In brief: Summer Games Done Quick, the mid-year installment of the semiannual video game speedrunning marathon, now has a firm schedule. The flagship event will kick off on July 4 and run non-stop through July 11. Due to ongoing safety precautions related to the pandemic, the event will again be held entirely online, with participants streaming from the confines of their homes.
For those not up to speed, Games Done Quick serves as a showcase for some of the world's top speedrunners - that is, gamers who strive to complete video games as quickly as humanly possible, or under special circumstances.
For example, at AGDQ 2020, viewers were treated to a two-player, one controller blindfolded run of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Important dates for participants are as follows:
- Game submissions from runners: March 31 - April 11
- Host judge volunteer submissions: March 31 - April 5
- General volunteer submissions: Open April 9
Summer Games Done Quick typically raises money for Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian medical organization that provides aid where it's needed most.
In 2019, SGDQ raised north of $3 million for the organization for the first time. Donations were down a bit last year due to the pandemic, but gamers still managed to collectively send more than $2.3 million to the charity.