GDQ Raises Over 400k For COVID-19 Relief

Games Done Quick, a charity event where speedrunners the world overcome together to showcase their talents while raising enormous sums of cash for charity, unsurprisingly decided that now would be the perfect time to run one of their well-known side events, this time to raise money for COVID-19 aid.

Called Corona Relief Done Quick, it was reportedly a big success, raising $400,000 over the past few days for Direct Relief, a charitable organization working to provide personal protective equipment and other medical items to health care professionals and those in need. A good chunk of change, but for those familiar with Games Done Quick and the multi-millions their streams usually bring in, it must seem outright piddling.

That’s probably because this was an unplanned side-stream, which don’t tend to do as well as the main events historically, largely because people can’t prepare for them and they have to be pickier about the speedrunners they showcase. It also doesn’t run as long, only going for 60 hours as opposed to the full weeks the actual events take. But even with that in mind, this was still their most successful side-stream to date.
 

"As always, 100% of the donations go directly to the charity. Direct Relief is coordinating with public health authorities, nonprofit organizations and businesses in the U.S. and globally to provide personal protective equipment and essential medical items to health workers responding to coronavirus (COVID-19)…We'd like to thank all the sponsors, donors, runners, and volunteers who helped make this event such a success! Although our event has ended, we hope that you continue to support the battle against COVID-19 in any way you can. Thank you for your support!"

The stream is over, but you can still watch the backlog on the Games Done Quick YouTube and twitch channels. And you can always just… donate to Direct Relief. If you want. That magic ain’t going anywhere.