[COLUMN] Stop Reading This and Go Watch Games Done Quick | by Marty Sliva (Patreon)

If you’re reading this, then you clearly failed to follow the instructions of the title. But that’s okay, because speedrunning is all about learning from failure, so let’s just consider this a teachable moment. 

The bi-annual Games Done Quick (GDQ) event – Awesome Game Done Quick (AGDQ) in January, Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) in June – is currently in the midst of its streaming marathon live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania via YouTube and Twitch.

For those who might be unaware, GDQ is a week-long celebration packed with hundreds of speedrunners showing off their skills across the entire spectrum of video game experiences. It’s all in an effort to raise millions of dollars for some excellent causes, with this year’s being the Prevent Cancer Foundation. I’ve been an avid viewer of these events for over a decade, and they’re honestly some of the highlights of my gaming year. Given how often we have to cover moments in the gaming space that range from disappointing to catastrophic, it’s nice to have something that is unequivocally good.

And it’s funny, because I don’t consider myself a speedrunning person.  I like taking my time in games, poking around each and every corner, trying to find all sorts of secrets, and generally love just soaking in the vibes. I don’t really care about proving my gaming bonafides, and have zero qualms with kicking a game down to easy mode if it means having a nicer experience. The closest I’ve ever come to speedrunning was competing in episodes of Battle Masters or playing the hell out of Neon White a few years back.

But there’s something exhilarating about watching experts take a game, pick it apart to its atomic core, and piece it back together in the most efficient way possible. This is especially cool when it comes in the form of a game that I consider myself pretty well versed in – I can’t count the number of times I’ve completed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but seeing a speedrunner obliterate all logic and reason across Hyrule almost makes it feel like we’re playing completely different games.

I love the various flavors that arrive in each run. Pure showcases of mastery that follow the familiar path of a beloved game in record-breaking time, utilizing glitches and exploits to fundamentally break the flow of a game, taking a familiar game and playing in a decidedly unfamiliar way (blindfolds, odd controllers, strange mods, etc), shining a positive light on a bizarre or historically terrible game, or impressively running a relatively new game that’s only been available for a few months.

GDQ has also evolved and streamlined over the years. For the first time ever, it’s now streaming live on YouTube as well as Twitch. And VODs of the individual runs are uploaded to YouTube shortly after they wrap up, as opposed to the past when it would often take days for them to appear. While I still think tuning in live and experiencing these events in the moment is my favorite way of consuming GDQ, being able to go back and catch a particularly rad run that I missed because of a meeting, errand, or dumb sleep is quite nice.

If you want to catch up on a few of my favorite runs that have happened since the event started on Sunday, I’d recommend this brain-breaking mirrored run through Super Mario World, an impressive sprint through the relatively new Once Upon a Katamari, and Final Fantasy X being completed in under four hours. That last one spoke to me, considering I just did a replay of FFX a few months back, and let me assure you, it took a bit longer than four hours for me.

Looking at the schedule of runs planned for the rest of the week, there are dozens that I’m stoked for. I’ll be sure to tune into live for tonight’s trio of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Psychonauts 2, and Silent Hill F, a Donkey Kong 64 randomizer tomorrow evening, and an incredible block on Friday that includes Dark Souls, Super Mario Galaxy, Donkey Kong Bananza, Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask, Chrono Trigger, and Sword of the Sea. That is a Marty-ass lineup of games if I’ve ever seen it.

I can’t help thinking about what I’d choose to speedrun if I was forced to dedicate myself to it for an extended period of time. The game I probably know best is Banjo-Kazooie, while the challenge that appeals to me most are the randomizers, specifically the one that blends Super Metroid and A Link to the Past together. I’ve futzed around with the latter a bit on my Steam Deck, and had a great time making two familiar worlds suddenly feel unfamiliar.

Also, just a special shout out to all the folks who put countless hours of work into organizing an event like GDQ. It’s staggering to think about the logistics of planning and executing an event that runs for over 150 hours straight without stopping, contains hundreds of different people on camera and microphone, displays captured game footage from dozens of consoles throughout history, and caters to both an in-person crowd as well as the massive audience watching live online and donating. All this with minimal technical hiccups. Truly some remarkable stuff here.

Okay, now that you’re done reading this, please close your browser and head on over to GDQ. If you hurry, you’ll make it in time for the Bill Nye: The Science Guy: Stop the Rock! Run later today.