Are you struggling to find something to do? Still recovering from the post Christmas/New Years holiday overload? Are you perhaps stuck inside while negative temperatures turn the world into a Roland Emmerich disaster movie? If you answered yes to any of these questions, and even if you didn’t, you’re going to want to drop everything, turn on Twitch, and settle in for what will be the best week of live entertainment you will ever see.
It’s time for Awesome Games Done Quick 2018!
Awesome Games Done Quick, or AGDQ, is a charity marathon where hundreds of gamers compete against the clock and each other to complete a variety of games as fast as possible. With all the money raised (and it’s a lot) going toward the Prevent Cancer Foundation, hundreds of thousands of people will descend on Twitch to watch these players break apart the newest releases and your frustrating childhood favorites through glitches, bugs, exploits, and by being just that damn good.
But with over 100 hours of prime gotta-go-fast goodness going on all this week, trying to find what to watch is like going into the Steam Summer Sale with a bottomless wallet — how do you decide?
Part of the fun of watching a marathon like this is you’ll never know exactly what to expect. A great speedrun is equal parts skill and commentary. Your big ticket AAA showcase might fizzle out because the runner is a joyless, semi-silent robot. On the other hand, the little known indie game at four in the morning played by a runner who is very vocally passionate and knowledgeable about their game might be the jewel of the show. You never know. If you want to get the most out of the marathon, watch everything. But if you don’t have that kind of time or commitment, lucky for you, I’ve come up with a list of recommendations and must-sees designed to help you get the most out of your Games Done Quick experience.
Super Monkey Ball: Beginner, Advanced, Expert Stages
Friday January 12th 12:32 pm EST
Sometimes it’s difficult to watch a speedrun if you’re unfamiliar with the game. Puzzle platformers, like Monkey Ball, are the best games to watch if you’re new to speedruns because the mechanics are usually very simple: insert Monkey Ball A into Goal B, rinse, repeat. With understanding the game out of the way, a viewer’s brain space is then freed up to focus on the skill with which these runners insert Monkey Ball A into Goal B.
And then that brain space is melted.
The Monkey Ball runs are always amazing. I guarantee watching this run will have you white knuckled and forgetting how to breathe.