Tremendous total will go to providing PPE worldwide
Image Credit: Direct Relief website
The video game community has, once again, mobilised our favourite pastime to help a worthy cause. Despite lockdown legislation, the good folk at Games Done Quick successfully hosted an impromptu speedrunning marathon this weekend, where they succeeded in raising over $400,000 USD for front line health care workers.
Corona Relief Done Quick showcased back-to-back speedruns streamed live from players’ homes. From Friday through to the early hours of this morning, a slew of players hacked their way through over 100 great games, from classics such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong Country, and Super Metroid, to more modern titles like Dark Souls, NieR: Automata, andPokémon Sword.
As CRDQ went off-air, just over $400,000 had been raised from over 6,000 viewer donations. This amazing sum of money will go to Direct Relief, an international organisation that is currently providing much needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to front line healthcare workers. These are the people bravely and tirelessly working to protect, comfort, and support those currently ailing with COVID-19, more commonly known as “coronavirus.”
The money will be used to distribute masks, gloves, gowns, sanitiser, and other products where they’re needed most. In addition, Direct Relief is supporting smaller community clinics, helping to provide prescription medication to those who urgently need it.
If you wish to check out any of the CRDQ runs, then the whole weekend is archived, with chapter points, over on the GDQ Twitch channel. Congratulations to the organisers, hosts, sponsors, and streamers for putting together the extempore event. The money raised, and the healthcare workers that will benefit from it, are an indomitable testament to the strength, generosity, and goodwill of the people, even in the most distressing of times.
Summer Games Done Quick is currently scheduled for August 16-23.
We also managed to break $400k raised for @DirectRelief! How about that!
Thank you so much to everyone for all your effort and all the money you have donated towards this wonderful charity during this marathon! #CRDQ
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) April 20, 2020