Incredible result for speedrunning extravaganza
Last week, the Games Done Quick (GDQ) community reunited 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.
SGDQ 2022 was the first time the GDQ team had gathered in a physical capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic forced events 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. In 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 provide medical aid, care, and relief to those who need it – wherever it’s needed – regardless of race, color, creed, or political 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.
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.
