Summer Games Done Quick 2020 goes online-only, raises $2.3 million for charity

By Aaron Mamiit August 23, 2020

Summer Games Done Quick 2020 was forced to shift into an online-only event, but the speedrunning showcase was still able to raise more than $2 million for charity.

Summer Games Done Quick is usually held in person, but like many other major gaming gatherings, it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to push through with this year’s edition of the event paid off though, to the tune of just over $2.3 million in donations for the benefit of Doctors Without Borders.

You heard it first folks- an amazing $2,308,922.84 raised for @MSF_USA over the course of #SGDQ2020!

A big thanks to everyone who donated throughout the week, we couldn't have done it without you <3

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) August 23, 2020

SGDQ 2020 drew 33,653 donations from 20,443 donors, with a maximum donation received of about $273,500. The money raised by the event is lower compared with the $3 million raised in last year’s SGDQ, but it is still an impressive amount given the changes that were needed to make SGDQ 2020 happen.

Games Done Quick also held an extra event this year named Corona Relief Done Quick, which raised just over $400,000 for Direct Relief.

One of the highlights of SGDQ 2020 is its first-ever speedrun of a VR game, with Buffet Time completing Half-Life: Alyx at 31 minutes and 16.6 seconds. The speedrunner utilized various glitches and exploits to finish the game, and got an intense workout in the process.

The event also featured speedruns ranging from classics such as Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Super Metroid to modern titles such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

With SGDQ 2020 drawing to a close, its organizers revealed that its next events will be Fleet Fatales from November 15 to November 21 and Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 from January 3 to January 10. It remains to be seen whether these events will also be online-only, or if things will be back to normal by then.

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