The Short Version

Awesome Games Done Quick is coming up on January 4th-10th, 2026, and I’m incredibly pleased to announce I will be one of the on-air hosts during the event, for the following speedruns, all times/days Eastern.

Tuesday, January 6th

  • 12:46am - Path of Exile 2, as run by Angormus

Friday, January 9th

  • 1:15am - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as run by EricgO8
  • 2:55am - Redout 2, as run by Etiketi
  • 3:57am - MINDWAVE, as run by Anneurismz

The stream will be viewable on Twitch, and VODs will hit their YouTube shortly thereafter.

The Longer Version

Over the last few years, my wife and I have gotten really into watching the major bi-annual events from Games Done Quick, a video game speedrunning marathon for charity. For those unaware about what speedrunning is, its the act of playing a video game, or section of a video game, with the goal of completing it as fast as possible. This often involves following planned routes, which may incorporate the use of glitches to allow sections to be skipped or completed more quickly than intended.

Since 2010, Games Done Quick has been one of the biggest events where speedruns are done, with the intent of going 24 hours a day for a week both in the Summer (Summer Games Done Quick) and in the Winter (Awesome Games Done Quick), and raising money for charity. They’ve raised literal millions of dollars for great causes, and are an awesome celebration of both video gaming and those dedicated enough to understand the ins and outs of the games these runners focus on.

I think COVID was what got us into the space, but since, during the weeks these events run, they’ve been both a great watch, and a comforting background noise. We’ve seen people beat Elden Ring with a saxophone, Crazy Taxi completed with a live band soundtrack, Super Mario Bros conquered with a blindfold on and played with feet (while also playing the soundtrack), and yes, we’ve seen a dog win a baseball game.

In addition to the runners playing the games themselves, there’s a few other elements in play:

  • A couch of commentators, which could be a mixture of other speedrunners who know the game, or even the developers of the game itself
  • On-screen talent, who do interviews and other segments
  • Hosts, who act as a voiceover for the actual gameplay moments – introducing the runs, talking up upcoming runs, and reading donation messages during the runs themselves

That last bit – hosting – stood out as something which I wanted to do. Of course, I’ve been hosting Super Art Fight as a live event for years, and I’ve been doing the weekly podcast with The Rough House, so I have some experience under my belt…but could I move into a whole new space?

Thankfully, getting involved is straight forward. You submit your information, audition (as if it’s a live broadcast), and be entered into a panel to be judged for inclusion.

This past Summer, I submitted, and was not chosen, but received some really strong feedback.

This past Fall, I entered the mix again, and found myself approved for hosting!

So, at the beginning of 2026 (just a few weeks away), I’ll be heading to Pittsburgh, PA and serve as one of the event hosts during the runs mentioned above.

I am incredibly excited about this. Sure, having overnight shifts is going to be tough from a sleep schedule perspective, but this is the first time (ever?) that I’m hosting something solo on purpose, putting myself as a host in an event which I’m not producing, heading to a major event solo, and placing myself into a space where I am a relative newbie.

I’m embracing the unknown, and I’m ready to smash it.

Now, why do this? Besides the idea of giving back to an event I’ve enjoyed for a number of years, and getting out of my comfort zone, the whole thing is for a great cause – Prevent Cancer Foundation. Last year, the Awesome Games Done Quick event raised over $2.5 million for the cause.

Sadly, I – like many of you, I’m sure – have a history of dealing with cancer. My mother is a cancer survivor. My wife is a cancer survivor. I’ve lost an uncle and my stepfather to cancer.

This isn’t just for a great cause, this is for them. And if me making silly jokes and talking video games in the middle of the night can make the world better for those dealing with, who have dealt with, or hopefully may not even have to deal with cancer, I’m for it.

I’m going to, understandably, be talking more about this in the weeks ahead, along with pushing donation links and more the week of the event. I couldn’t do this without the support of the awesome people in my life who pushed me to audition, the support of those who I’ve had the pleasure of hosting shows with, and the support of the host crew at Games Done Quick (thanks to savage_octagon and Jaypeg, who have corralled us all.)

Hopefully you can join me live. If you can’t, I hope you can donate – even if its with your time and viewing the event.

Here goes.