Gaming enthusiasts have packed into downtown Minneapolis this week for Summer Games Done Quick, a high-speed gaming convention that combines competition, community and charity.
“It’s been fantastic. We have over 2,600 people on site this year,” said Matthew Merkel, owner and director of operations for Games Done Quick.
The weeklong convention features a format called speedrunning, where players attempt to complete video games as quickly as possible. Attendees have come from all over the world.
“We’ve got everybody from everywhere. We’ve even got people from Australia, all the European countries, you name them, we got them,” Merkel said.
The convention also features a full arcade, vendor booths, board games and game developers playtesting their creations.
Most importantly, it’s all for a good cause. The annual event raises money for Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization that provides emergency care in more than 70 countries. Since the partnership began, the event series has raised over $50 million, including $2.5 million last year alone.
“It’s really amazing to see how a community can come together and raise that much money for our organization. It’s really magical,” said Greta Doucette with Doctors Without Borders.
She says events like these are critical for funding global aid.
“It’s a group that rallies around video games and has a passion for video games, but they also have a really strong passion for Doctors Without Borders and providing medical humanitarian aid,” Doucette said.
The event goes through this Sunday and can be livestreamed on their website and Twitch.
