used in bonus speedrun

The Games Done Quick (GDQ) team has announced that it has rescinded a World Record run that took place during last week's Summer Games Done Quick 2022 event. The run, which featured hack 'n' slash actioner Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance, has been nullified after the SGDQ? runner admitted to using ?footage spliced together from previous offline attempts.

While most of the event's speedruns were showcased on-site, a small handful were held in an online capacity for logistical reasons. A Russian speedrunner tackled Revengeance' "Blade Wolf" DLC as part of a viewer donation bonus incentive, and proceeded to achieve ?a world-best clear time in the process. However, the player has since confessed to having faked the feat by simply playing an edited, pre-recorded video on stream.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlkWSqA4VFU

"The Blade Wolf DLC run incentive people paid for is a pre-recorded, segmented run," confessed the runner to GDQ enforcement team after the event. "I haven't mentioned it anywhere, neit?her during the submission process or the email I sent to the committee. It was supposed to be a real-time run, but I've changed my mind at the last second after switching the saves."

"I've done an actual bad thing, and I shouldn't have done this on the event... I acted selfishly and I haven't put?? more time thinking about others. I am sorry for doing the thing I've done. Truly."

The GDQ team has since removed the run from its YouTube archive and banned the player from participating in future GDQ events. Despite the honest confession, GDQ seems to believe that it was understood by the player that the subterfuge would not?????????????????????????? be publically outed by the GDQ team. This, obviously, has?? not been the case.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Ui0Sk1DAM

"This is absolutely unacceptable and attempts to undermine the integrity of the speedrunning community that we love and support," wrote the team in a statement to PCGamesN. "The exact result they desired was unclear from the document, but it is clear that they believed we would not be willing to speak out about their behavior. However, we believe it ??is in the community's best interests to know why this run was removed by GDQ. We have removed [the player's runs] from our YouTube archive, and will not permit him to run in the future."

Summer Games Done Quick 2022, returning to the Double Tree Hilton in Bloomington MA for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the events offline, saw some of the fastest and finest players in the world gather together to smash through a huge catalog of new and classic video games. When the curtain fell on Saturday, the event had raised an incredible $3.01 million USD for charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. You can check out (almost) every run from the event on the official GDQ YouTube channel.

The next online GDQ event, Flame Fatales, will take place between August 21-27.

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Incredible result for speedrunning extravaganza

Last week, the Games Done Quick (GDQ) community reun??ited for a whole week of fascinating, entertaining, and death-glitchin' speedruns. The annual Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) saw some of the best players from around the globe gather at the Double Tree Hilton in Bloomington MA for seven days of? non-stop speedrunning challenges, all in the aid of a good cause.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IUT4UOCZzg&t=150s

SGDQ 2022 was the first time the GDQ team had gathered in a physical capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic forced event?s to go online in 2020. Despite ensuring numerous safety precautions for the crew, runners, and audience, spirits were high all week, as runner after runner smashed their way through a plethora of games, old and new. I??n addition, home viewers were encouraged to enter contests and competitions, share their support for the runners and games online, and, of course, donate to the cause.

When the stream finally ended on Saturday night, SGDQ 2022 had raised a staggering $3.01 million USD, almost a third of which was raised during the event's final 48 hours. The money raised will go to the non-profit organization Medecins Sans Frontieres, an international network of professionals who pr?ovide medical aid, care, and relief to those who need it �wherever it's needed �regardless of race, color, creed, or poli?tical persuasion. MSF is, sadly, an organization that is perhaps needed now more than ever before, and the aid provided by its talented and tireless staff cannot be overstated.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGa26MYMp38

If you missed the week's events and wish to check out any of the runs from the entire week, then you can find them all queued up and ready to go on the SGDQ VOD Reddit. There is something here to entertain everybody, from speedrun veteran titles such as Super Meat Boy, Celeste, Donkey Kong Country, and Metal Gear Solid, to debutantes including Solar Ash, Elden Ring, Infernax, Tunic, and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl. Oh, and don't forget to also check out some of the quirkier games, such as PlayStation gem Incredible Crisis and CDi shitfest Thunder in Paradise... brother.

I have written about GDQ's various annual events for years now, and it is endlessly satisfying to do so. I won't sugarcoat the fact that the global climate has been an unhappy one for some years, and it can often feel as though The Good Guys are not out there anymore. But they are out there �in abundance �and even in this supposedly "??hyper-toxic" world of gaming. Congratulations to the Summer Games Done Quick organizers, hosts, showrunners �and, of course, the players themselves �for their successful return to physical events. You should all be proud of the week??'s amazing achievement.

The next online GDQ event, Flame Fatales, will take place between August 21-27.

