When it comes to charity events on Twitch, there are very few that rival what Games Done Quick has to offer. In the past 10 years, these events have ballooned in size and scope, reaching heights never before thought possible. What started with a couple of guys playing games in a cramped basement has grown into a packed hotel full of guests and streamers, all showcasing their speedrunning talents in an effort for charity. The most recent event, Summer Games Done Quick 2023, brought in a boatload of donations while providing a week full of excellent content to enjoy.
Speedruns at SGDQ 2023 Raise $2 Million for MSF
In case you’re unfamiliar, Summer Games Done Quick 2023 is one of the landmark events of Games Done Quick, a charity organization that routinely raises money via massive speedrun marathons. Several times a year, hundreds of volunteers, speedrunners, and attendees pack into a hotel and livestream unbelievably fast gameplay for an entire week. These mammoth events take a ton of manpower to run, but it’s all for a good cause, with each event raising ridiculous amounts of cash. Often referred to as “The Superbowl of Speedrunning”, it’s hard to understate the level of hype and hard work that surrounds these marathons.
After several years of online-only events due to the global pandemic, SGDQ 2023 saw the return of in-person marathon attendance and was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With a crowd of live viewers rooting them on, speedrunners from around the country gathered to showcase their skills. Streaming live for 24 hours a day, 7 days straight, these top-tier players raised over $2.2 million for Doctors Without Borders/MSF. Reaching upwards of 70,000 viewers at one time, SGDQ 2023 demonstrated the overwhelming generosity of the gaming community at large.
"Games Done Quick marathons have come a long way since their small start, and since the beginning, have been a beacon of uplifting entertainment in the gaming community."
The Best Speedruns of SGDQ 2023
There was no shortage of awesome gameplay to watch during SGDQ 2023, as the marathon featured over 130 different speedruns for viewers to enjoy. Ranging from decidedly retro classics to brand-spanking new AAA blockbusters, SGDQ 2023 hosted a wide variety of games and runners. For those who are interested in checking out a few speedruns but don’t want to scrub through the entire 7 days of programming, we’ve whipped up some recommendations for the best SGDQ 2023 speedruns to watch!
Obviously, we are big fans of retro games, and SGDQ 2023 had a huge helping of old-school content. We watched on in awe as speedrunner “GTAce” beat the original Super Mario Bros in under 20 minutes, using just one hand. Our hearts soared with SEGA power while “dagronSR” performed an incredibly tough speedrun of Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja in just over 25 minutes. Fans of quarter-chomping arcade games will also not want to miss the co-op speedrun of Gauntlet in under 20 minutes, performed by runners “yelsraek” and “chessjerk”.
One of our favorite speedruns was a sort of marathon within the SGDQ 2023 marathon, as runner “Chronos_R” beat every mainline Elder Scrolls game back-to-back in under 2 hours. There were also several ridiculously fast FPS speedruns, including Titanfall 2 by runner “Blaidan” and Halo 3 on Legendary by runner “g3lk_jr”. That said, to see something absurdly impressive, be sure to watch runner “Bubzia” speedrun The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild while blindfolded. There are countless speedruns to check out from SGDQ 2023, but now you’ve got somewhere to start!
What's Next for Games Done Quick
Although it’s plenty of fun to peruse replays of old GDQ events, there’s something particularly exciting about watching the marathons live. SGDQ 2023 has come and gone, but there are still Games Done Quick marathons to look forward to. The next major event, Awesome Games Done Quick 2024, is currently slated to run from January 7 – January 14, 2024, and will be streamed live on Twitch.
Games Done Quick marathons have come a long way since their small start, and since the beginning, have been a beacon of uplifting entertainment in the gaming community. SGDQ 2023 was yet another excellent event thanks to the hard work of the staff, volunteers, and runners. With a staggering $2.2 million raised for Doctors Without Borders/MSF, it was a simultaneously heartwarming and highly entertaining week of charity.
