Summer Games Done Quick 2016 Begins This Afternoon

Every year, I devote one month to video game livestreams. Catching up on E3 news and Extra Life occupies a week apiece; the other two I dedicate to Games Done Quick, which returns this afternoon with its summer installment.

Like Awesome Games Done Quick, the annual Summer Games Done Quick marathon brings hundreds of speedrunners together for several days. Those players demonstrate their skills by blazing through games as fast as possible, but the ceremony also benefits people besides the thousands of Twitch.tv viewers; the runners assemble in the name of charity.

AGDQ assists the Prevent Cancer Foundation while SGDQ helps Doctors Without Borders, an emergency medical care organization that provides support during epidemics, natural disasters, and so on to more than 60 countries worldwide. You can donate here if you have the money to spare. Doing so also qualifies you for the various prizes the community chipped in.

Otherwise, spread the word. The event begins with a pre-show at 12:30 PM EDT. 30 minutes later, observe runner “Bounceyboy” tackling Super Mario Sunshine as the stream officially gets underway. For the rest of the evening, stick around for playthroughs of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Demon’s Souls, Bastion, Catherine, and New Super Mario Bros. That’s one hell of a day-one lineup.

Of course, the next six days look equally exciting. Expect to see Ratchet & Clank, Dishonored, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Super Meat Boy, Resident Evil 2, Deus Ex, Fallout 4, Super Mario Land, Final Fantasy Adventure, Typing of the Dead, and much, much more. I would bookmark the schedule (it accounts for your time zone) before the site experiences any heavy traffic.

If this is your first Games Done Quick marathon, too, you’d be surprised at how enjoyable the whole exhibition is. Watching someone conquer games from your childhood, frame by frame ‒ through glitches, raw talent, or both ‒ is a jaw-dropping spectacle, and groups such as Games Done Quick (who pledge hundreds to the less fortunate) are worthy of your attention.