GDQ raises 1.2 mil for Doctors Without Borders
Arts & Entertainment August 3, 2015From July 26 – August 1st there was an online event that is highly anticipated among video game fans. The annual Summer Games Done Quick streamed live over Twitch.tv for a 24-hour non-stop gaming marathon designed to show off the best in speed runner gaming and raise money for charity.
For those unfamiliar with it all, here’s what it’s all about:
– Games Done Quick is an event that takes place twice a year to raise money for a charity organization.
– Speed runners are gamers who work toward or hold world record titles for finishing specified games in the fastest time possible or meeting various other requirements.
– Traditionally these are classic games from systems such as the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, etc, and the games are usually played through computer emulation programs.
How do you finish a game designed to take ten hours to beat in ten minutes flat? You break it. That is, the gamer glitches the game, taking advantage of problems within the game itself to do things the gamer is not supposed to be able to do, like walk through walls or defeat a boss in 3 seconds. There’s a great deal of amusement in watching some of the beloved childhood favorites of the past suddenly have their worlds turned upside down and inside out.
What’s shocking is that this gaming event doesn’t get any publicity or recognition for its amazing achievement.
This summer’s charity was Doctors Without Borders, a well-known and respected organization. Some might think a video game marathon to raise money for charity is a joke.
The punchline? Within seven days a group of gamers shut inside a hotel ballroom streaming video games over the internet raised over 1.2 million dollars! It’s time people took a look at this charity event and gave it the recognition it deserves. On the final night of the event, the video streaming site had accumulated over 90.9 million views, and some donators turned over as much as $5,000 donations at a time.
It didn’t matter if the donation was large or small, though. Every bit helped the event surpass its goal of 1 million for Doctors Without Borders and brought a community together to do some good and enjoy something it loves.
If you’d like to check out some of the runs, they can all be found on Youtube where you can watch the pros speed through some of your favorite classic games.
Until the next event, keep on training, keep on gaming, and SAVE THOSE ANIMALS!
https://youtu.be/ROyFM-eNmBg?t=7m7s
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