Summer Games Done Quick Charity Event Kicks Off Today

Earlier today, the Summer Games Done Quick charity event kicked off at the DoubleTree Hilton in Bloomington, Minnesota. The second part of the annual Games Done Quick speedrunning series, speedrunners from all over will come together to raise money for charity, Polygon reports.

For the uninitiated, speedrunning is the act of playing through a video game, with the intent to complete it as quickly as possible. Some speedruns may cover an entire game, while others may cover smaller sections, or single levels. Some speedruns are characterized by specific rules and regulations that players must abide by, ranging from collecting all key items, abstaining from using glitches or bugs in order to cut down on completion time, or fully finishing a game by collecting all key items and finishing all in-game quests and events (sometimes referred to as getting 100 percent).

Needless to say, its something that is not to be taken lightly. Speedrunners (those who speedrun games) often devote months, if not years, to perfecting and honing their craft, all in the pursuit of shaving minutes, or sometimes seconds of a playthrough. Both in an attempt to provide authenticity to their attempts, as well as to grow the community and generate revenue, many prominent speedrunners livestream their attempts on streaming sites such as Twitch.

The crowd is ready for our first run, Banjo-Tooie. Are you? #SGDQ2018 pic.twitter.com/puKoVo4qX8

— Games Done Quick ? #SGDQ2023 (@GamesDoneQuick) June 24, 2018

Since 2010, Games Done Quick has held speedrunning charity events, where speedrunners have livestreamed their playthroughs to raise money for various charities for an entire week, 24 hours a day. Awesome Games Done Quick, which is held in January, raises funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, while Summer Games Done Quick focuses its efforts on Doctors Without Borders. Last year, both events raised more than $4 million combined.

If you’d like to tune into the livestream, the entire event can be viewed on Twitch’s website. If you’d prefer to watch archived versions of each speedrun, individual versions are uploaded to the Games Done Quick YouTube channel, although it often takes days (if not weeks) for all videos to be uploaded. Those who prefer to keep up to date can also check out the Speedrun subreddit, which provides links and timestamps to already-completed runs.

For those who want to plan ahead and tune into your favorite games as they are streamed, be sure to check out the event schedule. Some of this year’s highlights include a 3 on 3 race of custom Super Mario Maker levels, as well as a ‘2 Games 1 Controller’ glitchless, simultaneous run of Pokemon Yellow and Red.