A Quebecer at the end of the largest charity video game racing marathon

The summer edition of Games Done Quick (GDQ), this marathon of video sprints that attracts hundreds of thousands of video game fans every year, will end on a Quebec note: Quebec instavideographer Alex “V0oid” Rochette will try to finish in less than 150 minutes on Saturday Super Mario RPG.

Alex Rochette holds multiple world records on his own. His specialty: retro games, but above all Donkey Kong Countrya title released in 1994 on the console Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

Among his greatest achievements is the fastest time to complete the trilogy of games Donkey Kong Country at 306%, or in 4 hours, 5 minutes and 23 seconds.

This Saturday at 11:20 p.m., to close a week of 143-race marathons, he will put aside his old console for a more recent one, the Nintendo Switch, in order to try to finish the video game in less than 2 hours 30 minutes. Super Mario RPGremastered last November.

According to him, it was his audacity to present this game, off the beaten track, that allowed him to obtain the prestigious time slot of the last race of the event. The organization is used to placing its best elements there.

I’m not ready to say that it is [l’apogée] of my career [sprinteur vidéo]but we’re not far off. I never thought I’d ever be able to close a Games Done Quick.

Sprinter Super Mario RPG poses some challenges, because 1996], and vice versa, despite being the same game, with a refreshed paint job”,”text”:”many bugs in the new game are not present in the original version [de1996]and vice versa, despite being the same game, with a refreshed paint job”}}”>many bugs in the new game are not present in the original version [de 1996]and vice versa, despite being the same game, with a refreshed paint jobhe notes.

The beginning of a long friendship

Alex Rochette’s journey into the video game niche of sprint video began in 2012, when he began frequenting the live streaming platform Twitch, which was very popular among video gamers.

First viewer of content from Magic The Gatheringa popular card game, he quickly discovered the events Games Done Quick. It is to see the games of his childhood such Super Mario 64 and the series Donkey Kong Country which made him want to get started.

Most games will have documentation on how to do [sprints]. So I started watching people play, and imitating them.he says.

As you go along, you become more comfortable with what maneuvers you can replicate, and you can fly off on your own, have your own playstyle and choice of strategy.

: you play against yourself to improve your times”,”text”:”The [sprint vidéo] becomes a source of motivation, because the hobby itself is [travail d’amélioration personnel]: you play against yourself to improve your times”}}”>The [sprint vidéo] becomes a source of motivation, because the hobby itself is [travail d’amélioration personnel] : you play against yourself to improve your timeshe explains.

He, who played a little music in high school, does not hesitate to make connections between learning an instrument and this hobby. speedrunning is a lot like this”,”text”:”Like an instrument, it can take months or even years to master it. Speedrunning is a lot like this”}}”>As with an instrument, it can take several months or even years to master it. speedrunningit looks a lot like this.

The proof is that it was only in 2016, after a few years of training, that he felt good enough to show his prowess in front of an audience. He therefore registered for the first time in Games Done Quick. Even if it is friendly competitions open to anyone, there is a selection process in which one must send a video as proof, for example.

Success: the organization gives him the green light, marking the beginning of a long friendship between GDQ and the Quebecer. In recent years, he has been seen many times at the event, as a marathon runner, and heard as a commentator.

For a good cause

Participating in these ultra-popular events in the video game community offers a huge platform to the Quebec instavideographer. Recently working full-time on his Twitch channel, Alex Rochette, who is also studying computer science, can boast of being followed by some 10,800 people.

This attention also benefits organizations, because the revenue from GDQamount to around two to three million US dollars (2.7 to 4.1 million Canadian dollars) per marathon, sometimes donated to the foundation Prevent Cancersometimes to Doctors Without Borders.

These events are the most lucrative for these charities, according to the website GDQwhich claims to have donated more than US$45 million ($61.6 million Canadian) in donations since its inception in 2010.

Avant GDQcharity events, I didn’t do any. But Twitch and the community of [sprinteurs vidéo] gave me a platform to give.

V0oid is also pleased to see that this popular video game event is inspiring people in Quebec, including the team of NoReset Speedrunwhich organizes charity marathons in the province to benefit local organizations.

Quebec has a strong community of gamers as well as a large pool of studios, whose productions are often scheduled for events. Games Done Quick.

In recent years, we have seen The Messenger et Sea of Starstwo productions from the Sabotage studio in Quebec, which are also on the list of titles for which V0oid would like to race against the clock.