Games Done Quick (GDQ) is always my favorite time of the year. When Christmas break ends, and we return to real-world stuff, a week of watching our favorite games being broken helps numb the pain. GDQ hosts a variety of speedrunners during its 7-day, 24-hour runtime, all vying to push the limits of video games in the most unorthodox ways. Last year, a dog named Peanut Butter completed a speedrun of Ken Griffey Jr. Presents MLB. This year, a runner named Wes will be speedrunning New Super Mario Bros. Wii using his head and foot while playing the soundtrack on piano.

Known as FunkopotamusWes on Twitch, Wes has been streaming “Piano-fied” games since the Summer of 2023. A music educator and composer, Wes uses his self-taught piano skills to perform the soundtrack of whatever game he’s playing. To control his character, he uses a combination of modified motion controls using the Dolphin emulator, strapping Joy-Cons to his head and foot to free his hands up for the ebonies and ivories. He first attempted the idea with Mario Kart, dubbed “Piano Kart,” before moving to games like Wii Fit and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Speedrunning is hard, and so is playing piano. Funkopotamuswes combines the two at games done quick

At this year’s Games Done Quick event, Wes wants to speedrun New Super Mario Bros. Wii while playing its bubbly soundtrack. He’s practiced for months, streaming countless attempts on his Twitch channel. Tomorrow, it’s time to take center stage.

“My contribution to the gaming community is exploring the niche world of playing musical instruments and video games simultaneously,” he states on his Twitch profile. “My main goal is to inspire people, I want more people doing wacky multitasking challenges like I do!” A YouTube video initially inspired Wes with a similar premise when creator Akmigone strapped a Mario Kart wheel to his head and played the piano.

When asked about his favorite stage to perform along with, Wes couldn’t choose a favorite. “I like everything too much, it would be too hard to choose!” He does, however, continuously return to Mario Kart, learning new songs to add to his tracklist.

FunkopotamusWes says it’s too early to confirm any specific plans for future game and instrument mashups. “…I do have a proof of concept for playing Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy with a similar controller setup so I can play piano,” he tells VICE. “I’m actually primarily a winds player, so I play instruments like Bassoon and Saxophone!”

Wes wants to redefine what multitasking means. We’ve seen countless examples of gamers conquering challenges in weird ways. Beating Dark Souls with a DDR mat, using a recorder to snipe players in Warzone, and downing the hardest Sekiro bosses while blindfolded. This, to my knowledge, is the first I’ve seen of someone combining those elements. Using various body parts while simultaneously playing an instrument coherently? Talk about firing off on all brain cylinders.

Wes is scheduled to speedrun New Super Mario Bros. Wii on Wednesday, January 8, at 4:35 PM EST at Games Done Quick. Until then, you can check out his past year of practicing on his YouTube channel.