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Awesome Games Done Quick have raised $2.76million (£2.05million) for charity in their week-long 2021 season, speedrunning games like Hades and Celeste.
AGDQ raises money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation by ‘speedrunning’ games on livestream. Speedrunning is the practice of completing a game as fast as possible, occasionally using exploits, in a high-intensity setting, aiming to beat previous records.
Our final #AGDQ2021 total is $2,758,847 for @preventcancer!
We hope that you had a wonderful time watching all of the runs and talented runners, and want to say thank you to everyone involved in the event, everyone who donated, and of course, all of you for being here with us! pic.twitter.com/nBShMysTxR
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 10, 2021
The organisation managed a total of 155 games over the seven day period, amassing $2,763,692.03 (£2,051,281.32) across 42,058 donations. This marks the second-highest amount ever raised – just beaten by last year’s $3.2million (£2.38million).
The livestreams attracted an incredibly high viewer count, hitting highs of over 141,000 people at a time. Participants don’t receive any money for their speedrun efforts, instead volunteering their time to benefit the charity.
Their second event, in aid of Doctors Without Borders, will take place over the summer with Summer Games Done Quick yet to be announced. Fans can still watch the livestreams over on the AGDQ website.
There is also a link to donate directly to their cause via the website, along with merchandise that supports the charity.
The speedruns featured this year included Celeste, Mario 64, and Hades. Gamers challenge themselves further by blindfolding themselves, playing on a dance mat pad, or disallowing any glitches and exploits – making the challenges a tense watch.
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