You can never ask for a better start to a new year than getting the entire speedrunning community together for a full week of fun, games, and raising money for charity. And, for Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2023, that resulted in $2,643,375 being raised for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
From Jan. 8 to 15, speedrunners from around the world displayed their skills across over 100 different games to help raise money for a great cause.
In 2022, AGDQ set a record for the highest total ever raised by a Games Done Quick event, bringing in $3,416,729 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation last January. That was followed by Summer Games Done Quick 2022’s $3,017,015 in July, which also set the highest total for the summer iteration of the event as it made a return to in-person action—making it the most successful year overall for GDQ by sheer donation total.
Expectations for AGDQ 2023 were high as it was set to be the first in-person version of the event since 2020, but the GDQ team made the call to pivot back to a fully virtual event due to complications and concerns with its selected venue and “increased aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals” in Florida.
Additionally, less than a week before the event began, GDQ announced that its founder, Mike Uyama, would be leaving the organization following AGDQ 2023 after 13 years. And, as his final send-off, the team helped raise $2.6 million for charity—adding to the more than $41 million GDQ has helped raise for groups like the Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders since 2010.
Overall, AGDQ 2023 marks a strong start to the year for GDQ events as it becomes the 18th straight GDQ event to break $1 million in total donations, along with the 12th overall to break that $2 million mark.
GDQ will return with its next major event Frost Fatales 2023, an all-women speedrunning showcase, from Feb. 26 to March 4 in benefit of the Malad Fund. Summer Games Done Quick has also locked in its 2023 dates for May 28 to June 4, and don’t forget you can catch plenty of other content like GDQ Hotfix on the GDQ Twitch channel every weekday between events.
And for anyone who didn’t stick around until after the credits, Snake made it.
