Summer Games Done Quick, a Charity Speedrun Marathon, Raised Over $3 Million

The Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) charity speedrunning marathon has come to an end after 7 days of speedrunning dozens of fantastic games and having fun with the community.

Summer Games Done Quick Charity

Between June 26 and July 3 in Bloomington, Minnesota, SGDQ, a charity speedrun marathon, returned with an in-person event for the first time in a few years. The event raised a staggering $3.02 million for charity at the end of the week when all the runs were completed. All of which will be given to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, Kotaku reported.

Engadget mentioned that the top speedrunners in the world traveled to Bloomington to accomplish 134 various runs of games including Doom Eternal, Tunic, and Control. Over the course of seven programming days, SGDQ amassed more than 42,000 individual donations.

The total was bigger than the $2.9 million raised during SGDQ 2021, even if it was less than the record-breaking $3.4 million the organization garnered for the Prevent Cancer Foundation at Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) at the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, Engadget also reported that Kasumi "Sumichu" Yogi, who had been the GDQ's director of marketing and business development for the previous 8 years, left after this year's event. He contributed to the organization's development into the pillar of the community it is today.

$3.2 Million Dollar Total Donation

As previously mentioned, the $3.02 million in donations from this year's show will all go to one charity, Doctors Without Borders. A humanitarian organization called Doctors Without Borders provides immediate medical assistance in areas affected by endemic diseases and in conflict zones. To put it another way, SGDQ's significant fundraising effort will soon result in assistance for individuals in need all across the world.

There is a lot of good news regarding SGDQ's performance in comparison to prior GDQ events. The event this year didn't break any records, but SGDQ was at its best level since the pandemic started.

During the show's finale, when the remaining SGDQ contestants gathered in the main hall to thank viewers at home, the $3 million milestone was reached, as per Game Rant. The extra $16,000 was won in an Any% speedrun of Elden Ring, a post-show special bonus game. Donors increased their generosity in the last moments of SGDQ to reach the $3 million level, which was necessary for the bonus game to unlock.

Game Rant noted that this last week has been marked for many by controversial events on a global scale. In that regard, SGDQ 2022 was perfectly suited to provide a break from everything else that was going on. It was made much more special by the additional perk of being able to donate and participate in something worthwhile.

The all-female Flame Fatales showcase, the next charity event for GDQ, begins on August 21. All revenues from the event will go to the Malala Fund.