‘We can do big things’: Speedrunner and cancer survivor Josh Herzog on AGDQ’s true impact

Josh Herzog knows how to make things go fast.

Also known as MetroidMaster, Josh is a video game speedrunner, specializing in blasting through games at a rapid rate.

But he also knows what it’s like to receive news that brings everything to a screeching halt. That’s because Josh is a cancer survivor.

“When I was 16 years old, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I went through surgery and one radiation treatment,” he said.

Now 32, Josh has been a cancer survivor for exactly half his life. He shared his story with the Prevent Cancer Foundation at Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2025, a livestreamed video game marathon from Games Done Quick (GDQ) where speedrunners show off their mastery of popular games in front of thousands of fans—virtually and in person in Pittsburgh—to raise money for cancer prevention and early detection.

Josh credited gaming as a crucial part of his healing process following his cancer diagnosis.

“Video gaming is kind of what helped me get through, and later on I find out about Awesome Games Done Quick and their benefitting the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and I say, ‘Ok, this is big for me,’” he said.

Josh speedruns Metroid games, such as Metroid Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion. At Summer Games Done Quick 2023—Games Done Quick’s summer event, which benefits Doctors Without Borders—he speedran X-Men: The Arcade Game.

“As a cancer survivor, I don’t want other people to have to go through the same mess that I had to go through, especially at 16 years old,” he said. “So, it kind of became a dream of mine to be able to run on the GDQ stage to show that, hey, we can use video gaming to help other people and it’s not just a waste of time and money. We can do big things and help other people.”

Josh said that his story is representative of so many AGDQ attendees and viewers. Each year, the event is a way to remind one another that nobody is in this alone.

“It’s really nice to see these communities come together to be able to do fantastic things,” he said. “It really helps with an outlook on the world…even though we come from all different backgrounds and places, we can still come together through gaming and do fantastic things to help people and raise this much money to help prevent cancer. To help people find stuff early.”

As for his own cancer battle, Josh remains cancer-free and is looking forward to future events.

“Last we heard, there was no evidence of recurrence or remission. My body has not tried to regrow my thyroid and we haven’t had anything else pop up. So, so far so good, and we’re hoping to keep it going for much longer.”

यह भी पढ़ें | डॉक्टर का कहना है कि AGDQ के धन उगाहने से कैंसर की रोकथाम के अनुसंधान पर 'बड़ा प्रभाव' पड़ा है