EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/shiroiusagi/2015/misc/agdq2015.jpg)
graphic by shiroiusagi!
LIVE!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/seMjKtd.png)
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Today marks the start of Awesome Games Done Quick 2015, a week-long charity speedrunning event livestreamed on Twitch and put on to benefit the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The Prevent Cancer Foundation is a non-profit that does work to support the medical research of cancer, along with work to reach out to communities through education and awareness.
It has become an annual tradition here on among both staff and users to get into this event. Aside from the large number of people here who shall watch the stream, a number of users and staff will be at the event itself. Some of them will even be able to show off their hard work on stream. Even before I was staffed here, I always felt that the level of participation shown by people here during these marathons for the cause was one of the multitude of reasons that make my stay here worthwhile.
This year’s schedule holds a lot of variety, but I will lay out a couple of highlight runs from it that I think will be especially worth your time and attention this week:
Super Monkey Ball / Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
Speedrunning is about going skillfully fast, and this concept is most straightforwardly demonstrated on these two absolutely manic runs. The games are deceptively simple: put a monkey in a hamster ball and have them run through a tilting course under time pressure. It is, however, a lot harder than it looks.
Gimmick!
This game is a hidden gem, created in the last days of the Famicom. It is a cute little platformer title with a number of gameplay mechanics and quirks that make for an interesting experience from a viewership perspective and a must-perform imperative for the runner.
Tetris: The Grandmaster
I am not actually sure what a speedrun of this game is actually like. However, I do remember this video from YouTube, and the idea seems like it will be pretty hype to see live.
Other games I look forward to this week include: Kaizo Mario World (run by CarlSagan42, featured in the GIF prominently featured on this post), Quake II, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
A year ago, I made a similar blog, and ended it in the following way:
On January 05 2014 12:25 itsjustatank wrote:
About a month ago, a very close family member of mine suffered a stroke and, in the process of his recovery, we discovered that he has advanced liver cancer, and that there are signs of lung cancer having spread to the liver as well. As a result of this, I really feel like these are the last few days and weeks with which I can enjoy being with this family member. Needless to say, the holiday season has been quite bittersweet for me.
About a month ago, a very close family member of mine suffered a stroke and, in the process of his recovery, we discovered that he has advanced liver cancer, and that there are signs of lung cancer having spread to the liver as well. As a result of this, I really feel like these are the last few days and weeks with which I can enjoy being with this family member. Needless to say, the holiday season has been quite bittersweet for me.
I ended up with more than just a few days and weeks. It was a good few months. Hopefully in the future it does not have to happen like that to others. Hopefully it does not happen to me. If those two desires can be fulfilled through playing, watching, and talking about video games, all the better, I think.
