Florida policies cause charity event to cancel in-person

Games Done Quick is cancelling its in-person event, taking it online-only due to Florida policies regarding LGTBQ+ people and COVID-19 restrictions.

Awesome Games Done Quick, a video game speedrunning event that raises money for charity, has announced that AGDQ 2023 will be an online-only event. This decision came about due to Florida’s policies toward COVID-19 masking measures and anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

“Speedrunning” is a term used for gamers who complete games in as little time as possible, through a combination of game knowledge, skill, and game glitches. For example, Paper Mario, a Nintendo 64 game that takes regular players approximately 24 hours to complete, can be beaten in a little over three and a half hours.

AGDQ has raised millions of dollars for charity year after year showcasing “speedruns” of popular games, both new and old. Typically an in-person event, AGDQ has had to go to strictly online events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite plans to return to in-person events, the Games Done Quick team confirmed via Twitter that they would hold yet another online event due to the state of Florida’s policies toward COVID-19 and LGBTQ+ people.

Games Done Quick features a week-long showcase of skill and game knowledge as players race to complete a game as fast as possible. Picture: Games Done Quick

In short, Florida has ruled that businesses cannot mandate mask-wearing or check for vaccinations. In-person events still carry the risk of transmitting COVID-19, regardless of what state officials believe — and no event wants to be the next “superspreader.”

Florida also implemented an anti-LGBTQ+ bill, collectively known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prevents schools from teaching gender theory or discussing gay, lesbian, or transgender topics. This bill has sparked some fierce controversy, with supporters of the bill often taking extreme measures to harass members of the LGBTQ+ community. A significant portion, if not the majority of the speedrunning community, are LGBTQ+ or allies of the community.

As a result of cancelling the in-person event, the fees incurred from breaking their contract made it impossible for Games Done Quick to find another state and venue. The organisation is currently raising funds via Twitch and direct donations to ensure future events are held in safer venues.

Summer Games Done Quick, the summer version of AGDQ, recently held the first in-person event since the pandemic began, raising nearly $4.5 million for Doctors Without Borders, a non-profit that administers critical healthcare to regions affected by the disease, war, or famine. Another event from Games Done Quick, named Flame Fatales, raised $215k for charity this past month.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.