Awesome Games Done Quick raises record $3.4 million

Speedrunningmarathon Awesome Games Done Quick raised $3.4 million this year for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. According to the organization, that is officially the highest amount they have ever raised.

Games Done Quick organizes a speedrunning marathon twice a year: Summer Games Done Quick around June every year and Awesome Games Done Quick every January. Normally the speedrunners are physically present at the event, as well as the public, but that was canceled due to Covid-19. In addition, live streams are available on Twitch. The speedrunners provide explanations for their actions and hosts provide additional comments and read accompanying texts of donations.

Speedrunning itself is the sport of completing a video game as quickly as possible. Self-selected variables are chosen, such as 100% completion, glitchless or, new game+. Everyone is free to create a new category and thus a new leaderboard. They often do that on speedrun.com.

This edition featured special speed runs such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, played with a blindfold in front, and randomizer runs from Pokémon Crystal, where the key items are randomly swapped for extra variety. In addition, well-known and popular games such as Portal 2, Halo: Combat Evolved, Hades, Dark Souls, Half-Life 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake and DeathLoop were played. GDQ maintains a YouTube playlist, which is currently incomplete.

According to commenters on Reddit, new world records have been set in Pumpkin Jack, Sonic 4, Kena, Webbed, and Garshasp. The 3,416,729 dollars went to the Prevent Cancer Foundation this year. That is the goal of AGDQ every year. The money raised from SGDQ always goes to Doctors Without Borders.

The video of the Sekiro speedrun does not appear to be available at the time of writing