Incredible success for the annual speedrunning event
Another quick event of incredible completed games came to an end. The past week has seen some of the best – or at least the fastest – video game players in the world come together to pioneer a ride on old and new titles, all in the name of charity.
When the curtain fell on the final run, (who saw the CLG ZFG runner blitz through The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in just under 42 minutes), the grand total raised was an incredible $ 2,758,847. All of these funds will be donated directly to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, an international organization that works tirelessly to research life-saving developments in curing cancer.
AGDQ 2021 was the first AGDQ event to be held strictly online, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Despite this major obstacle, the GDQ team, the global speedrunner community and a worldwide audience on Twitch came together to celebrate the medium of video games, with seven consecutive days of exciting and occasionally mind-boggling challenges.
More recent titles such as Hades, River City Girls, and Sekiro: the shadows die twice stacked against the old ones, including Ecco the Dolphin, Strider, and Aladdin. Regular AGDQ Silent Hill, Metroid, Spyro the Dragon and Donkey Kong Country were all present and correct, while two specifically notable challenges saw the “Bubzia” runner play Super Mario 64 blindfolded, and the “PeekingBoo” runner battles through a hectic platform game heavenly using a dance mat!
All AGDQ 2021 speedruns are now archived on Twitch and YouTube and can be accessed quickly through this Reddit topic. It seems like a perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday.
I know I’m like a broken record, but it’s always worth repeating: video games have a perpetually bad reputation. They did this when I was throwing coins at arcades in the 1980s, and they do it today as a billion dollar industry. But far from the scary headlines and more toxic aspects of the hobby, the game is built on a global community of dedicated players, brimming to the brim with good people full of passion and generosity.
GDQ events summarize this. And in times as chaotic, dangerous and sad as these, the community has still come together to make this important charity event a showcase of what makes our favorite pastime truly special. Congratulations to the AGDQ faithful – their organizers, hosts and technical staff, runners and donors – for their incredible success in the most difficult circumstances. His tireless energy and effort never ceases to amaze us all.
The Summer Games Done Quick will take place in late 2021. So, start practicing.
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