Speedrunning — the practice of completing video games as fast as humanly possible — has exploded from an obscure obsession into a massive online subculture over the past few decades.
On YouTube, Twitch, and beyond, video game speedrun record attempts have transfixed millions of viewers through feats of skill and endurance once thought unimaginable. But what lies at the heart of the enduring speedrun phenomenon, and what does it truly take to become a world record-shattering expert in this peculiar art form?
Let‘s take a closer look at how the speedrun community first got its start and came to turn even the longest games into sub-hour sprints to the end credits.
What Are Video Game Speedruns and How Do They Work?
At its core, the entire concept of a video game speedrun seems deceptively simple: complete the game from start to finish in the shortest span of time possible.
Yet to achieve this goal, players must master a wide range of complex and technical skills that push both human and machine to the very limits. Expert speedrunners employ a variety of techniques including:
- Exploiting glitches, shortcuts, and sequence breaks that bypass large segments of gameplay
- Frame-perfect inputs and pixel-level precision maneuvers
- Intimate memorization of environments, object placements, enemy patterns and more
- Custom software and hardware that eliminates load times and provides other competitive advantages
The pursuit breeds its own vibrant lingo around concepts like any % runs, which allow for completion by any means necessary, and glitchless categories that forbid unintended shortcuts.
But more than just a test of individual skill, speedrunning fosters a tight-knit community that collaborates in pushing boundaries ever faster through shared knowledge. Let‘s look back on how this cooperative competition first kicked off decades ago.
The Origins of Speedrunning: From Arcade Game High Scores to Glitch Discovery
Long before the concept solidified into an organized hobby, the driving spirit behind speedrunning existed since the earliest days of arcade gaming in the form of displaying high scores. Players soon began competing informally over who could rack up points or progress further faster in the limited time a single quarter provided.
As games advanced from abstract scoring-fests to the side scrollers and adventure games with actual completions, players started racing friends to be the first to reach the end. Published guides strategized the best routes, foreshadowing the detailed walkthroughs used by runners today.
But the event that truly galvanized the concept of speedrunning as a spectator sport dates back to the 1980s discovery of a infamous software glitch — the Pac-Man "kill screen". At the 256th level of the iconic dot chomper, a bug causes half the screen to become an unplayable garbled mess, essentially ending the game.
Diehard Pac-Man fanatics competed in a race to see who could reach this barrier the fastest. It wasn‘t finishing the game conventionally, but the quest set a template for exploiting quirks and flaws in a game‘s design to achieve the fastest possible time. This quickly became integrated as a core feature of speedrunning rather than a fluke occurrence.
“It wasn‘t about playing the game as it was intended. It was about figuring out how to break progression and skip content in clever ways,” says long-time speedrunner Daniel Lim.
As home gaming consoles supplanted arcades in popularity, players applied this same experimental mindset toward dismantling NES classics like Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda. The fragmented speedrunning scene began connecting through the 90s rise of internet forums and many regional groups continued to push times with largely offline competitions.
That changed forever in 1997 with the founding of an ambitious website — Quake Done Quick.
The Rise of Organized Speedrunning: Quake Done Quick Sets the Stage
While PC games like Doom and Quake develop major speed following, their runs mostly circulated as isolated VHS tape recordings in the 90s. The Quake Done Quick site sought to centralize videos and strategies from around the world by recruiting an international team to establish the fastest recorded time.
After a grueling process of routing out optimal routes and choreographing precise play mechanics, the Quake runners finished the game in just 19 minutes and 49 seconds of actual playing time.
This coordinated event popularized speedrunning as a spectator "e-sport" and led viewers to make similar demands of other classic games. Demand outgrew the Done Quick team‘s ability to organize detailed runs, so in 2003 the Speed Demos Archive launched to serve as an authoritative hub for video uploads and world record tracking across countless titles.
With centralized record keeping and competition emerging, the 2000s saw speedrunning explode from underground tape trading to a fixture of video game streaming. Emulators and ROM accessibility further opened classic console titles to greater optimization without reliance on increasingly rare hardware.
Charity livestream events like Awesome Games Done Quick and Summer Games Done Quick evolved into major productions viewed by hundreds of thousands, bringing greater visibility (and funding) to important causes.
"From Pac-Man arcade cabinets to global Twitch streams, it‘s incredible to see the scope speedrunning has reached while staying true to those core arcade roots," says Awesome Games Done Quick co-founder Mike Uyama.
Prominent Speedrunning Categories and Styles
As organized speedrunning emerged, players developed specialized categories and self-imposed restrictions to showcase different facets of skill. Let‘s look closer at some of the most common divisions:
Any %
The default style, "any percent" runs simply focus purely on reaching the end credits of a game by any means available. This often centers exploitation of beneficial glitches that warp players ahead or otherwise trivialize intended progression systems. Due to lax requirements, Any% runs frequently produce the outright fastest completion times.
