Gaming for donations: How AusSpeedRuns is gaining momentum

The group raised over $100,000 in the past three years for cancer research and isn't slowing down.

Prepping for the run at DreamHack 2024.

He's an hour past beating Misty, the second Pokemon gym leader, but speedrunner werster announces to the crowd at Dreamhack that he's mere minutes away from beating the game.

Typically, a playthrough of Pokemon Fire Red can take about 30 hours to complete. While formidable, Misty is far from the final boss. But in front of a live audience, werster is aiming to clear it in just over 90 minutes using every cheat or glitch available to his advantage.

Meanwhile, donations are rolling in: $5, $10. Some come attached with jabs at werster, read out by the host of the event. Earlier, the name of the character, rival, and starting Pokemon—picked by the player at the start of the game—were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

After an hour of watching him meticulously and impressively navigate all aspects of the game, explaining it as he goes, the run comes together.

werster enters a double battle, deftly winning in as few turns — and button presses — as p…