SGDQ 2016: Why you should be watching

This weekend starts another edition of Awesome Games Done Quick, or - as it's the summer edition - Summer Games Done Quick. It's one of the most fun gaming events to watch, and Ferry is here to tell you why.

01-07-2016  -  by Ferry Rovers

What is Awesome Games Done Quick?

Games Done Quick is a series of charity video game marathons, in which speedrunners raise money for charity. Games Done Quick has teamed up with several charities in its six-year history, such as Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

What about Summer Games Done Quick?

Summer Games Done Quick is the name of their event that takes place in the Summer. The next one starts on July 3 2016 at the Hilton Minneapolis Downtown hotel and will run until July 10.

What games will be played there?

SGDQ will feature dozens of games and speedrunners, and most of it is the work of volunteers. This year we'll see Super Mario Sunshine, BioShock, Knights of the Old Republic, but also lesser known titles like Escape Goat 2, DinoCity and Sparkster. The entire game/speedrun schedule can be found on the official website.

Why should I watch this?

Well, first of all, speedrunning is awesome! It makes you see games not just as an outlet to have fun, but as a puzzle trying to be solved by a large community working together. Finding flaws, loopholes, using the system against itself. Some people call it cheating or exploiting, but it requires excessive amounts of skill, determination and knowledge of game systems and coding to participate at a high level.

Second, it is a charity event, all these speedrunners fly to Minneapolis to participate and compete with each other. Besides a charity marathon, it is also a way for speedrunners to meet each other IRL and have some good old fun.

Thirdly, you will see things you never thought possible. My mind has been blown on many occasions in games I never even played. It is absolutely amazing what some of the speedrunners are capable of doing. They're going all Sherlock Holmes on all these games. Finding out event triggers, deducting possibilities, and finally piecing together a new strategy that shaves a couple of seconds off a world record is absolutely mind boggling to watch.

If you are interested in speedrunning, start by watching a couple of streams over at Speedrunslive.com. Most speedrunners stream their attempts and engage with their viewers to explain what they are doing and/or trying to do.

Ok, you got me! Where do I watch?

Got you covered! The live stream can be viewed from 2 locations:

The GDQ homepage

The GDQ Twitch account

Is there any way to watch the previous editions?

Yes there is, check out their YouTube channel or visit archive.org.

Also, here's a couple of highlights from previous editions.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Spelunky

Ninja Gaiden