Sonic, Mirror’s Edge, Mario Kart. Some of this planet’s best-loved games are about momentum. And Games Done Quick are in the noble business of making every game about shaving those seconds down to the root.
Twice a year, volunteers play games at incredible speed for the appreciation of a streaming audience. This time, they do so to provide medical care to people in more than 65 countries. And they’ve already made $100,000.
At the time of writing, Sly Cooper player LoveableLambchop is furiously jerking a thumbstick back and forth, much to the amusement of his audience. But public embarrassment is the least of a speedrunner’s worries when they have dialogue to skip through as quickly as possible.
The marathon began on Sunday morning. Among the PC games already sprinted through are Earthworm Jim, Psychonauts and Amnesia.
Immersive sims have proven oddly popular, too: you’ll find BioShock 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and System Shock 2 on the Games Done Quick donation tracker – games I can’t imagine traversing without opening every door and scouring every datalog.
Doctors Without Borders – best imagined as GPstoo fast to be contained by countries – were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. They’re a charity who deliver emergency healthcare to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, natural disasters, or simply a lack of nearby medical facilities.
You can donate directly on the Games Done Quick site, or buy into the associated Humble Bundle sale. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders.
Which game on the list are you most looking forward to seeing fly by? There are runs scheduled every day until Saturday.