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Speedrunning

Speedrunning is the competitive practice in which players attempt to complete a video game, or specific segments of it, in the shortest possible time, often by exploiting glitches, optimizing routes, and mastering precise inputs.^[1] This activity emphasizes real-time execution under strict rules, distinguishing it from tool-assisted speedruns that use software for frame-perfect precision.^[1] The origins of speedrunning trace back to the early days of video gaming in the 1980s with informal competitions, but the organized community emerged in the mid-1990s through Usenet forums dedicated to first-person shooters such as Wolfenstein 3D (1992) and Doom (1993).^[2] A pivotal milestone occurred in 1997 when Nolan "Radix" Pflug founded the Speed Demos Archive (SDA), the first major website for hosting and sharing speedrun videos across multiple games, which helped formalize the hobby and foster global participation.^[3] By the early 2000s, speedrunning expanded with the rise of broadband internet, enabling detailed leaderboards and category-specific records, such as "Any%" (reaching the end credits without full completion) or "100%" (achieving all objectives).^[4] Today, the speedrunning community thrives on platforms like speedrun.com, which hosts leaderboards for thousands of games and verifies submissions through active moderators.^[5] High-profile events, including the semiannual Games Done Quick marathons, showcase elite runs while raising funds for charities; since 2010, these events have collectively generated over $50 million (as of 2025) for organizations like Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.^[6] Speedrunning has influenced game design, with developers incorporating tools for runners, and continues to evolve with new titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), where records were set within hours of release.^[7]

Overview

Definition and Scope

Speedrunning is the practice of completing a video game, or a designated portion of it, in the shortest possible time while adhering to established rules for that game. This competitive activity relies on players' mastery of game mechanics, precise execution, and strategic optimization to minimize completion times far beyond typical casual gameplay.^[8] Unlike standard playthroughs, speedrunning transforms gaming into a timed challenge that highlights technical skill and deep knowledge of the game's code and environment.^[1] The scope of speedrunning encompasses video games across diverse genres, such as platformers, first-person shooters, and role-playing games, though it is most common in single-player titles where individual performance can be isolated and measured. It has grown from a niche hobby among dedicated gamers in the late 1980s and 1990s into a structured competitive discipline, featuring global leaderboards, verification processes, and large-scale events that attract thousands of participants and viewers.^[9] This evolution positions speedrunning within broader gaming culture as a sport-like pursuit, emphasizing record-breaking over leisure or narrative enjoyment. Central to the practice are key terms like "run," which denotes a single, complete attempt at the challenge, and "personal best" (PB), referring to an individual's fastest verified time in a given category.^[10] Speedrunning differs from casual speed play—such as rushing through levels without optimization—or achievement hunting, which focuses on unlocking in-game rewards rather than overall timed completion.^[11] For instance, runs may target basic objectives like "any%" (beating the game by any means) or more comprehensive ones like "100%" (full completion), providing varied entry points while maintaining the core emphasis on speed.^[10]

Core Objectives and Rules

The primary objective in speedrunning is to achieve a game's core goal—such as defeating the final boss or reaching the credits—as quickly as possible, with time measured from a specific start trigger, like pressing new game, to an end trigger, such as the completion screen.^[12] Categories define these goals; for instance, the Any% category focuses solely on reaching the end without requiring full item collection or side content, while 100% demands completing all required elements, such as collecting every item or defeating all bosses, as specified by the game's community ruleset.^[13] Other challenge-based objectives include No Damage runs, where runners must finish the game without the character taking any health loss, emphasizing precision and avoidance strategies.^[12] Timing methods establish the framework for measurement and comparison. Real-Time Attack (RTA) records the full wall-clock duration from start to end, including loading screens, providing a straightforward real-world benchmark.^[14] In contrast, In-Game Time (IGT) uses the game's internal clock, excluding real-world pauses but potentially including loads unless adjusted.^[12] Many communities opt for RTA without loads (also called Load Remover Timer or LRT), where loading periods are subtracted to focus on active gameplay time.^[15] Foundational rules ensure fairness and reproducibility across attempts. Runners must use original hardware, approved emulators, or console versions without modifications, prohibiting tools like save states or cheats in unassisted (human-only) runs to maintain human skill as the focus.^[16] In single-segment runs, which are completed in one continuous attempt, runners often reset and restart the entire run immediately upon significant mistakes, without time penalties, as only the final successful attempt is timed. Segmented runs, conversely, involve recording individual segments (e.g., levels) separately and combining them via editing to achieve the optimal time.^[17] Each game's community establishes tailored rulesets, often detailing allowable glitches for optimization, load time removal procedures, and segment boundaries to standardize submissions.^[5] Verification upholds these standards through community moderation. Runners submit full video recordings capturing the entire attempt, from start to end, which moderators review to confirm adherence to timing, rules, and objectives before accepting the run for leaderboards.^[12] This process relies on clear, game-specific guidelines to prevent disputes and ensure only legitimate records are recognized.^[5]

History

Pre-Digital and Early Video Game Examples

The roots of speedrunning trace back to the arcade era of the 1970s and 1980s, where informal competitions emphasized rapid play to achieve high scores or clear levels, often timed manually with stopwatches due to the absence of built-in timers in many games. In titles like Pac-Man (1980), players focused on quickly navigating mazes to eat all dots and avoid ghosts, with local arcade tournaments rewarding the fastest completions as a measure of skill and efficiency.^[18] The founding of Twin Galaxies in 1981 by Walter Day in Ottumwa, Iowa, marked a pivotal step in organizing these analog efforts, establishing a public database of video game records on February 9, 1982, that included arcade high scores with time components for survival and completion challenges. A key event was the 1983 North American Video Game Challenge, coordinated by Twin Galaxies across multiple cities, which featured contests in games like Centipede and Donkey Kong, where participants vied for records based on points achieved within timed sessions, influencing the shift toward structured time-based competition without relying on internet verification.^[19]^[20] As arcade culture transitioned to home consoles in the mid-1980s, early video game speedrunning emerged informally among NES players through local groups and print media. For Super Mario Bros. (1985), the game's built-in timer that added remaining time to scores upon level completion incentivized fast playthroughs, leading to competitions documented in publications like Nintendo Fun Club News, where enthusiasts shared tips and informally tracked quickest times to reach the end. Similarly, in The Legend of Zelda (1986), players attempted rapid completions of the quest, with strategies and records exchanged via fanzines and gaming magazines, fostering a pre-digital community focused on optimizing routes without online sharing.^[21]^[22] The introduction of built-in demo recording features in early first-person shooter games marked a pivotal shift toward formalized speedrunning practices. Doom, released by id Software in December 1993, included a demo system that captured player inputs as compact LMP files, enabling precise playback and verification of gameplay sessions without the need for external video capture.^[23] These files recorded keyboard, mouse, and joystick actions at fixed intervals, ensuring deterministic replays that preserved random elements like enemy behavior through input-driven simulation.^[23] This functionality, inherent to the Doom engine, facilitated early experimentation with speed techniques, as runners could study and iterate on their performances using the original MS-DOS executable versions like v1.9.^[23] Quake, id Software's 1996 successor to Doom, built upon this foundation by incorporating similar demo recording capabilities, which extended speedrunning into more dynamic categories. Released on June 22, 1996, Quake's engine allowed for automatic capture of single-player runs and deathmatch sessions, with demos stored in a lightweight format suitable for analysis.^[24] Shortly after launch, the first speedruns were recorded and uploaded to FTP sites such as ftp.cdrom.com, establishing a pattern of digital dissemination that emphasized verification through replay.^[24] Quake's multiplayer focus introduced "frag runs," where runners aimed to achieve a set number of kills (frags) in the fastest time, influencing the evolution of competitive FPS speedrunning by blending single-player optimization with deathmatch efficiency.^[25] In the mid-1990s, nascent internet communities coalesced around these demo systems, primarily through Usenet newsgroups, Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), and early forums dedicated to Doom. By late 1994, Usenet groups like alt.games.doom emerged as hubs for discussing speedrunning strategies and sharing LMP files, with participants posting demo links and results to foster competition.^[26] BBS networks, prevalent before widespread web access, hosted local Doom speedrunning discussions and file transfers, often requiring callers to dial in sequentially due to limited lines.^[25] FTP sites, including the idgames archive established in March 1994, served as central repositories for uploading and downloading demos, enabling global access to runs from Doom's first organized deathmatch speed contests in 1994-1995.^[26] For Quake, similar communities formed rapidly post-release, with FTP uploads of frag and single-player demos driving early milestones like Nolan Pflug's 1997 Nightmare Speed Demos site, which cataloged high-difficulty runs.^[24]^[25] The era's dial-up internet infrastructure profoundly shaped demo sharing, as connection speeds topped out at 28.8 kbps for most users, making large files impractical. Doom and Quake LMP demos, often under 100 KB even for full episodes due to their input-only compression, could be transferred in minutes, mitigating bandwidth constraints compared to video formats.^[27] However, upload limits, hourly connection caps, and frequent disconnections on services like AOL compelled runners to prioritize concise files and rely on text-based Usenet posts for detailed breakdowns, route explanations, and verification debates rather than exhaustive visual shares.^[27] This environment cultivated a text-heavy communal dynamic, where demo analysis via descriptions and partial replays built trust and innovation in speedrunning verification.^[25]

