Why I Have Fallen In Love With Speedruns | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Why I Have Fallen In Love With Speedruns

Ever wanted to see the Michael Phelps of Super Mario Bros?

18
Why I Have Fallen In Love With Speedruns
Polygon

Have you ever finished reading a book and enjoyed it so much that you read it over and over again? Or wished you could keep reading more the same characters and worlds? I definitely have. The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Redwall... I've re-read each of these books several times, and loved every second. Part of why I read them so much was that I would finish them so quickly, and need to really savor them. Sometimes I wondered how the book could have gone differently - where changes could be made to make the story even better! Part of loving these stories is examining, seeing things I didn't before, and occasionally skipping the boring parts (Another song - really Tolkien? Stop torturing me with food Jacques!).

As I grew more interested in video games (Though books are still bae), I realized that enjoying them could be just as complex! And since video games are interactive, there are many different ways to experience the story you're given. You can skip the boring parts (sometimes), or focus on a different facet of the story each time. And before long, I began watching speedruns of my favorite games.

What Are Speedruns?

As their name implies, a speedrun of a video game is simply beating the game as fast as possible. However, there are several different ways of doing this. For example, no matter how well developed a game is, there are almost always glitches of different sorts. And so there are "glitchless" speedruns vs glitched, where one could take advantage of (for example) a glitch that allows a player to walk through walls. Then there are any% vs 100% speedruns: Maybe you want to see how fast you can collect everything in the game, or you just want to see if you can beat the final boss as fast as possible. As with any activity that takes time and skill to complete, video games can be enjoyed peacefully as you experience them to their fullest, or they can be taken on with single-minded ferocity.

Why? Just... Why?

It's a little weird to me still, but there are tons of reasons to play a video game speedrun!

1. Nostalgia - I have a deep love for the Legend Of Zelda series, and when I recently came across a speedrun of Majora's Mask (perhaps my favorite entry), I was enthralled. There is something so fascinating about seeing a game I played so slowly and deliberately be broken down into sections and blazed through within a quarter of the time it took me to beat. It made me see the game in a different way.

2. To Prove Skill - If you look up how long it takes to beat the original Super Mario Bros., You would find estimates of about 2-3 hours, depending on how much you do. The current Speedrun world record for that game is 4 minutes 56 seconds 878 milliseconds, and the second best is only 300~ ms behind it. Oh yes - and that World record was set 4 months ago. These runs often come down to the split second, and involve precision you would expect from an Olympian - not someone playing a 20+ year old video game.

3. The Community - Speedrunners and those that follow their activities love these games. You don't play a game more than 50 times if you don't deeply enjoy something about that game. And you don't often watch somebody play a video game unless you truly love the game yourself.

4. The Renown - How many people can say they hold a world record?

5. The Money!!!! - This is mostly a joke, but realistically, if a person is really good and personable/enjoyable to watch, they can make money off of Twitch subscribes/views/donations, and can make reach the point where they could make a reasonable $1~$1.5k a month. Especially if the streamer gets a world record, many viewers will donate $5-$10 as a congratulations, which adds up quickly if you have 1000+ subscribers

And as a corollary to that last point, Good Games Done Quick is a series of charity video game events in which groups of speedrunners pit against each other. These events can bring in as much as 1.5 million dollars! These proceeds have gone to charities like Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. I think it's amazing how much good can be done, just from people enjoying their favorite games.

I've loved video games for a long time, and speedrunning is a great way to build upon that love of video games. And whether you're doing the speedruns, finding new paths or glitches, or just finding new ways to enjoy the games, I believe that they are a great way to building on the engagement potential of one of the youngest (but perhaps greatest) media formats.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Rhyme Without Reason Greek Life Function Ideas

When you have no ideas for what to wear to this date function

315385
A dog and a frog
Healthy Pets

I am going to a rhyme without reason date function and I have looked at so many different rhyming words and I figured there need to be a new list of words. At these functions, there are usually at least two rockers and boxers and an umpteenth amount of dogs and frogs. I have come up with a list of creative and unique ideas for these functions.

If you like what you see, get a shopping cart going with these costumes.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Yoga love

A long over due thank you note to my greatest passion.

28603
A person in a yoga pose surrounded by a supportive community of fellow yogis with a look of peace and gratitude on their face the image should convey the sense of strength mindfulness and appreciation that the writer feels towards yoga
StableDiffusion

Dearest Yoga,

You deserve a great thank you.

Keep Reading...Show less
Arts Entertainment

Epic Creation Myths: Norse Origins Unveiled

What happened in the beginning, and how the heavens were set in motion.

9306
The Norse Creation Myth

Now, I have the everlasting joy of explaining the Norse creation myth. To be honest, it can be a bit kooky, so talking about it is always fun. The entire cosmos is included in this creation myth, not just the earth but the sun and the moon as well. This will be a short retelling, a summary of the creation myth, somewhat like I did with Hermod's ride to Hel.

Keep Reading...Show less
Old school ghetto blaster sat on the floor
8tracks radio

We all scroll through the radio stations in the car every once in a while, whether its because we lost signal to our favorite one or we are just bored with the same ol' songs every day. You know when you're going through and you hear a song where you're just like "I forgot this existed!" and before you know it, you're singing every word? Yeah, me too. Like, 95% of the time. If you're like me and LOVE some good throwback music, here's a list of songs from every genre that have gotten lost in time, but never truly forgotten.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

27 Hidden Joys

Appreciation for some of life's most discredited pleasures.

38430
Best Things in Life

Life is full of many wonderful pleasures that many of us, like myself, often forget about. And it's important to recognize that even on bad days, good things still happen. Focusing on these positive aspects of our day-to-day lives can really change a person's perspective. So in thinking about the little things that make so many of us happy, I've here's a list of some of the best things that often go unrecognized and deserve more appreciation:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments