Total donations are in for Corona Relief Done Quick, the speedrunning charity event hosted by Games Done Quick (GDQ) on April 17-19. The results for the impromptu virtual event are nothing short of remarkable. Over $400,000 USD was raised in just shy of 60 hours, a new record for GDQ’s side speedrunning events.
Recently, we reported on an Ocarina of Time speedrun from the event, which clocked in at under three hours. Now, the Games Done Quick YouTube channel has uploaded their A Link to the Past broadcast, in which speedrunners Andy and apathyduck teamed up for an “All Dungeons” run and completed the game in 1:16:03.
All of the raised funds are being donated to Direct Relief, an international nonprofit organization who provides emergency aid to at-risk populations in over 80 countries. The organization was founded in 1948 by refugee war immigrants for humanitarian aid. This time, Direct Relief is working around the clock in the global fight against COVID-19. They are sending critical PPE supplies to frontline healthcare workers and hundreds of oxygen concentrators for patients infected with the virus. A $25 million COVID-19 Fund for Community Health is also established by Direct Relief to relieve the strains on American charitable clinics, pharmacies, and community health centers at this time.
Over 50 speedrunners and up to 50,000 concurrent viewers at home joined in the fight against the virus by participating in Corona Relief Done Quick, GDQ’s first virtual event of its kind. 48 games were featured, including the classic titles Castlevania, Super Mario Odyssey, and of course, Zelda.
Games Done Quick is renowned for hosting its high-skill video game marathons for charity. Through their events, GDQ has raised over $22.3 million for nonprofits such as Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Their 2020 Summer Games Done Quick event is currently postponed till August this year, though their prompt response to host Corona Relief Done Quick virtually shows that resilience and morale run strong in the gaming community. That’s not going away anytime soon.