Growth of Dedicated Archives and Platforms

The institutionalization of speedrunning accelerated in the early 2000s with the establishment of dedicated online archives that centralized the hosting, verification, and discussion of runs. The Speed Demos Archive (SDA), founded in April 1998 by Nolan "Radix" Pflug through the merger of two Quake-focused speedrun sites, emerged as a pioneering hub by the early 2000s, expanding in 2004 to encompass speedruns from all commercially available games.^[28] SDA emphasized high-quality video submissions with optional commentary tracks, enforced peer-reviewed verification, and maintained strict rules prohibiting cheats while allowing glitches, thereby setting standards for the community's archival practices.^[29] The advent of video-sharing platforms further propelled global participation by simplifying the dissemination of runs. YouTube's launch in 2005 provided an accessible venue for asynchronous uploads of speedrun videos, enabling runners to share detailed breakdowns and attract wider audiences beyond niche forums.^[25] This shift democratized access, as evidenced by the platform's role in amplifying visibility for classic titles like Super Mario 64, where early uploads documented evolving strategies. Complementing this, Twitch's debut in 2011 introduced live streaming capabilities, allowing real-time viewing of attempts and fostering interactive communities that inspired novice runners through immediate feedback and hype.^[30] Key milestones in platform development included the 2013 creation of speedrun.com, which consolidated leaderboards, categories, and verification tools into a single, community-moderated database, streamlining record tracking across thousands of games.^[31] Concurrently, the 2010 launch of Classic Games Done Quick (CGDQ)—an initial prototype event organized by the SDA community—laid the groundwork for structured speedrun showcases, influencing subsequent marathons.^[32] From the 2010s into the 2020s, speedrunning's infrastructure expanded alongside the esports boom, incorporating mobile and indie titles that benefited from accessible hardware and digital distribution. Platforms like speedrun.com and Twitch supported this growth, hosting categories for games such as Celeste and mobile ports of classics, while over 230,000 unique speedrun stream titles have been broadcast across major sites as of 2021.^[33] This era saw speedrunning integrate with broader gaming culture, driven by esports' valuation exceeding $1 billion annually by 2020.^[34] The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated participation, with remote events like Games Done Quick's Hotline series in 2020-2021 raising millions for charity and boosting online viewership; by 2025, speedrunning continues to grow with new titles such as Elden Ring (2022) setting records and integrating into mainstream esports.^[6]^[35]

Techniques and Strategies

Human-Executed Strategies

Human speedrunners rely on a combination of precise timing and ingrained physical habits to execute movements that shave seconds off completion times, particularly in genres demanding high dexterity such as platformers and shooters. Frame-perfect inputs, where actions must occur within a single frame of the game's animation cycle—typically 1/60th of a second in many classic titles—enable runners to trigger glitches or optimal paths that would otherwise be inaccessible.^[36] These techniques demand extensive muscle memory, developed through repetitive practice, allowing runners to intuitively replicate complex sequences like pixel-precise jumps or dodges without visual cues dominating their focus.^[37] In games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, such inputs form the backbone of competitive play, where timing variances as small as one frame can determine victory or failure.^[36] Skip techniques further accelerate progress by allowing runners to circumvent intended gameplay paths, often through sequence breaks that reorder levels or objectives. A prominent example is the backwards long jump (BLJ) in Super Mario 64, where players perform repeated long jumps facing away from their target to exploit unbounded backward acceleration, propelling Mario through walls or across vast distances to skip stars or entire courses.^[38] This human-executable glitch, requiring consistent A-button presses synchronized with directional inputs, has been integral to any% categories since its discovery in the early 2000s, enabling sub-20-minute completions by bypassing non-essential areas.^[39] While tool-assisted speedruns can optimize these skips with frame-by-frame precision, human runners achieve them through practiced rhythm and adaptation to hardware variances. In role-playing games (RPGs), resource management strategies emphasize efficiency to minimize downtime from exploration or menus, focusing on the bare minimum item collection needed for progression. Runners prioritize acquiring only essential gear or upgrades—such as a single key weapon or ability—while avoiding extraneous loot that triggers animations or inventory sorting delays. For instance, in titles like The Legend of Zelda series, optimal routes involve selective item pickups to unlock paths without backtracking, reducing encounters and travel time.^[40] This approach contrasts with standard playthroughs, where comprehensive collection enhances immersion but extends duration, and underscores the need for upfront routing to identify dispensable elements. To master these strategies, human speedrunners employ structured practice methods that build reliability and identify inefficiencies. Segmented runs divide the game into discrete sections—such as individual levels or glitch chains—allowing focused repetition until each achieves near-optimal execution before combining them into a full attempt.^[17] This modular training mitigates fatigue in long games and facilitates error isolation, with runners using save states or resets within segments for rapid iteration. Complementing this, community watch parties provide external feedback, where peers review recordings or live streams to suggest timing adjustments or overlooked optimizations, fostering collective refinement without automation aids.

