Corona Relief Done Quick will fight the coronavirus with speedruns

The bad news is that Summer Games Done Quick, the nice-weather edition of the Games Done Quick charity speedrun extravaganza, has been delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak and is now scheduled to run August 16-23. The postponement means that all existing game submissions will be wiped on April 26, followed by a new submission stage beginning on April 29. Everyone interested in volunteering will also have to reapply to do so, although if you've already submitted an audition, you will not need to submit a new one.

The good news is that a new online-only event called Corona Relief Done Quick will run in April, with 100 percent of donations going to Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization. Direct Relief is active throughout the US and in more than 80 countries, with the aim of bringing medical aid to people impacted by poverty or emergencies "without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay."

Game submissions for CRDQ are being taken now and will stay open until April 2. It will, understandably, be a somewhat smaller and shorter show than the week-long events we're used to: GDQ said it's trying to limit submissions so the committee has time to select games and put together a schedule. The CRDQ schedule will be posted on April 13, and the event will run April 17-19.

GDQ said that it is "continuing to actively monitor updates from the WHO, CDC, local governments and public health agencies regarding COVID-19," and will share any further updates on its website and through Twitter. Full details on CRDQ and relevant links are available at gamesdonequick.com.

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.