100% / All Collectables
In contrast, 100% speedruns aim for full completeness by acquiring every in-game item, maxing out powers/stats, finishing side content and exhaustively scouring levels for secrets. Far lengthier than any% categories, 100% runs test a player‘s efficiency and mastery of scope rather than just sequence breaks.
Low %
Low percent runs impose self-limiting restrictions on upgrades by completing the game with the absolute minimum number of power-ups or items possible. This requires adapting strategies to overcome late-game challenges without the intended abilities.
Glitchless
Finally, glitchless runs forbid manipulating unintended mechanics by sticking strictly to gameplay as the developers conceived it. Pushing times down relies solely on sharpening intended system mechanics to their utmost potential.
5 Fascinating Truths About the Speedrunning Community
Beyond just shattering long-standing records, the vibrant culture around speedrunning reveals many surprises for newcomers. Here are 5 factoids to appreciate about the supportive and complex speedrunning scene:
1. Top Speedrunners Put In Grueling Hours
Reaching world record pace requires unrelenting dedication across months of repetitive attempts to engrain muscle memory. Top runner Distortion2 practiced his 6:59 Elden Ring Any% run 8 hours a day over 4 straight months. This intensity causes health issues and burnout for many.
2. Luck Plays a Major Factor
Even after endless rehearsal, randomness in drops, enemy behaviors and more can make or break a record-setting pace. Top GoldenEye 007 runner Karl Jobst sees luck determine up to 70% of viable times. Controversially, some runners artificially manipulate this randomness too.
3. Developer Tricks Often Get Patched Out
Speedrunner ingenuity frequently surpasses developer foresight in devising shortcuts. However, some studios view these sequence breaks as glitches rather than intended skill and release patches obstructing the most egregious. This leads to debate around preserving original versions.
4. Charity Drives Raise Millions
Beyond chasing personal bests, speedrunning marathon events like SGDQ and AGDQ enable runners to leverage their gaming prowess to solicit huge donations. 2021‘s summer Games Done Quick raked in over $2.9 million toward Doctors Without Borders.
5. Tool-Assisted Runs Stir Controversy
Some speedrun videos featureTool Assisted Speedruns that use specialized software tools to achieve superhuman input readings impossible for human hands. By removing the skill challenge, critics argue this deflates viewer engagement.
Getting Into Speedrunning – Tips for New Players
Intrigued to dive into maximizing your favorite games but overwhelmed figuring out where to start in the complex world of speedrunning?
Veteran speedrunner Stivitybobo recommends newcomers begin by joining the community and resources around a chosen game to learn the ropes. Forums and Discord groups offer detailed guides to help you:
- Select a game category that fits your style preferences
- Study tutorials breaking down precise movement mechanics
- Get live feedback analyzing your run attempts
- Compare runs to top times to identify improvement areas
From there, relentlessly grinding attempts while steadily shaving off seconds through better execution and optimization comes down to a test of willpower. But joining a supportive community makes the process more engaging.
"It stops feeling like a lonely chore when you have people to share progress with and bond over the highs and lows," says Stivitybobo.
So if you have a favorite classic or recent release you‘d enjoy taking apart piece by piece, give speedrunning a shot! Just prepare for that game to consume your life in pursuit of frame perfect performance. It may just unlock gaming magic you never knew possible!
Frequently Asked Speedrunning Questions
How Can I Improve at Speedrunning?
Like any skill, getting better at speedrunning requires hours of focused, mindful practice to build muscle memory alongside studying tutorials to absorb optimal strategies. Top runners grind the same short sections for weeks perfecting precise inputs.
What Games Are Best to Start Speedrunning?
Great beginner speedrunning games include Portal, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Metroid and Pokémon. Their accessibility provides a smooth on-ramp before tackling more complex titles.
What Was the First Speedrun?
While the exact origin remains vague, the 1980s race to reach Pac-Man‘s Kill Screen established foundational concepts of competing to push games to their limits by exploiting flaws that became core to speedrunning philosophy.
What is the Fastest Speedrun?
The simplest PC game Minesweeper can be completed in under a second with perfect luck and execution. But for complex titles, the fastest record belongs to Super Mario Bros in 4 minutes and 55 seconds. Among recent releases, Elden Ring sits at under 7 minutes.
I hope this deep dive helps capture why video game speedrunning continues to endure as an phenomenon that transforms gaming from pure entertainment into an immersive skilltesting subculture! Let me know if you have any other speedrun questions!
