Awesome Games Done Quick, a speedrunning event that raises money for charity, is back for its annual winter gaming marathon from Jan. 5 to Jan. 12. Over three dozen groups and individual speedrunners are participating this time, with segments running around the clock for the whole week.
This year’s Awesome Games Done Quick is raising money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and while high-profile games such as Horizon: Forbidden West, The Last of Us, Astro Bot and 2024’s Silent Hill II remake headline the marathon, expect to see a broad range of popular and lesser-known games on show. Classics such as Super Mario Bros., Ninja Gaiden II and even 1996’s Batman arcade game sit alongside niche favorites, including Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, UFO 50, Inspector Gadget: Gadget’s Crazy Maze and Squirrel With A Gun.
Some participants keep things traditional and aim to complete an entire game or a specific portion of it as quickly as possible. That’s quite the task in itself and requires hours of practice and expert knowledge of how the game works. Others have something less orthodox in mind.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild segment during the upcoming Games Done Quick, for example, features two players sharing one controller and seeing how much — if any — of the game they can get through. The folks running Elden Ring are hosting what’s called a DLC Bingo Lockout, where players race to see who can complete a line on a bingo card first, with each square representing a specific task, such as defeating a boss or finding a rare item.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time segment uses a randomizer to mix up where items and potentially even dungeons will appear, and someone’s planning to get through as much of New Super Mario Bros. Wii as possible — while playing the piano. There’s even a live band providing backup music for Crazy Taxi during that portion of the show.
Games Done Quick has hosted speedrunning marathons in winter and summer for 15 years and raised $51.8 million for global charities, including Doctors Without Borders, Organization for Autism Research and AbleGamers. The last of those three organizations advocates for greater accessibility in video games, pioneering development of adaptive technology that lets people unable to use traditional controllers still enjoy games and forge connections through them.
Games Done Quick will stream the event live on its Twitch channel. AGDQ’s website has the full schedule.
