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Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will be online-only

AGDQ 2022 will once again be an online-only event as the organizers continue to prioritize safety of staff and speedrunners against COVID-19.

TJ Denzer

September 8, 2021 11:40 AM

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As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to be a concern in society, especially regarding large events and gatherings, the Games Done Quick crew and organizers have worked to try to shift events toward a safer and more health conscious format while also continuing to do what the organization does best: present great speedrunning across our favorite games and raise money for charity. Unfortunately, we’re not out of the smoke of the COVID-19 pandemic yet and as a result, Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will also take on an online-only format for the safety of staff and participants.

The Games Done Quick crew announced its decision regarding AGDQ 2022’s online-only format on the organization’s Twitter on September 8, 2021. When the event takes place from January 9 to January 16, 2022, it will be online-only, much like Summer Games Done Quick has now done for two years, and Awesome Games Done Quick did in 2021. While the decision may disappoint some, the Games Done Quick organization has determined that there is still too much risk and uncertainty in trying to make a physical event happen with the dangers of COVID-19 still present.

After much deliberation, it has been decided that #AGDQ2022 will be online-only for the health & safety of staff and participants. The event will take place from January 9th - 16th.

Runners & Volunteers: Submissions open Sept 24th - Oct 3rd.

For info: https://t.co/umiMSavQGx

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) September 8, 2021

Even despite the decision, Games Done Quick has proven several times already that it can succeed in this new online-only format and still deliver a great event with a great outcome for worthy causes. The first attempt, Summer Games Done Quick 2020 Online, raised $2.3 million for Doctors Without Borders when all was said and done. The most recent Summer Games Done Quick 2021 Online outdid that, raising $2.89 million this year.

We’ve also had a chance to speak with leaders in the Games Done Quick organization and they are in no hurry to rush back to physical events. While it would be fantastic to get together again, safety remains the priority.

“Our goal is to go back to on-site events,” GDQ Director of Marketing and Business Development Kasumi Yogi told us in a June 2020 interview. “We miss our friends, we miss seeing some speedruns done in person, and we miss… the fun that comes with a Games Done Quick event, but we do want to be very careful. So we’ll keep an eye on it.”

With that in mind, it seems while we’d all love to have an on-site Games Done Quick event again, Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 just isn’t the place where it’s going to happen. Even so, submissions are set to take place on September 24 and run through October 3. Check out the Games Done Quick website for more info and stay tuned for more details as we get closer to AGDQ 2022 Online in January.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.