Awesome Games Done Quick Wraps Up Video Games Marathon With $1.2 Million For Cancer Foundation

The notable speedrunning video game marathon - Awesome Games Done Quick - which raises money for charitable causes has raised over a million dollars for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

The money raised by the event organized by Speed Demos Archive will go towards cancer prevention. Awesome Games Done Quick 2016 is a week-long event that started on Jan. 3, 2016, and wrapped up on Jan. 10, 2016.

In this period, the fundraising event managed to notch up a whopping $1.2 million. This was the third continuous year where the fundraiser has managed to raise over a million dollars.

While the $1.2 million raised for Prevent Cancer Foundation is a substantial amount, the money raised by the bi-annual event is less than what Awesome Games Done Quick managed in 2015. Last year's winter event raised money for Prevent Cancer Foundation as well and the donations were cumulatively $1.5 million.

However, in 2015 part of the donations - $200,000 to be exact - was courtesy of the Humble Bundle. The Awesome Games Done Quick was able to cross the $1.2 million mark during the day itself. When the speedrun ended on Sunday, Jan. 10, the total amount raised according to the donation tracker was $1,213,9406.99.

The amount was courtesy of 30,581 donations from 23,927 donors. The average donated amount per individual was $39.68 and the maximum amount donated to the cause was $18,255. The concept of the event is that people play a game as fast as possible and speedrun through it. The process is quite engaging and fun and at times baffling as the gamers need to deploy plenty of planning and tricks, not to mention adept skills.

The speedrunning event is quite popular and is a comprehensive test of one's gaming skills. Through the course of the event, several world record runs were done, including the speedrun of Super Metroid with "two players one controller."

If you wish to watch the replays of some fun speedruns from the event check out the YouTube channel of Awesome Games Done Quick YouTube at this link. Awesome Games Done Quick, as well as Summer Games Done Quick, raise funds for several charities and the notable ones pertain to the prevention of cancer. Since its inception in 2010, the two major charities the events' money is donated to are Doctors Without Borders and Prevent Cancer Foundation.

While the event is over, people can still pledge their support and donate toward the cause at Awesome Games Done Quick's website. Fans of the speedrunning event need not disappoint as Speed Demos Archive has spilled the beans on the dates of its next fundraiser i.e. the Summer Games Done Quick 2016. The event will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from July 3 to July 9.

The previous edition of the Summer Games Done Quick, held in summer 2015, raised money for Doctors Without Borders. The amount raised was $1.2 million,