Tool-Assisted Speedruns

Tool-assisted speedruns (TAS) represent a specialized subcategory of speedrunning that employs software tools to enable superhuman levels of precision and optimization in gameplay, distinct from real-time human performances. These runs are created by recording and editing inputs on a frame-by-frame basis using emulators, allowing creators to rewind, retry, and perfect actions that would be impossible in live play due to human limitations in reaction time and accuracy.^[41]^[42] The process typically involves re-recording emulators, which capture precise controller inputs per video frame, often supplemented by features like frame advance for slow-motion analysis, save states for branching experiments, and input automation scripts. Popular tools include BizHawk, a multi-system emulator designed specifically for TAS production, offering deterministic emulation across platforms like NES, SNES, and Game Boy to ensure reproducible results. Lua scripting within these emulators further enhances efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, optimizing paths through search algorithms, or simulating multiple scenarios to identify the fastest sequences.^[43]^[44]^[42] While TAS primarily relies on software emulation for its flexibility and accuracy, some communities explore hardware-based playback using devices like TASBot to execute pre-recorded inputs on original consoles, though creation still occurs in emulated environments to leverage advanced editing capabilities. Rules for TAS emphasize offline production without real-time aids, prohibiting live adjustments to maintain focus on theoretical perfection rather than performance under pressure.^[45]^[46] The primary purposes of TAS include entertainment through creative showcases, discovery of novel routes and glitches for human runners, and exploration of a game's absolute theoretical limits, often resulting in times far below human records. For instance, in Super Mario World for SNES, TAS videos have demonstrated arbitrary code execution to warp directly to credits in under a minute, highlighting mechanics inaccessible to unaided play. Unlike human-executed strategies, which prioritize feasible real-time execution, TAS pushes boundaries with pixel-perfect maneuvers and sub-frame optimizations.^[41]^[47] TAS communities maintain separation from standard speedrunning leaderboards, hosting dedicated archives like TASVideos.org where runs are verified for tool usage and categorized independently to avoid direct competition with human achievements. This distinction ensures TAS serves as a complementary pursuit, informing and inspiring advancements in broader speedrunning practices without undermining integrity in live categories.^[48]^[49]

Route Planning and Glitches

Route planning in speedrunning involves the systematic design of optimal paths through a game's levels and mechanics to minimize completion time, often modeled as a graph where nodes represent game states and edges denote transitions via actions or skips. Runners create flowcharts to map level progressions, identifying key decision points such as alternate entrances or boss encounters that branch into multiple viable paths.^[9] Decision trees are employed to evaluate these branches, weighing factors like time savings against execution risk, particularly in games with variable outcomes. For instance, in roguelikes, runners manipulate random number generation (RNG) by exploiting seed-based algorithms, where the initial seed determines procedural generation; by controlling inputs to influence the seed or subsequent RNG calls, runners can force favorable layouts or enemy placements, turning probabilistic elements into deterministic advantages.^[50] This process requires probability calculations to assess the reliability of RNG setups, ensuring routes remain viable across multiple attempts.^[51] Glitches form a cornerstone of advanced route planning, enabling runners to bypass intended progression by exploiting unintended game behaviors. Common types include collision clipping, where precise positioning allows a character to pass through solid barriers, effectively shortening distances between areas. Physics exploits leverage momentum or collision detection flaws to achieve unnatural height or speed, often discovered through trial-and-error testing of edge cases like precise timing or item interactions. Out-of-bounds access represents another category, permitting navigation outside the game's visible map to access distant locations directly, which can collapse hours of gameplay into seconds. These glitches are typically uncovered via reverse-engineering, where runners disassemble game code using tools like debuggers or memory editors to identify vulnerabilities in rendering, physics engines, or state management.^[52]^[53] Recent advancements include the application of AI algorithms to optimize routes and discover new glitches, as explored in ongoing research as of 2025.^[54] To facilitate planning, speedrunners utilize a variety of tools and community resources for visualization and validation. In-game debug modes, when accessible, allow toggling of features like no-clip or frame-stepping to test potential routes without full execution. Community-maintained wikis and databases compile verified glitches and route segments, serving as collaborative repositories for iterative refinement; runners analyze past runs via frame-by-frame breakdowns to measure time splits and adjust paths accordingly. This refinement cycle often involves simulating routes in external software, such as graph editors, to predict outcomes before live attempts.^[55]^[56] Conceptually, route optimization draws from graph theory, adapting shortest path algorithms like Dijkstra's to model games as weighted graphs where edge weights reflect estimated traversal times, including glitch probabilities and setup costs. Unlike standard implementations, speedrun graphs incorporate dynamic elements such as RNG branches or glitch failure rates, requiring heuristic adjustments to prioritize robust, high-probability paths over theoretically minimal ones. This analytical framework underscores route planning as an intellectual pursuit, balancing computational modeling with empirical testing to evolve strategies over time.^[57]^[58]

