The dedication of gamers knows no bounds. While most are content with simply playing through a title, there are those that push themselves to play differently. Some complete every possible task within any given game, others try to find each and every little glitch within it. Others will try to 'speedrun' a game: basically playing through the game as quickly as humanly possible by any means necessary. The level of skill required to do so is unrivaled.
GamesDoneQuick.com, a group of the country's best speedrunners, hosts the annual Awesome Games Done Quick marathon. Thanks to streaming services like Twitch, there's no need to download lengthy speedrun videos anymore, meaning that the organizers can host a weeklong event featuring dozens of games being played as quickly as possible. It's not the biggest gaming event in the world, but the annual marathon's following has grown consistently over the years.
It may sound pointless to some, but Awesome Games Done Quick has always been hosted for one reason, and one reason only: to raise money for charity. Every year, the marathon accepts donations for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and over the past few years, donations have risen considerably...so much so that, only halfway through the marathon, Awesome Games Done Quick has already raised over $400,000.
It's amazing to see the community come together in such a meaningful way. There are plenty of people who still think of gamers as quiet, nerdy basement-dwellers who think only of the next big release. Something like Awesome Games Done Quick proves just how much gamers can do: raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in just a few days is no small task.
Of course, the marathon is only halfway through. Awesome Games Done Quick continues throughout the week until the finale on Jan. 11. While the original fundraising goal was $500,000, it seems that AGDQ is going to beat that: as of this writing, the marathon has raised over $414,000. It's not hard to imagine that the event could break $1,000,000 by the end of the week!
On top of everything, Awesome Games Done Quick is also raffling off a number of different prizes, and these aren't lame goodies like buttons or stickers. A PlayStation 4 console, a custom Sonic the Hedgehog Sega Genesis console and custom merchandise are all up for grabs, and the only thing you have to do is enter a minimum donation of $10.
If you'd like to make a donation, the only thing you'll need is a PayPal account. Once you have that, head on over to GamesDoneQuick.com and hit the donation button near the bottom of the page.
