Summer Games Done Quick 2018

Life is a funny thing.

January of 2015 I discovered that the video games I knew as a kid could actually be beat - and beat with unbelievable speed. Somehow I wondered to Twitch and found a charity marathon raising funds for Prevent Cancer. The hook? Gamers playing games from my youth at break-neck speeds. The first few runs I witnessed were Pro_JN beating Zelda II - a game that challenged my youth and took my brothers and I 24 hours without sleep to beat! The second was mitchflowerpower exploiting a glitch in Super Mario Bros. 3 to beat the game in 3 minutes and 30 seconds!

I had no idea that three years later I would be on that stage playing a game from my childhood for thousands of viewers.

Bonk's Revenge (a game I speedrun) was accepted to Summer Games Done Quick 2018. The experience is so much more than just presenting your game and raising money for charity. The event is a gathering of the world's best speedrunners.

Main room during the Zelda low% race.

The practice room. Just a casual Super Mario Bros. race with many of the best runners in the world. With cameos from the current Super Mario Bros. 3 Any% Warpless world record holder.

Trying to act professional. Pretty sure I just missed a frame perfect input.

The event is pure positivity. Everyone associated - attendees, runners, volunteers, organizers, donors, viewers and fans - are raising money for a great cause. By the end of the week SGDQ raised more than $2.1 million for Doctors Without Borders.

The speedrunning community is a tremendous support network. Everywhere you walk friends are cheering friends, fans are supporting their favorite speedrunner, strangers are rooting for strangers. It's a wonderful experience that highlights our capacity for good.

A great ROM Hacking panel with Truman, Glitchcat7, PangaeaPanga and GrandPOOBear.

Home and practice :)

The event is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am eternally thankful for the opportunity.