Games Done Quick Marathon Will Raise Money For Hurricane Harvey Relief

Those of you who are familiar with speedrunning probably already know that Games Done Quick hosts two marathons each year to raise money for charity. Those marathons are announced months in advance and are able to attract tens of thousands of viewers, but in times of disaster, Games Done Quick has been known to spring into action in an attempt to raise money quickly. We're seeing that happen this week, as Games Done Quick has announced a new weekend marathon in which speedrunners from around the world will raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief.

Harvey Relief Done Quick, as the marathon is being called, will take place this weekend. GDQ announced on Twitter today that money raised during the event will go the Houston Food Bank. Those who are used to typical Games Done Quick marathons will notice a few differences in Harvey Relief Done Quick.

For instance, instead of being a week-long event, Harvey Relief Done Quick will only take place over 48 hours. Kicking off on Friday, September 1 at 8 PM Eastern and ending on Sunday, September 3 at 8 PM Eastern, Harvey Relief Done Quick will be quite a bit shorter than regular GDQ marathons. There also isn't a central location where these speedrunners will meet – instead, they'll all be streaming from their homes on Games Done Quick's Twitch channel.

Aside from those changes, though, the core of GDQ stays the same: we'll be treated to a group of speedrunners showcasing their abilities while raising money for a good cause. Games Done Quick has managed to put all of this together in the past 24 hours, which is mighty impressive. In fact, submissions for the marathon are still open, if you happen to be a speedrunner who would like to donate their time.

To do so, you need only fill out this Google Form. Submissions close soon, so you'll want to submit quickly, and you should know that you'll be up against some stiff competition – GDQ announced last night that it already received more than 350 submissions to have runs considered, so there's a lot of interest in participating. For everyone else who may not have any speedrunning skills to show off, be sure to follow Games Done Quick on Twitch so you can get notified when Harvey Relief Done Quick is live.