Banner art done by the wonderful shiroiusagi!
Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) is a yearly marathon put on by Speed Demos Archive, an association of speedrunners, people who play video games quickly and with an intense amount of skill.
These speedruns end up being highly entertaining to watch, and the marathon consists of an assortment of speedruns. Beyond the entertainment, the marathon is done in support of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, an organization that helps to fund cancer prevention research and to spread awareness of cancer via education and outreach. As a highlight for the marathon this year, we have Raelcun playing two games: Mark of the Ninja and StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, so be sure to support him in his efforts!
From a Teamliquid.net perspective, AGDQ is very closely intertwined with our community. A number of our site’s users and staff have, and continue to be, closely involved with the marathon in terms of being there, participating in it, and even simply watching it and conversing about it. There is a sense of coming-together and community surrounding these events that is hard to explain unless you partake, and I really hope you end up doing so. Two years ago we were graced with a quite fetching dance performed by Flicky after completing his Bayonetta run, immortalized for you all in a still frame.
We also managed to get Cait Sith in Final Fantasy VII named ESPORTS.
On January 08 2012 09:10 itsjustatank wrote:
16:08:50 <Gumbygum> ESPORTS
16:08:52 <Kitaru> ESPORTS
16:08:48 <kgy> ESPORTS
16:08:50 <Gumbygum> ESPORTS
16:08:52 <Kitaru> ESPORTS
16:09:01 <daveosaur> lol, esports
16:09:06 <fiercedp> #esports
16:09:09 <packattack> ESPORTS, its in the game
16:09:10 <Gamer1414> Esports lives!
16:09:12 <weatherbee> He yells ESPORTS through his megaphone weapons
16:09:12 <Dragoshi> ESPORTS
16:09:14 <Tofu> ESPORTS! yes! gj flicky
16:09:15 <carlsagan42> ESPORTS
16:09:16 <`tyr> ESPORTS
16:09:18 <DarkwingDuck_> Well done ESPORTS. Making a comeback.
16:09:20 <kgy> ESPORTS
16:09:22 <Gumbygum> FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKK YEAH ESPORTS
16:09:23 <Dragoshi> so ESPORTS finally got a spot
16:09:28 <Liquid_Gracken> haha esports <3
16:09:29 <gunitver1> Yeah esports
16:09:36 <CMK> Mandatory joke about killing Esports at the end of the disc.
16:09:41 <Bloodynoob_> ESPORTS
16:09:42 <mybodyisreggie> ESPORTS
In a more melancholic tone, a year later we were able to get Steiner in Final Fantasy IX named after Violet, who passed away last year due to leukemia, a form of blood cancer.
On a personal note, these marathons have in the past become highlight moments for my year. Having ended a long spell of extended unemployment this year, and with a hope towards getting a much-desired promotion, I do plan to go the extra mile this year and actually donate, but the available money is not really the catalyst. 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.
The good news is that by watching and supporting the marathon, you and I can have a positive effect on people’s lives, no matter how hard to articulate you might think it will end up being.
For more information about the marathon, check out the official website. The run schedule can also be found there. You may also be able to see it on a certain website, where anything is possible.