Categories and Records

Standard Categories

In speedrunning, standard categories provide structured challenges by defining the objectives and allowable techniques for completing a game, enabling fair competition and diverse skill showcases. The most prevalent category is Any%, which aims for the fastest possible completion of the game's main storyline or ending, permitting all glitches, skips, and exploits without restrictions on item collection or side content. Complementing this is 100%, requiring full collection of all items, upgrades, and content—such as keys, bosses, and secrets—before reaching the end, which tests comprehensive mastery of the game's mechanics. All Stages (or equivalent, like "All Acts" in platformers) mandates progressing through every level or stage without pursuing optional extras, striking a balance between speed and thorough navigation. Glitchless variants impose bans on exploits, focusing on intended gameplay paths to emphasize raw execution and timing. Variations expand these foundations with restrictive or thematic rules, adapting to individual game designs while maintaining competitive integrity. Low% challenges runners to finish with the minimal number of items or upgrades acquired, often inverting 100% by prioritizing avoidance over accumulation, as seen in titles like Hollow Knight where low soul collection alters combat and progression strategies. No-Damage (or "No Hit") requires completing the run without sustaining any health loss from enemies or hazards, demanding flawless dodging and positioning, common in action-adventure games like Castlevania series entries. Pacifist prohibits killing or harming non-boss enemies, promoting non-violent routes that may unlock alternate endings, exemplified by Undertale's True Pacifist category, which involves befriending characters and sparing foes to access the full narrative resolution.^[59] Game-specific adaptations further refine these, such as in The Legend of Zelda series, where categories distinguish between minor glitches (like small skips) and major ones (e.g., Wrong Warp in Ocarina of Time), creating tiers like "No Major Glitches" to moderate exploit severity.^[60] These categories evolve through collaborative community processes, where runners propose rules via discussions on dedicated platforms, culminating in votes or consensus among game moderators to ensure viability and interest. This democratic approach balances accessibility—such as glitchless options for beginners honing fundamentals—with heightened challenges that reward innovative routing and precision for veterans. Consequently, categories profoundly influence run durations and skill demands; in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Any% achieves world records around 3:48 (as of November 2025; records subject to frequent improvement) by leveraging sequence breaks and warps, contrasting with Glitchless 100% runs exceeding 4 hours that prioritize exploration and combat without aids.^[60] Such distinctions foster replayability and specialized expertise across the community. Verification ties directly to these rules, with submissions scrutinized for compliance to maintain leaderboard accuracy.

Record Verification and Ranking Systems

The verification of speedrun records primarily occurs through community-moderated platforms such as speedrun.com, where submissions require video proof to demonstrate adherence to specific category rules, including start and end conditions, allowed glitches, and hardware or software restrictions. Moderators, often experienced runners in the game's community, conduct reviews by examining the footage for compliance, verifying the reported time against the visible in-game clock or external timer overlays, and assessing for any signs of manipulation or invalid actions. Top-placing runs, such as those challenging world records, undergo thorough full-video scrutiny, while lower-ranked submissions may receive partial checks; the process typically allows up to 21 days for approval or rejection.^[5]^[16] Upon approval, verified runs populate leaderboards on speedrun.com, which rank participants globally by completion time in ascending order, with the fastest time designated as the world record (WR). Many games maintain separate regional leaderboards—such as NTSC versus PAL versions for console titles—to account for hardware differences affecting gameplay speed, alongside global boards for cross-region comparison. In cases of tied times, rankings are resolved using tiebreakers like the earliest run date, submission timestamp, or runner style (e.g., no major glitches), as defined by game moderators to ensure fair ordering. Some leaderboards also display percentile rankings, indicating a runner's position relative to all submitted times in a category, providing context for performance distribution.^[14]^[5] Automation tools play a supporting role in verification, with programs like LiveSplit enabling precise timer synchronization during runs and aiding moderators in initial time audits by exporting split data for comparison against video timestamps. While primary time validation relies on manual video review rather than automated acceptance of timer files, these tools facilitate faster preliminary scans, especially for high-volume categories. Community disputes over verifications or rankings are handled by moderators via dedicated game forums, where evidence is presented, rules are clarified, and consensus is reached to maintain leaderboard integrity without formal appeals processes.^[61]^[5]

