Why we support Games Done Quick

Summer Games Done Quick has been running all this week, an absolutely fantastic event during which speedrunners from all walks of life tackle their favorite games in the most brisk fashion possible, while tens of thousands of people watch online and cheer them on.

The Games Done Quick events are wonderful for multiple reasons: They raise tons of money for great causes (Doctors Without Borders in the case of Summer Games Done Quick), while also highlighting the brilliant speedrunning community -- a community that has of course been around for a very long time, but has particularly been thriving since livestreaming came along.

tinyBuild has been one of the main sponsors for the last couple of Games Done Quick events, and we most definitely plan to continue this support into future events. With this latest GDQ wrapping up in the next few days, we wanted to properly explain why we think it's important for companies like ours to support movements like this.

Video games are an ever-changing medium that have become incredibly mainstream in a very short space of time, so much so that the rise of gaming has taken plenty of people by surprise. When this happens to an industry or a movement, what can occur is that we forget what made our beloved hobby so entertaining and wonderful in the first place.

For us, Games Done Quick has become so popular because it reminds us of all the reasons why we love our digital pastime. It has nostalgic qualities, as we watch speedrunners destroying games we played as kids. It has a real feel-good vibe to the whole event, not only as donations roll in, but also as a community rallies around their favorite games, devs and players. And of course, it reminds us of all the positivity that can flow from the video game community, when we all come together for good.

That's why tinyBuild chooses to pour funding into each GDQ event. This is a celebration that needs to happen for the video game community, and since we're in a situation where we can take our own success and help to make these wonderful weeks really take off, there's really no excuse not to get involved.

Huge thanks to the Games Done Quick team for making all of this happen, and we'll see you all again for the next one!