Awesome Games Done Quick

Play it on: Twitch

Current goal: Watch the opening festivities

I’m sure I’ll squeeze in some gaming this weekend, maybe snagging a few straggling bots in Astro Bot or kicking off a new playthrough of Dragon Age: Origins, but the bulk of my gaming attention will be spent watching games, not playing them. That’s because this Sunday, the annual fundraising event Awesome Games Done Quick kicks off with runs of Pikmin, Portal, Mega Man X3, the aforementioned Astro Bot, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and more. It’s a strong assortment of games that features tried-and-true classics as well as recent hits, setting just the right tone for the week-long event’s eclectic mix of runs that includes everything from Ninja Gaiden II on NES to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. (You can see the full schedule here.)

As great as the runs are sure to be, though, packed with incredible glitches and tricks, it’s really the vibes that keep me coming back to GDQ year after year. The two weeks occupied by GDQ events each year are some of my favorite times; I love just putting on the comfy runs in the background, donating what I can to whatever charity that event is benefitting (this one is supporting the Prevent Cancer Foundation), and being grateful for a gaming organization that unapologetically supports queer and trans people, and actively makes space for Black speedrunners, female and femme speedrunners, and others. In a gaming culture that can often feel hostile and exclusionary to many of us, it’s a great reminder of the positive impact we can have when we choose to do so, and that games and gaming spaces, at their best, really are for everyone. — Carolyn Petit