blast-o-rama.

Hey folks! I promise, this is the last time — until the next time — that I will write about Awesome Games Done Quick 2026.

I had a few people reach out and say they wanted to read my thoughts on the week I spent in Pittsburgh for the event, so here you go. It was a whirlwind week, which means my recollection may be hazy, so I’m going to give some general thoughts under a few headings, like…

The Community

Being a first time attendee of a GDQ event, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Sure, along the way toward the event, I’d had the opportunity to chat with the runners of the segments I’d been hosting, along with my fellow hosts (shout out to our host coordinators Jaypeg and Sav for taking great care of all of us), but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the event community at large.

Folks, let me tell you — if you’ve ever been on the fence about attending a Games Done Quick event, it’s time to jump on over, as it’s a GREAT time. Everyone there is universally enthusiastic about their obsessions, and want desperately to share them with you.

Some of the older hosts and I had conversations through the week about “Old Internet” vs. “New Internet”, and how in earlier Internet communities, especially related to gaming were very focused on gatekeeping. Get gud, or fuck off.

I’m not here to say that era is over, it’s clearly not, but those who roam the halls of GDQ want you to be just excited about what they’re excited about, and will do their best — no matter your skill level — to engage you with their particular obsession.

It’s also an incredibly welcoming group of people when it comes to general social activities. People will straight up ask you to join tournaments, even if it’s something you’ve never played before. People post in the community Discord about food runs, and will gladly get a meal with complete strangers. In short, they want you to have a great time so that you have a great time, and, somehow, it all works.

The Hosting Experience

This was a big one for me, given that I’ve spent the last 18 years hosting a show I produce and generally make the calls on. Games Done Quick is a professional organization through and through, and there are a lot of elements you don’t see on screen that make the show as great an event as it is.

From the actual hosting and production side — without sharing too much of their secret sauce — there’s always roughly 20 people working at every hour of the day (cycling out, of course). From the donations team filtering the messages and giving hosts heads up over Discord, to the aforementioned Host Coordinators giving you tips for how to talk up forthcoming incentives, to a deep bench in their AV team, to stagehands, to producers, to yes, even medical, who will check in on you before your run, it’s professional all the way down, even if it is a volunteer charity event.

Though I had my nerves, and I had some bumps along the way, I always felt supported, and I always felt like I was a key component to the show — as we all were. It’s a team that truly wants to put on the best show possible, including making sure you’re the best version of yourself you can be.

That same sort of courtesy goes for the runners and their commentary couches as well. Something I did not expect, even if in retrospect I should’ve, is the amount of rehearsal and preparation which goes into each run. I spent many hours over the course of the event sitting with the groups I’d be presenting, talking through their runs, figuring out the best moments to read donations and other messages, and ultimately, make for something entertaining to watch.

These are some of the most passionate players of a game you’ll find, which tracks given how they dig deep into the games they love. They want you to see these games through their eyes, and be the best representation of their communities they can be. It’s one thing to be very good at a game, but another to be an ambassador for the game writ large, and these individuals met the moment with humor and grace. We all know the silliness of what we were there to do, but at the same time, we knew the seriousness of the cause we were supporting.

Another element which is easy to forget is that, even in the wee hours of the morning (local time), the show has a significant audience, all around the world. During my Friday morning shift, I made an ask to donors to mention where they were watching from. Getting messages from places like Austria, Hungary, Australia, Korea and Italy, among others, really underlined the audience on the other side of the mic. It was a privilege to serve them.

Okay, I don’t watch speed runs. Are there any I should watch?

Damn right there is. While there are some runs which showcase a deep understanding of their games, along with technical flaws and exploits, there are also runs which are more than anything else, entertaining. These are the runs which I think anyone can enjoy.

American Truck Simulator, run by anarchy and Lazlo
Never before has the surreal joy of a group of punch drunk friends riffing off each other while playing together on the couch been captured than this run. Extra points to the host (chibicarrera) who Yes, And’d the hell out of their shift, even renaming themselves for the run.
Maimai DX PRiSM Plus Showcase, run by Starrodkirby86 and Kirbycatcher
In recent years, Games Done Quick has added what they call “Showcase” runs, an example of high level play, even if the game itself cannot be run “quickly”. Maimai is a Japanese rhythm game, and like the rest of the genre, watching high level play is to watch the human body do things you didn’t think possible. Extra credit here, as a bonus high difficulty run was added after hitting a donation incentive.
Super Mario 64 70 Star Relay, run by KingJO444 and a cast of dozens
There is usually at least one run which is less about “play the game well” and more “play the game in the most outrageous way possible”. We’ve seen Crazy Taxi run with a live band, we’ve seen dogs beat Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball and end up on Sportscenter, so add this run to the hallowed halls. The impossible task of wrangling 70 people to speed run a single star in Super Mario 64 is one thing, seeing it happen is another. The run also had an additional joy in seeing runners who appeared throughout the week return here, giving it a feel akin to Avengers: Endgame, or the infamous “Everyone Is Here” trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

So, what runs did you host?

If you’d like to hear my dulcet tones reading off donation messages, great news, all four runs I hosted are on the Games Done Quick YouTube.

What’s next?

The event wrapped up generating a massive $2.4 Million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, a triumph at any time, let alone in an economy as difficult as this one.

The next major main-line Games Done Quick event is Summer Games Done Quick, starting July 5th in Minneapolis, MN, and Awesome Games Done Quick 2027 moves to Atlanta, GA in January 2027.

Will I be back? I sure want to. Much like this event, there will once again be an anonymous audition process, and yes, even long time hosts don’t immediately make it through. But for this community, for these causes, it’s worth it.

Here’s hoping I return in July. If I don’t? You know I’ll be supporting from home, as should you.