Games

Canine Speedrun Raises Funds for Charity at AGDQ

A remarkable canine speedruns a little-known NES platformer to raise money for charity at this year's Awesome Games Done Quick livestream.
Canine Speedrun Raises Funds for Charity at AGDQ

Highlights

  • Peanut Butter, a talented dog, impressively speedruns an NES game for charity at the Awesome Games Done Quick event, capturing the attention of global viewers.
  • JSR_ and Peanut Butter showcase their close bond and the dog's gaming skills using a custom-built controller in a 26-minute Gyromite speedrun.
  • Peanut Butter's achievement illustrates the incredible connection between humans and dogs, extending to playing video games together.

During this week's ongoing Awesome Games Done Quick event, an incredibly skilled dog successfully completed a speedrun of a lesser-known NES game, delighting both their owner and audiences worldwide. For nearly a decade, the annual Awesome Games Done Quick has been held in January to raise funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The last three events were conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year's event is back to a live format at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from January 14 to 21.

This year's event has a unique highlight as it marks the debut of Peanut Butter, a four-legged gamer owned by streamer and speedrunner JSR_. Peanut Butter and JSR_ have been companions since the dog was a puppy, and JSR_ quickly realized the extraordinary intelligence of his adorable Shiba Inu, noting that the dog was “much smarter than most other dogs” during training. This led to Peanut Butter learning to play video games using a specially designed controller with four color-coded buttons corresponding to different inputs on the classic NES controller, with JSR_ providing guidance and encouragement.

Peanut Butter's gaming prowess gained widespread attention, and it was announced in October that the dog would undertake a speedrun at AGDQ 2024. The speedrun took place earlier this week, with Peanut Butter and JSR_ playing Gyromite in Game B mode. In a video of the speedrun on the official Games Done Quick YouTube channel, JSR_ directs Peanut Butter to press specific buttons on his custom controller through hand signals, verbal commands, and occasional affirming gestures, resulting in the dog completing the game in 26 minutes and 24 seconds.

The 1985 platformer Gyromite, Peanut Butter's chosen game, was released on the NES as one of the two games designed for the R.O.B. accessory. The game involves guiding a sleepwalking scientist through a laboratory by opening and closing color-coded pipes with the press of a button. As the scientist moves automatically, requiring players only to control the pipes, Gyromite is an ideal game for Peanut Butter. However, pressing a smaller yellow button to activate both pipe colors at once posed a challenge due to the game not consistently registering the input.

Over the years, there have been numerous remarkable speedrunning accomplishments, such as players completing games blindfolded or bypassing extensive gameplay sections using secret glitches or techniques. While Peanut Butter is technically following JSR_'s guidance to play through the NES title Gyromite, witnessing the canine complete the game in less than half an hour is truly astounding and serves as a testament to the bond between humans and dogs, which extends to playing video games together.

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