Games Done Quick is a semi-annual charity marathon of videogame speedruns. In their 9-year history the organization has raised over $22.3 million for charity. This years event had to be transitioned to an online-only platform due to this impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In statement on their website, organizers share news about the decision, saying “As we prioritize the health and safety of everyone who attends GDQ events, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the on-site portion of Summer Games Done Quick 2020…” Despite this, the marathon is paced to have no shortage of content, with more than 50 games on the schedule. The events beneficiary is Doctors Without Borders, an organization that dispatches medical professionals and aid in areas that need it most. The complete lineup for the digital event has been released.
Day one of the marathon begins on August 16th with a preshow at 11:30 am and plans to go until a little over 9 pm. Games like DUSK, Super Mario Odyssey, and Secret of Mana are all on the first day’s lineup. The marathon is scheduled to end on August 22nd close to 9 pm. Highlights from some of the following days include games like Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The Last of Us, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Volunteers will play on multiple different systems, retro and modern, speedrunning games from the past and present.
Consoles include 3 generations of PlayStation, Xbox One and 360, and even the Sega Genesis. All featured games have been submitted by and will be played by volunteers. The username of the host is displayed next to the game they are playing, console, and length of the speedrun on the event schedule here.