Gaming

The Games Done Quick for Houston Food Bank was the best one yet

Published

7 years ago

September 5, 2017

When the Harvey Relief Done Quick (HRDQ) event finally ended this weekend, it had raised over $225,000 for people affected by Hurricane Harvey. Organised at the very last minute by Games Done Quick, the event brought together the speedrunning community in a suitably speedy way, with over 300 applications within a day of the event being announced.

All of the money raised by the event is being donated to The Houston Food Bank, which promises to “provide food and supplies in the short term and for many months to come to residents in southeast Texas who will struggle to rebuild their lives”.

What made this GDQ event better for me, aside from the excellent cause it benefited, was the way in which it was presented. Before I get into that, however, here’s some context.

In recent years, Games Done Quick has grown from a small band of streamers into something much bigger. With two main dates throughout the year, Awesome Games Done Quick and Summer Games Done Quick have become blockbuster events for both the speedrun community and the Twitch viewer base. Both events take on the form of a week-long marathon, with highly skilled players striving to finish popular (and sometimes unpopular) games incredibly quickly. While the games are often played by a single person, there is usually a couch of equally skilled runners explaining what exactly is happening during the run.

While the increased level of exposure that Games Done Quick has experienced is obviously excellent for the various organizations that benefit from the donations, it has meant that both AGDQ and SGDQ have grown into huge events focused in a single location. As runners and fans from across the globe converge on this one spot for several days, it’s not uncommon to see a single runner playing to hundreds of thousands of online viewers as well as a large live audience in the same room.

This places a huge amount of pressure on runners, who often have to perform frame-perfect tricks while the world (and perhaps, more importantly, Twitch Chat) watches on.

The increase in popularity also means that rules have become more stringent, with organizers and runners butting heads over what can and cannot happen. While this hasn’t stopped excellent runs from occurring (mention Bonesaw to anyone who caught SGDQ ’16), it has meant some fans believe the fun has been taken out of the event. As expected, the number of controversies has grown as more and more people become involved.

This all changed during HRDQ. With the impromptu nature of the event making it necessary to be up and running quickly, runners were instead streaming from their own home rather than a central location and it showed. Many of the runners were more natural, the commentary was smoother and setup times were reduced from minutes to seconds. Not everyone had a webcam but it wasn’t an issue, you still had the game stream and voice chat explaining what was happening. The bloated bits that inevitably come with organizing a large scale event had been trimmed away and Harvey Relief Done Quick took on a nostalgic quality, throwing back to the humble beginnings of GDQ.

I don’t expect this to be the format going forward and honestly, I do enjoy the grander spectacle and hype moments that a big crowd in one room can create. I think it’s important however that Games Done Quick look at how successful Harvey Relief Done Quick was and how the smaller scale, more intimate nature of the event helped contribute to something a little different to what we’re used to.

While I hope that the two main events continue to grow and smash total donation records, it’d be nice to see Games Done Quick running more events throughout the year, especially if they have the same heart and quality that HRDQ had.

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Related Topics:featured games done quick speedrun

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Tom Hodson

UK based gaming writer, raised on a diet of Street Fighter and Isometric RPG's. I enjoy playing every game I can get my grubby little hands on.

Gaming

Helldivers 2 has quickly become one of Sony’s top-selling games in the US

Published

20 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Zach Riley

Helldivers 2 proved to be a surprising success, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. As per Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently ranks as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the United States to date, trailing behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima. It’s only been on the market for less than three months and is not even being sold at full price.

According to Piscatella, a significant factor contributing to the game’s success is its release on PC. He mentioned that, based on Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, the game has consistently ranked first in terms of active users on Steam in the US since its launch, including April. The release of Helldivers 2 on both PlayStation and PC has been an extraordinary triumph.

He stated that Helldivers 2 has already become the seventh highest-grossing Sony-published game in history. Without a PC, it would not currently be considered one of the top 20 games. While I’m emphasizing the success of the PC SKU, it’s important to note that I’m not disregarding the success of the PlayStation SKU. I just wanted to clarify that. This launch has proven to be incredibly successful.

Prior to the release of Helldivers 2, Sony made it clear that they would be launching their live service-style titles simultaneously on both the PS5 and PC. The success of this approach will undoubtedly strengthen their strategic vision. It will be intriguing to witness if the company reveals official sales figures in the near future, as the title appears to be one of the platform holder’s most successful sellers to date.

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Gaming

The developer of Stellar Blade for the PS5 Expressing gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support amidst a recent controversy surrounding censorship

Published

20 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Zach Riley

Shift Up, the Korean developer, seems to be reconsidering its contentious alterations to the Stellar Blade outfit. In a message to fans, they have urged everyone to stay tuned for updates and expressed gratitude for the passionate feedback from players. For those who may not be aware, a petition gained significant attention over the weekend when gamers discovered changes made to a few of the game’s costumes through a day-one patch.

The launch day update includes a fantastic New Game + mode, but some players were disappointed by the changes made to protagonist Eve’s outfit. These alterations sparked debates about censorship. Director Hyung-Tae Kim later clarified that this was the studio’s original vision, but he acknowledged that it may require further persuasion to win over users. Internal discussions were also underway to address any concerns.

Thanks to all our Stellar Blade fans for your passion & feedback. Stay tuned for updates🤍 pic.twitter.com/jCRzM4OQBS

— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) May 1, 2024

There is no definitive confirmation regarding the reversal of the outfits, but considering the language used in the statement and the widespread controversy surrounding the alterations, it is highly likely that a future patch will restore the original costumes. If you want to get a sneak peek at all of Eve’s different outfits and learn how to unlock them, be sure to take a look at our comprehensive guide, All Outfits and How to Get Them.

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Gaming

Will Stellar Blade be available for PC?

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Zach Riley

It’s quite possible. Fans all over the world are interested in Shift Up’s highly anticipated action-adventure game, Stellar Blade. With its captivating post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of Nier and a compelling protagonist named Eve, it’s no wonder the game has generated such widespread attention.

The game consistently impresses with its stunning visuals and high-octane action, leaving players in awe with each new trailer.

Yet, just like other noteworthy second-party and third-party game releases, fans are pondering: Will Stellar Blade be available on PC?

In this article, we delve into the details to determine the platform availability of the highly anticipated title.

Will Stellar Blade be available on PC? Allow me to provide you with the answer.

Unfortunately, Stellar Blade will not be available on PC, at least not initially. Currently, the game is only available on PlayStation 5 starting on April 26, 2024.

Regrettably, it appears that there is no indication of a potential PC release for Stellar Blade in the future. In most cases, trailers for PlayStation timed-exclusive titles conclude with a disclaimer that specifies the duration of their exclusivity.

In the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launch trailer, it is explicitly stated that the game will only be accessible on other platforms starting on May 29, 2024.

Regrettably, when it comes to the stellar blade, there is no indication of such.

It’s important to note that Sony Entertainment Interactive published Stellar Blade, unlike Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This means that the chances of it being released on PC or other platforms in the near future are even slimmer.

However, it is worth noting that there is a chance the game might be released on PC in the future, given PlayStation’s track record of bringing their exclusive titles to the platform. However, it could be a while before this comes to fruition.

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