Awesome Games Done Quick raises over $1.5 million for cancer research

The week-long speedrunning exhibition/competition Awesome Games Done Quick wrapped up yesterday having raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research. Well played to all involved and to those who donated. Here's AGDQ's confirmation of the total, via Twitter:

As final donations are being processed, it has become official that #AGDQ2015 raised over $1.5 million for @PreventCancer! January 12, 2015

The 2015 edition of Awesome Games Done Quick ran from January 4 to 11, putting some of the best speedrunners in the business up against games ranging from Super Pitfall and Legend of Zelda to Portal 2, Metal Gear Rising, and Batman: Arkham City.

The whole thing was streamed live on Twitch, and also recorded for posterity; all of it will eventually be posted on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel, and in the meantime links to all the runs are up on Reddit. (For my money, the Tetris Grandmaster Showcase is particularly fantastic, so I embedded it above.)

The total amount raised includes direct donations, as well as sales of merchandise and a AGDQ-themed Humble Bundle (which, unfortunately, is now over). If all goes as planned, Summer Games Done Quick will do it all again in July.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.