Image: Games Done Quick

Awesome Games Done Quick, the winter companion to Summer Games Done Quick, will be held online next year in 2023. In a tweet, the Games Done Quick organization announced that instead of hosting an in-person event in Florida, it would return the speedrunning charity livestream event to an online format.

Back in July, Games Done Quick hosted its first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the success of Summer Games Done Quick’s hybrid format that featured streamers both in person in Minnesota and remotely, the organization that runs the charity event has cited the continued concern of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique political situation in Florida as the reasons for its shift online.

Games Done Quick tweeted: “Given the state’s continued disregard for COVID-19’s dangers (including anti-mandate policies) and an increased aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals, including the law colloquially known as ‘Don’t Say Gay,’ we do not believe it is a safe place for our community.”

It also explained that the organization signed a contract with a venue in Florida in 2020 and that the costs involved in potentially breaking the contract to relocate the event elsewhere would be too great.

In addition to its main biannual events featuring diverse runners and commentators, Games Done Quick is also known for hosting a number of streaming events designed to highlight speedrunners from marginalized communities. Flame, Frost, and Fleet Fatales are GDQ’s all-women charity streams; in June it hosted a Juneteenth celebration highlighting Black speedrunners, and a number of GDQ’s regular programming starts with a “trans rights are human rights” statement. That the organization is willing to take a financial hit to keep its diverse community of runners and fans safe is commendable.

AGDQ 2023 will take place January 8th–15th, with funds supporting the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Signups for volunteers and game submissions will open on September 11th.