Community and Events

Online Communities and Resources

Speedrun.com functions as the central hub for the speedrunning community, providing a comprehensive database of games, categories, and player-submitted runs alongside interactive leaderboards that track world records and rankings.^[62] Established as a community-driven platform, it facilitates user contributions through run submissions, forum discussions, and event announcements, supporting thousands of games with detailed categorization.^[62] TASVideos.org complements this by focusing on tool-assisted speedruns (TAS), archiving high-precision videos of optimized gameplay across franchises like Super Mario and Sonic, and offering resources for TAS creation and analysis.^[63] Reddit's r/speedrun subreddit, active since its creation in 2011, serves as a key discussion forum where participants share strategies, seek advice, and celebrate achievements, fostering real-time engagement among enthusiasts.^[64] Complementing these, numerous Discord servers dedicated to specific games—such as those for Super Mario 64 or The Legend of Zelda series—enable focused collaboration, including live strategy sessions and peer feedback, with hundreds of such servers listed across community directories.^[65] These platforms integrate with broader social media, amplifying reach through shared streams and clips. Beyond platforms, speedrunners access specialized resources like game-specific wikis on sites such as Fandom, which document routes, glitches, and optimization techniques for titles like Minecraft or Among Us.^[66] Forums on speedrun.com and the Speed Demos Archive (SDA) host dedicated threads for glitch hunting, where users collaborate on discovering exploits through methodical testing and shared videos.^[67] Essential tools are readily downloadable, including LiveSplit for real-time timing and frame-accurate splits, and web-based frame counters like SomeWes Frame Count for precise run verification.^[61]^[68] Community norms emphasize mentorship, with veteran runners providing tutorials and one-on-one guidance to newcomers via Discord and Reddit, helping to lower entry barriers for aspiring speedrunners.^[69] Run commentary—detailed breakdowns of techniques shared on YouTube or forums—further supports learning, while inclusivity efforts promote diverse participation, including initiatives to welcome underrepresented gamers through accessible guides and anti-toxicity guidelines as of 2025.^[69] The speedrunning community has experienced substantial growth, expanding from niche groups of a few thousand participants in the 2000s to over 2.5 million registered users on speedrun.com alone as of 2025, driven by social media integration and viral event coverage.^[70]^[71] This surge reflects broader online gaming trends, with millions engaging indirectly through streams and discussions by 2025.

Fundraising Marathons

Fundraising marathons in the speedrunning community are organized streaming events where participants perform speedruns to raise funds for charities, typically spanning several days of continuous broadcasts. These events have become central to the hobby's visibility, blending entertainment, competition, and philanthropy. The most prominent examples include Games Done Quick (GDQ) in North America and the European Speedrunner Assembly (ESA) in Europe, which feature curated lineups of runs from various games and genres.^[6]^[72] Games Done Quick originated with its inaugural event, Classic Games Done Quick, held in January 2010 at the home of founder Mike Uyama, where a small group of about 20 speedrunners gathered to stream runs for charity. This evolved into the annual Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), starting in 2011, focused on modern titles, while Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) launched in 2014 to cover summer schedules and emphasize a broader range of games. These GDQ events follow a format of multi-day marathons, typically lasting 5 to 7 days with 24/7 streaming. Similarly, the European Speedrunner Assembly began its structured marathon events in 2015, with the first major edition running from June 28 to July 5 in Skövde, Sweden, inspired by GDQ but tailored to European participants and time zones; it also operates on a 24- to 72-hour continuous broadcast model across week-long gatherings.^[32]^[73] The structure of these marathons centers on a pre-scheduled lineup of speedruns, where runners perform live on stage or via remote setups, accompanied by commentary to explain techniques and engage viewers. Donations are collected in real-time through platforms like Tiltify, often tied to incentives that encourage contributions, such as bid wars where donors vote on elements like character names, alternate routes, or additional challenges—for instance, requiring runners to attempt an extra boss fight if a monetary goal is met. By 2025, GDQ marathons had collectively raised over $56 million for organizations including Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation, with individual events like SGDQ 2025 exceeding $2.4 million; ESA events have similarly amassed over $1 million across their history, supporting charities like Alzheimerfonden and Make-A-Wish.^[6]^[74]^[75] These marathons significantly enhance the accessibility of speedrunning by selecting games with broad appeal, from classic titles to modern releases, thereby introducing newcomers to the hobby through entertaining, high-stakes performances. They provide dedicated slots for emerging runners, allowing less experienced participants to gain exposure alongside veterans, which fosters community growth and encourages entry-level involvement. This approach has helped democratize speedrunning, making it more approachable for diverse audiences beyond niche forums.^[76]^[77] Challenges in organizing these events include managing participant fatigue during extended broadcasts, with organizers implementing rotation schedules and volunteer support to prevent burnout among runners and staff. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift to hybrid formats post-2020, blending in-person venues with online remote runs to maintain safety and global participation, as seen in GDQ's online-only AGDQ 2020 and ESA's virtual Summer 2020 edition, allowing continued fundraising while adapting to health restrictions.^[78]^[73]

