Noémie Loiselle // Photo credit: SYLVAIN THOMAS / AFP 7:58 p.m., March 2, 2024, modified at 7:59 p.m., March 2, 2024

In Lyon, video game players launched SpeeDons on Thursday, a 75-hour event which ends Sunday evening.

The objective is to raise as much money as possible for the Doctors of the World association by playing video games non-stop for four days. 

SpeeDons, a collection of donations like no other.

The objective of this event is to raise as much money as possible for the Doctors of the World association by playing video games.

Since Thursday, at the Palais des Congrès in Lyon, the runners, in other words the players, have been taking turns on stage and trying to break records on PC, Nintendo or Playstation, in front of Internet users and spectators. 

More than 400,000 euros already raised 

"Seeing the thing being done in real life is a little different than behind a screen because you know that there is the person who is doing something. There is a bit of this adrenaline of being there,” explains a spectator.

Another says he is happy and “proud” to see that there are people who are committed to this kind of cause.

On stage too, commentators and streamers liven up the room and encourage spectators to make donations.  

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“We are always looking for little stupid things to do, little games of death, to bring back a little bit of energy because it lasts 75 hours, so we have to stay awake throughout, we play with the public,” explains Ronan Letoqueux , aka RealMyop, one of the first speedrunning hosters in France.

More than 400,000 euros in donations have already been collected.

An important issue, explains Florence Rigal, president of Médecins du monde. 

“We have a certain number of crises which are difficult to finance from international donors. There are crises which are forgotten, or which are not under the media spotlight. And so that, for us, allows us to be able to go there , to be able to lead the fights and work on site.

This year, Doctors of the World hopes to break a record.

Last year, more than a million euros were raised.