Speedrunning is a competition that has taken a tight grip upon the gaming world. As a result, many people are playing different games hoping to make a new record. Many different types of runs and several rules show all the possibilities of this part of any community. From 100% glitchless runs to gain a specific achievement. Other runs have different leaderboards, some with awe-inspiring times. Rules are very tight and can take many potential runs out of possible records. So what exactly does it take to be considered a good speedrunner, and can just anyone get a world record?
For the most part, speedrunning is easily accessible to anyone with a device they play games on. In addition, the website speedrun.com is the easiest way to find any information on the game you’d want to run. From classic games like Final Fantasy to little games on Google. The list of games is extensive, with thousands of active players. In addition, inventories of records on every game you click fill your screen. So whether a player wants to play a first-person shooter or an RPG, almost all are on the website. It’s just up to a player to choose.
There are two other things any potential speed runner needs: a timer and a video. So a timer is an obvious addition to this time-based competition. Tracking your time is the most crucial part of speedrunning. Anyone needs to say definitively the time it took to complete their run. Otherwise, a player could have said they beat a record with no proof. It is a necessity that is very advertised and shared knowledge. Video capture is also a common thing to know about speed running. A player needs to show that they beat the game that is being speed ran. This video can be a video capture or a clip from a live stream. These are runners’ abilities to prove their run is legitimate is the most vital part of speedrunning.
Each game has different rules for different runs. For example, some runs are to be utterly glitchless, while others are just to beat the game through any game means necessary. Each set of rules is easily found by any player looking at the leaderboards. In addition, several mods curate the runs to make sure the run breaks no rules and is therefore legitimate. Unfortunately, this process can take a while as the mods have a lot of runs to sift through. As a result, there are a lot of false runs submitted, some with minor errors and others with blatant cheats in the run. Runners who suffer the little rule breaks should not be discouraged, however. The players may need minor tweaks in the run to make it on the board.
The world of speedrunning is a big part of any gaming community. Runners find glitches, quick ways to do specific tasks, and different ways to play the game. They make up a large part of any fandom and are sometimes well known outside. Fandoms such as Minecraft and Five Nights at Freddy’s are known for such communities. However, getting started as a speedrunner isn’t as complicated as some may make it seem to be. All resources lay at the fingertips of anyone curious. It is not extremely simple, but the process is nowhere near challenging to start. All resources are on one website that is easily accessed. If one were to google speedrunning, speedrun.com is the first thing to pull up. So the only thing stopping one from getting a speed run is either a lousy computer or a lack of drive. So if one were to want to become a speedrunner all they would have to do is a simple google search.