Games Done Quick Raises Over $400,000 For Coronavirus Relief

This past weekend, speedrunning charity organization Games Done Quick put on a remote event, Corona Relief Done Quick. At the conclusion of the event, GDQ confirmed it had raised over $400,000 in donations for Direct Relief over the course of just three days.

The official number hasn't been announced yet, though one post on the speedrun subreddit clocks it in at $400,724.60. The cash is going to Direct Relief, a nonprofit currently assisting with COVID-19 relief.

Despite a short run-up to the event, a much shorter runtime compared to the typically week-long GDQ events, and the lack of a live audience, CRDQ still put on a good show with some really cool runs and raised a lot of money for relief efforts in the process. Summer Games Done Quick is still delayed for the time being, with a new date of August 16 through 23.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has affected just about every large gathering that usually takes place in the gaming sphere, and GDQ has been no different. With Gamescom 2020 going fully digital, that SGDQ date starts to look a little tenuous. It's possible that the speedrunning event could look at a no-audience "bubble" situation, similar to what real-life baseball leagues have been considering (or like what WWE has already done).

Still, despite the real-life complications, it's heartwarming to see the many speedrunners and hosts of the GDQ community still banding together to raise some money for a good cause.