Summer Games Done Quick starts this weekend, will donate proceeds to charity

SGDQ goes completely virtual due to COVID, all proceeds donated to Doctors Without Borders

Games Done Quick, the series of charity-based video game speed-runs, will begin its summer event on Sunday, August 16.

Founded by Mike Uyama in 2010, Games Done Quick has raised over $22.3 million for charities such as Doctors Without Borders, AbleGamers, and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The event is hosted twice a year in the winter and summer and live-streamed for its entire duration.

During the event, speed-runners compete by completing different selections of games in as little time as possible using any means necessary – including glitches and exploits. Speed-runs range from the mundane completion of both new and classic games, to real-time races against other speed-runners, or even beating games while blindfolded.

In addition to being live-streamed on platforms like Twitch, speed-runs are usually accompanied by announcers commentating and critiquing competitive gameplay in real-time. Audiences can donate at any time and are typically incentivized to do so with various “rewards,” such as naming a speed-runner’s character, entering raffles, or even personalized messages that appear on-stream for all to see.

Since the organization’s inception, the amount of money raised has steadily increased throughout the years. After the very first event, which lasted from January 1,  2010, through the 3rd, GDQ had raised over $10,000 for CARE – the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere.

By the end of GDQ’s 2011 the following year, the amount raised had ballooned to over $52,000. This trend would only continue, and by the end of the GDQ’s January 2020 event, the organization had raised over $3.16 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation over the event’s seven-day-run. GDQ’s summer equivalent faired in much the same way – with the first 2011 raising over $21,000 and over $3 million by the end of June 2019. 

GDQ also organizes “Special Marathons” throughout the year in response to disasters and difficult circumstances around the world. GDQ raised almost $26,000 for Japan after an earthquake and tsunami devastated its coastlines, $229,000 for victims of Hurricane Harvey, and, most recently, over $402,000 for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, in response to COVID-19, Summer Games Done Quick 2020 will be completely virtual instead of hosting a physical event in Minnesota.

SGDQ will begin streaming non-stop from August 16, 11:30 AM EST through August 23. All proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. You can watch the stream at twitch.tv/gamesdonequick.