Competitive Races and Tournaments

Competitive speedrunning races involve multiple participants attempting to complete a game or segment as quickly as possible, starting simultaneously to ensure fairness. Platforms like SpeedRunsLive (SRL), active since the early 2010s, facilitate these live races streamed on Twitch, where runners compete in real-time against one another, often in casual or organized matches.^[79] Similarly, racetime.gg has become a primary hub for online races since 2020, supporting ladder systems where participants climb rankings through repeated competitions in specific games.^[80] Bracket tournaments add a structured, elimination-style format to competitions, with notable examples occurring as side events during Games Done Quick (GDQ) Hotfix streams, such as the Mystery Tournament series, where runners advance based on head-to-head matchups. These events typically feature simultaneous starts signaled by a countdown, with ties resolved through predefined tiebreakers like fastest splits or prior performance metrics, as outlined in event-specific rules to maintain integrity.^[81] Prize structures vary, including cash awards from sponsors, custom trophies, or community recognition, though many remain low-stakes to emphasize skill over monetary gain.^[82] Cooperative formats like RTA duo races extend competition to teams, where two runners collaborate on a single run timed by real-time attack (RTA) clocks, as seen in Minecraft categories on speedrun.com leaderboards.^[83] By 2025, speedrunning has evolved toward professional circuits with sponsorships, mirroring esports growth, as discussions on its classification highlight structured events with prizes and regulatory frameworks.^[81] Unlike solo speedruns, which focus on personal bests in isolation, races introduce psychological pressure from direct comparison and real-time monitoring by opponents, potentially increasing errors under scrutiny. Audience interaction via live chat on platforms like Twitch adds another layer, allowing viewers to influence morale through encouragement or banter, heightening the event's dynamic nature. Races are sometimes hosted as side events within larger charity marathons like GDQ.^[84]

Cheating and Integrity

Common Cheating Techniques

One prevalent cheating technique in speedrunning involves splicing, where individuals edit video footage by combining segments from multiple separate runs to fabricate a single, seemingly flawless performance that achieves an unrealistically fast time. This method exploits the video submission process for verification, as moderators typically review the submitted recording without access to raw gameplay data. For instance, a runner might record optimal segments of a level individually, then splice them together while adjusting audio and visuals to mask the edits, creating the illusion of a continuous run.^[85]^[86]^[87] Another form of deception is TASbotting, which entails using tool-assisted speedrun (TAS) software or hardware devices to generate and replay precise, frame-perfect inputs in categories designated for real-time human performance. In this approach, a player records controller inputs during a strong run and later plays them back via an external tool, such as a modified controller or bot, to execute superhuman accuracy without real-time decision-making. This blurs the line between legitimate TAS categories and human runs, often going undetected in video analysis alone because the gameplay appears organic.^[86]^[87] Timer manipulation occurs when cheaters alter timing software, such as Livesplit or in-game clocks, to underreport elapsed time or fabricate splits during a run. This can involve editing timer overlays in post-production videos or using modified versions of timing tools that pause or accelerate the clock covertly. Such tampering directly falsifies the core metric of speedrunning, making a mediocre run appear record-worthy without changing the actual gameplay.^[85]^[87] Cheaters also employ file modifications, which include altering game data files to enable unauthorized warps, boost character attributes, or manipulate random elements like enemy spawns for easier progression. For example, in racing games, modifying configuration files might increase vehicle speed or skip levels, while disguising cheat codes as natural glitches to evade scrutiny. These changes are typically made to ROMs or save files before running the game, resulting in impossible feats under standard conditions.^[87]^[86] Finally, false claims often manifest through the misuse of emulators providing unfair advantages, such as frequent save states that allow instant reloading of perfect attempts, or outright exaggeration of times without evidence. In hardware-restricted categories, submitting emulator-based runs with these features violates rules, as save states enable segmented practice akin to splicing but embedded in the emulation process itself. This technique undermines verification by presenting enhanced, non-reproducible results as authentic human efforts.^[85]^[86]