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Who knew speedrunning could be so comforting?

When I was growing up, the sounds of sports were always all over our house.? My dad likes pretty much every sport imaginable, from football to baseball to track and field. A lot of the time I had no idea what was going on, but having a game on in the background made for the perfect backing track to take my Sunday afternoon naps. So?metimes when I want to feel extra cozy, I'll find an old NFL game on YouTube to put on while I fall asleep.

These days, the closest thing I get to watching sports is esports. It's an ??entirely different world, as I've learned from my friends who work on that side of the industry, but there's also a lot of crossover there.

For one thing, esports took a lot from traditional sports when it comes to the way they set up their broadcasts, particularly when it comes to commentary or how they introduce players. As someone who was aro??und sports my whole life (I have really athletic siblings), it's been fascinating to me ??to see how we've moved competition to a digital space, and how we choose to relay that information to those who are watching.

[caption id="attachment_333083" align="alignnone" width="2248"] _{[Image Source: NPR]}[/caption]

I think of speedrunning as esports' little cousin

Mor??eso than esports even, I've recently taken a liking to speedrunning.

At this point I'm pretty sure everyone is familiar with the concept, but in case you're not, the basic idea is that players have competitions to see who can play through a game the fastest, and the rules can vary depending on whether speedrunners want to do a run that doesn't take advantage of bugs (k??nown as a glitchless run), if they choose not to use certain items, if they choose to only race to a certain part of t?he game, and so on.

Speedrunning as a concept was widely popularized in the mid-1990s by players who would do runs of Super Metroid, but these days, you can speedrun just about everything by implementing some creative rules. While esports can be pretty rigid with rules, hero/champ?ion bans, and intense practice schedules, there's a lightheartedness to speedrunning that I find really charming.

In recent years, players have started doing runs of games like Stardew Valley, Cooking Mama, and the Little Mermaid NES game, to name a few. Seeing speedrunners lean into that silliness every once in a while speaks to how this community?? feels like a celebration of the games we love. I mean, you have to love a game a lot to play it for hundreds or thousands of hours to know?? it well enough to speedrun in the first place, right?

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

So now, when my best friend and I get together but don't know what to do, we just watch speedruns of our favorite games. I love just sitting back and watching these amazing players explain to me all of the intrica??cies of their runs, and all the work they had to put in to shave even a few short seconds? off of their runs.

This sounds familiar...

We were recently watching the highlights from Games Done Quick, a semi-annual speedrunning event that raises money for charity, and there were some really fun clips in there. While most of the players participated from home, there were a few games where pla??ye??rs got to do their runs in person at the event.

One moment that stuck to me, in particular, was a clip of four speedrunning doing a head-to-head speedrun race of the aforementioned Super Metroid from 2014.

//youtu.be/MTIqjXeMTIU?t=351

The commentators who were explaining the runs to the audience were in the room with the players, so they were spe?aking quietly so as not to disturb their concentration.

There were moments of tense silence as the players went through difficult sections, only to be met by cheers when they cleared them. As we were watching this unfold, I had a sudden realization: this sounds exactly like when my dad? would ??watch golf on TV.

Now I've been putting on speedruns to either watch ??for fun, or to just have on in the background. With family stuff being a bit complicated right now, it's comforting to me to have something that's familiar-sounding, yet is also something that also caters to my interests, unlike traditional sports. I always knew I liked speedrunning, but this gives them a whole new meaning for me.

There's nothing I love more than watching passionate people do what they're good at, and that's exactly wh??at speedrunning is all about. I may not watch any more traditional sports in the future, but maybe speedruns are something I can show my dad in ?the future to return the favor.

One of the things that sports and spe?edrunning have in common is that it's about coming together to share a love of other people doing something better than we ever could.

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Back in person for the first time in two years

Games Done Quick is one of the most popular and beloved gaming charity events out there, and this year, they're finally back in person with Summer Games Done Quick 2022 as we learned a few months ago. Now the organization has also just released the full schedule for the event this year, and we couldn't be more stoked for ?it.

The SGDQ 2022 lineup will feature speedruns of our old favorites like Shadow of the Colossus, Mass Effect, and Spyro the Dragon, while newer titles are also on the table like Tunic and Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Summer Games Done Quick 2022 will take place at the DoubleTree Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis Hotel in Bloomington, MN from June 26–July 3. It may be the first time back in person in two years, something we're all incredibly excited about, but that?? does??n't mean SGDQ won't be taking the necessary precautions.

The event will be following full Covid-19 guidelines to make sure that fans can have a fun, safe time this year �attendees will need to be fully vaccinated, and will be required to wear a KN95/N95/KF94 face mask at all times while in attendance. If you can't make it in person, that's totally fine too, because the entire event will also be available to stream on the official Games Done Quick Twitch channel.

This year's SGDQ will be directly benefitting Doctors Without ??Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières, an international medical non-governme??ntal organization that provides medical care to those in crisis around the world. Viewers or audience members will be able to donate to the cause, will 100% of all donations going directly to Doctors Without Borders. What could be better than enjoying some video games while helping out those in need at the same time? Nothing, that's what.

You can find more details about SGDQ 2022 on their official website, and now we have something to loo?k forward to for the next few months.

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Annual SGDQ event smashes last year's total

For many years now, I've written articles on the coming of, the start of, and the conclusion of a variety of GDQ events. And despite having hit these headlines over and over, they're never any the less heartwarming, any the less amazing, and any the less important. Once again, Summer Games Done Quick has knocked it out of the park, r?aising a staggering $2.8 million USD for a very worthy cause, all?? thanks to the hard work, tenacity, and generosity of the video gaming community.

Following a week of awesome challenges, lightning-fast speedruns, and tool-assisted chicanery, the curtain fell on this year's SGDQ, which was once again held online due to COVID-19 restrictions. But even without the in-house audience or the faithful surroundings of Minnesota's Double Tree Hilton, the SGDQ 2021 team, a global network of speedrunners, and a faithful home audience still came through, donating a grand total of $2,897,704, beating out last year's total by almost half a million dollars. Fantastic.

The proceeds will go directly to medical organization Medicins Sans Frontieres, a global network that dispatches healthcare, resources, supplies, and medical profess??ionals wherever it is needed on this green Earth, regardless of race, creed, or religious persuasion. Of course, given the tragedy of the? global pandemic, healthcare charities such as MSF need our help now more than ever, and this money will certainly offer a boost to the non-profit organization's global network.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3AJkGdSt4Q&t=1s

SGDQ 2021 saw wildly entertaining runs on a gamut of classic and modern-day releases. Onstream this year were modern hits such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Last of Us, Streets of Rage 4, and Dark Souls alongside a huge selection of classics including Batman: The Video Game, Super Punch-Out!!, Silent Hill 2, Sonic 3, and Deus Ex. If you missed any of the week's action, no worries, as each and every run is now available to view on demand �bookmarked over on the official GDQ VOD page. One highlight of note is Harvrd's unique, brain-breakeing GeoGuessr run.

Even in the darkest of times, video game fans shine brightly. I know, I know, I say this every year �which is merely a testament to its truth. We hear so much negativity? about the industry and those within it, from the local bedroom up to the highest of boardrooms. But, like every element of society, there are more than enough passionate, caring, dedicated, and proud individuals within our favorite pastime. The GDQ event remains a standard for showing off video games, and the people who play, at their most selfless. Congratulations to the GDQ staff and the runners themselves for another incredible week.

The next GDQ event will be all-women's speedrunning showcase Flame Fatales, which will take place August 15-21. Awesome Ga??mes Done Quick will return January 9-16 2022.

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Where in the world are we?

Summer Games Done Quick 2021 has been underway for days now, with a bunch of speedrunners (remotely) coming together to demonstrate their skills for charity. This includes the usual suspects like Mega Man and Metroid, but SGDQ '21 spotlighted a wild run earlier this week: a speedy, precise run of GeoGuessr.

If you've never played GeoGuessr, it's the formal version of a Google Maps game you might have already tried. It plops you on street view somewhere in the world, and you have to guess where you are. And that "somewhere" can be just about anywhere, though a curated seed is used for a better overall experience (you can find and play that selection of over 52,000 locales here).

As speedrunner "Havrd" demonstrated, deducing your locale from your surroundings alone can be tricky. And for this category, Havrd was going for a perfect score, getting his own location? essentially dead-on with a score of 5,000 for each of the five drop points. You can watch the run in full below:

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

Just looking around his location, h??e's able to deduce countries and regions. Roads make for an obvious marker, as well as exit signs. But the speed at which he can glean details, anything from a flag and written language to road lines, while flitting through the world is really impressive to see in practice.

I love the non-standard runs that get featured at Games Done Quick, and going online has only made it easier to feature some runs that would otherwise cause logistical challenges. VR and full arcade setups are some obvious examples, but I'm happy to see GDQ spotlighting stuff like GeoGuessr as well. It's not the most conventional "g?ame," but it's fascinating to see these sorts of tools turned into games and then broken down into a run.

SGDQ 2021 concludes tomorrow, July 10, with a run of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix; here's where you can find the full schedule of upcoming games. You can follow the stream and help donate to a good cause (Doctors W??ithout Borders) here.

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