Video game masters give back in Summer Games Done Quick
Summer Games Done Quick kicks off at 9:30 a.m. PDT on Sunday, July 3, and runs through to Sunday, July 10.
The annual charity event brings together superhumanly talented gamers to show off their skills in a week-long marathon. Donations raised during this year's event support Doctors Without Borders, an international organization that provides medical aid in regions that need it.
Games Done Quick events primarily showcase the talents of speedrunners, who put their mastery of a particular game to work in completing a pre-set goal -- usually, finishing the game -- as quickly as possible. Especially skilled speedrunners often throw in added challenges, such as playing through blindfolded or with only one hand free.
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One previous event saw a man complete Tetris in less than eight minutes. Another featured a rhythm game pro who might actually be an android posing as human.
You can watch 2016's Summer Games Done Quick event on the charity's Twitch page or in the embedded video window below.
The Games Done Quick organization has been working with speedrunners to raise money for charity since 2010, with two events per year -- one in January the other in the summer -- becoming the standard in 2012.
The events raised donations in the tens of thousands of dollars for their first few years, but that changed in 2013 when a spike in popularity brought in more than $600,000 between the year's two events. Games Done Quick marathons now regular climb past $1 million in donations, with the last event, held in January 2016, raising $1.2 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
You can find the schedule for this year's Summer Games Done Quick event right here.
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Topics Gaming Social Good
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
