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Many will remember the Twitch Plays Pokemon phenomenon that took the gaming news sphere by storm in the summer of last year. Yes, it was a bit odd – the idea of using Twitch chat to control an emulated version of Pokemon Red – but most found themselves oddly compelled by the experiment and those that followed.

It started with Twitch Plays Pokemon Red, but eventually Twitch chat had tackled every major Pokemon release from Game Freak. They even beat the most recent releases, Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, despite those being developed with modern handhelds in mind.

Now, the Twitch Plays phenomenon is coming full circle. Yes, instead of the Twitch chat playing Pokemon, Pokemon is "playing" Twitch chat.

The Pokemon Plays Twitch experiment was part of this week's Games Done Quick event and served as a little something extra for live stream viewers. One of the participants decided to mod the code of Pokemon, turning the handheld game into a filter for incomprehensible text.

Twitch logo header

For those who might not be familiar with Games Done Quick, the event highlights the world of speed running wherein talented players try to complete games in the fastest way possible. Think it like a live time trial where players have trained year round. Some players glitch their way through games, but most actually play through the full game, albeit at a rapid pace.

Those who've never seen Games Done Quick are encouraged to check out the live stream over on Twitch. It doesn't matter if you know the game or not, watching these speed runners' reflexes and muscle memory is astounding. The event is also put on in support of a good cause, so if you feel so inclined why not donate.

Or this year Games Done Quick has also revealed a Humble Bundle featuring some popular speed running titles as well as some live streaming tools and services. There's Duke Nukem 3D, the retro classic Shadow Warrior, and the brutally difficult throwback Volgarr the Viking, along with a 30-day subscription to Twitch and a 3-month offer of X-Split premium for easy streaming. So, go ahead and show your support for these speed runners, either by cheering them on or donating.

Have you been following the latest Games Done Quick event? How would you like to see someone build on the Twitch Plays Pokemon idea?

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Source: Kotaku

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina