AGDQ 2023 raises $2,644,810 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation

At the end of a new week-long marathon, AGDQ 2023 harvest 2,644,810 for the benefit of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The first annual speedrun event is once again a success, despite some logistical difficulties.

Every first weekend of the year, the company Games Done QuickThe Speedrun Live website, made up of former members of the Speed Demos Archives and Speedrun Live websites, is organising a speedrun marathon, the Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ). For one week, 24 hours a dayIn the "Speedrun" series, speedrunners from all over the world perform live on Twitch and complete hundreds of games, all the while raising money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. What started out as a series of speedruns by a group of friends has become a show in its own right, with constrained runs (such as completing a game blindfolded) and races between players to see who can finish the game the fastest.

Jhay breaks the Super Mario Galaxy 2 world record in the middle of a marathon and a race.

Like the two previous editions, the AGDQ 2023 was an online-only event. Usually, speedrunners meet in a large hall open to the public. However, for safety reasons, the organisers decided not to hold the event in Florida as had been planned. This was due to the fact that the COVID19 prevention measures were not sufficient for such a gathering, but also to the increase in attacks on members of the LGBT community in Florida. This cancellation would have cost Games Done Quick a lot of money and prevented the rental of a new venue in time.

What the GDQ loses in atmosphere by being online, it gains in spectacle and diversity. When the event could not happen in person in 2021 because of the epidemic, it finally opened up to many runs that were previously not possible to do locally. Some players simply could not afford a trip to the US, but more importantly, some games require equipment that is difficult to transpose or capture on film in a simple conference room. Thus, we were able to enjoy performances by Stepmania or a speedrun of Half-Life : Alyx in VR this year.

This year, the AGDQ collected 2,644,810. This is the lowest score since 2019, but still a lot of money that should help cancer research. As an indication, the record is the 2022 AGDQ, with 3 442 033 dollars raised.

This AGDQ was the last of its organiser, Mike Uyama. The now ex-president of Games Done Quick announced his departure the day before the marathon. Thirteen years ago, he was the one who welcomed the handful of speedrunners in his mother's basement for the very first Games Done Quick. The event has continued to grow and change and has become one of the most popular and followed events on Twitch.

So well attended that it is now broadcast and commented in different languages, including French, thanks to the LFR association, The French Restream. They once again provided commentary for all the games, explaining the different techniques used and bringing their good humour throughout the week.

For the time being, no date has been given for a possible Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ), the summer edition of the marathon that usually benefits Médecins Sans Frontières.

While waiting for news, we leave you with a clip: