Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2022 is finally over, but not before breaking yet another record. Less than 24 hours since organizers said they were optimistic they'd raise $2,500,000 for charity, the speedrunning community came together to completely surpass these expectations - instead raising a staggering $3,416,729. This phenomenal achievement makes AGDQ 2022 by far the most successful in the event's decade-long history, which was quite the record to beat. All proceeds are going directly to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and marks the second fundraiser held for the charity under lockdown conditions. As we've reported on over the week, AGDQ started breaking records just days into the marathon. By Wednesday it has already raised $1 million, the fastest this milestone had been reached in Games Done Quick's history. They smashed another record yesterday, speedrunning their way to $2 million.Organizers thanked the community for their "unbelievable generosity", with a huge bulk of the donations coming in during the final hours of the event.
Even without the record-breaking donations, it was already an AGDQ to remember. The event rounded off with a mesmerizing blindfolded run of Sekiro, with thousands tuning in to see how the hell that's even possible. On top of that, Stardew Valley - a lesser-seen speed game - took to the stage with a 17-minute speedrun. Even if you think you know the game inside out, it's worth checking out, as mechanics are used in very unintentional ways to accomplish tasks way faster than usual.
The speedrunning marathon will return later in the year with Summer Games Done Quick. Donations from this show will be sent to Doctors Without Borders, an especially important cause during the ongoing pandemic.