This year’s edition of the “speedrun” festival Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) is underway. The event began on Sunday and the gang will keep it going until January 15.
As always, AGDQ is about playing games in unusual ways, with a focus on being fast. A bunch of players have to go through a series of games as quickly as possible, in categories that range from complete playthroughs to all kinds of cheating and fanfare.
This is speed running
“Speedrunning” means getting through games as quickly as possible, which in most cases requires an extremely good knowledge of the games. Here, all the tricks in the book are used to shave seconds off the total time, in some cases also known loopholes in the programming. Should you still be a bit puzzled by the concept, we can report that “speed running” can be very entertaining to watch – give it a try.
On the list of this year’s features, we find classics such as Ape Escape 2, Final Fantasy VII and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There are also newer titles here, such as PowerWash Simulator Half-Life: Alyx and the speedrun-focused Neon White.
You can see it full list of games on the organiser’s website.
While the speedrun crew do their best to entertain, viewers can donate money to win prizes or encourage the players to complete various extra tasks. Everything goes to a good cause, and this time the money goes to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, an organization that works to prevent cancer and contributes to the early detection of cancer.
At the time of writing, the campaign has collected NOK 1.5 million – just over 14 hours after the scheme was launched. AGDQ is known for raking in enormous sums for charity, and last year’s version finally brought in over 34 million.
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