Detection and Prevention Measures

Speedrunning communities employ rigorous detection methods to identify cheating, primarily through manual and automated analysis of submitted runs. Video analysis remains a cornerstone, involving frame-by-frame examination of footage for visual inconsistencies such as unnatural transitions or impossible movements that may indicate splicing or tool-assisted edits. Audio synchronization verification is also critical, where discrepancies between game sounds, controller inputs, and environmental noises are scrutinized to detect edited segments, as seen in tools that flag potential splices by analyzing waveform continuity.^[88] Additionally, input log reviews, often from emulators or capture software, allow verifiers to cross-check controller actions against on-screen events for anomalies like superhuman precision suggestive of scripted inputs.^[87] Software-based detectors enhance these efforts by automating fraud identification. Anti-splice algorithms, such as those in Splice Detective, process audio tracks to detect abrupt cuts or frequency shifts indicative of video editing, a common technique to fabricate flawless segments.^[88] Emulator audits involve replaying runs in controlled environments to verify timing and behavior, while hash checks ensure game files remain unmodified by comparing checksums against official versions, preventing exploits from altered ROMs or binaries. The Tracer framework exemplifies an integrated approach, using modular modules to analyze audiovisual continuity, physical hardware traces, and digital footprints for comprehensive tamper detection.^[89] Prevention measures focus on proactive safeguards to deter cheating before submissions. Many communities mandate full-session recordings, capturing the entire attempt from start to finish without edits, to provide verifiable context for any claimed run, particularly for times under a certain threshold.^[90] For world record claims, live verification is standard, often requiring streams on platforms like Twitch during events such as Games Done Quick, where real-time monitoring by moderators ensures authenticity.^[91] Moderator training programs, outlined in platforms like speedrun.com, emphasize recognizing cheating patterns through guidelines on verification workflows and evidence collection.^[5] Community protocols enforce accountability via structured responses to detected cheating. Leaderboard bans, implemented by game moderators on sites like speedrun.com, remove fraudulent runs and restrict user submissions, with lifetime exclusions for repeat offenders.^[86] Appeals processes allow runners to contest decisions by submitting evidence to site staff, who investigate and may reinstate access if misconduct is disproven.^[92] By 2025, these protocols have incorporated AI tools, such as advanced forensic frameworks, to scale detection amid growing submissions while maintaining human oversight.

Ethical Implications and Community Responses

Cheating in speedrunning poses significant ethical implications for the community, primarily through the erosion of trust in established records and leaderboards. When fraudulent submissions, such as falsified videos, infiltrate official rankings, they cast doubt on the legitimacy of all achievements, potentially leading participants to question the value of their own efforts. This undermines the core principle of speedrunning as a merit-based pursuit of personal and collective excellence.^[86]^[91] The presence of cheating also discourages newcomers by creating an environment where legitimate progress feels overshadowed by apparent impossibilities or unfair advantages, diminishing overall motivation and participation. Research on game cheating highlights how such behaviors reduce players' trust and expectations for fair competition, fostering a sense of disillusionment that can stifle community growth.^[93] Additionally, ongoing debates within the speedrunning ethos revolve around the boundaries between "glitches"—intentional exploits of game mechanics viewed as legitimate innovations—and outright cheating, which involves disallowed manipulations that subvert the game's intended rules. These discussions emphasize collective knowledge and subversion as central to the practice, yet they highlight ethical tensions over what constitutes fair play.^[94] In response, speedrunning communities have implemented ethics codes and verification protocols on major platforms like Speedrun.com, where moderators are required to enforce rules against invalid submissions and promote a code of conduct that prioritizes integrity. Public callouts have been a key mechanism, particularly during 2010s scandals involving prominent runners whose records were scrutinized and retracted following community investigations, serving as a form of restorative justice to restore credibility. For instance, elaborate cheating cases in the late 2010s prompted widespread discussions and bans, reinforcing accountability without descending into vigilantism.^[16]^[95] These challenges have yielded positive outcomes by 2025, including strengthened verification processes that leverage advanced technical analysis to detect fraud more effectively. A notable case involved a 15-year-old Diablo speedrun debunked through community-driven decompilation and seed analysis, demonstrating how such responses enhance the robustness of records and foster greater transparency. Furthermore, these incidents have sparked broader conversations on balancing strict integrity measures with inclusivity, ensuring the community remains welcoming to diverse participants while upholding ethical standards. Grounded theory studies of the speedrunning scene underscore how strong online bonds act as deterrents to deviance, ultimately fortifying communal resilience.^[96]^[97]

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