Summer Games Done Quick (#SDQ2020) raised over 2.3 million for MSF (Medicins Sans Frontieres – Doctors Without Borders)! 20454 unique donors from around the world, and event sponsors, donated $2,308,922,84 (USD) over the seven day event. Summer Games Done Quick featured over 130 speedruns from Monday 17th of August to Sunday the 23rd of August, including the first Games Done Quick VR speedrun.
The first Games Done Quick VR speedrun was a highlight of the event. The Half-Life: Alyx speedrun by Buffet Time featured one of my favourite aspects of the speedrunning community. Despite speedrunners competing against each other to clock the fastest times, they openly share and discuss the techniques they use.
With VR speedrunning new on the scene, it was captivating to see the strategies used during the Half-Life: Alyx speedrun. Buffet Time’s run included glitch exploits dubbed “Height Adjust” allowing height manipulation. Buffet Time’s was able to use this glitch to him to move through ceilings or through floors in particular sections of the game.
Games Done Quick (GDQ) events feature incredibly technical gameplay from the fastest gamers in the world.
For 10 years, GDQ events have run in front of a live crowd. The Awesome Games Done Quick event that ran earlier this year was the last live crowd event for GDQ – raising over $3.1 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Summer Games Done Quick is another example of the gaming world adapting in the face of COVID-19 – and achieving great success.
The $2.3 million raised for MSF (Medicins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders) will be used for medical projects in over 70 countries.
With their first all online fundraiser behind them, the GDQ team are already planning for future events. They have announced the dates for their upcoming events – Fleet Fatales Nov 15-21, and Awesome Games Done Quick 2021, Jan 3rd-10th 2021.
You can catch all the runs from the event via Games Done Quick on YouTube and Twitch.
