What is Speedrunning?
Speedrunning is basically completing video games fast as possible. This term was introduced in 1993 which Wolfenstein 3D, Metroid and Prince of Persia revolutionized it. There are more games like Doom (1993) which allow recording and playback which are called Demos. Demos are lightweight video files that can be shared internet bulletin board systems. A University of Waterloo student named Christina Norman creates a File Transfer Protocol server dedicate to demos called LMP Hall of Fame. There was community of Doom Speedrunners and there was a website called COMPET-N dedicated for them. COMPET-N features leaderboards ranking top Doom players that complete demo in certain timeframe. Quake has some demo-recording as well and had moving techniques such as “bunny hopping”. Speedrunning is not only dedicated to first person shooter games but platformers.
In 2003, Super Mario Bros 3 was popular in speedrun community along with The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon and more. Japanese user Morimoto demonstrated it and later Bisqwit who created TASVideos. TASVideos was a website to display tools to assist speedrunners until this day. Video sharing and streaming platforms have speedrunners that showcase their talents. There are some cons about speedrunning video games which as glitches and bugs. Some speedrunners create shortcuts and skip important parts of the game. Which is similar to visual novel went finding ending route or dialogue tree. Speedrunners have a choice whether to do 100% Completion and No Major Glitches. Depending on their preference on completing games with no minimal requirements.
Is Speedrunning a Waste of Time?
I would say it’s not a waste of time because gamers spend hours to be great at video games. They may have completed it in the past and know navigating through paths. Some may have called it cheating in some way because speedrunners can hack game files and modify timer. Personally, I don’t speedrun whatsoever but have watched some during my visit to Super Magfest 2024. Speedrunning takes skill and time to complete the game. I have to mention that there is event called Games Done Quick, which is dedicated to speedrunning retro games. There is competition of speedrunning games whether there is 2-4 players can get on the fun.
In social media, there are video game randomizers that speedrunners can switch between video games at any moment. Don’t forget about tournaments, races and many more events that revolve around speedrunning. Some players don’t like speedrun video games because they don’t want to invest time in them. Once I complete a video game, five times out of ten, I am not going back to them. Twitch and YouTube has a lot of speedrun channels that you can check out on your own time. Can you tried to complete a game without losing a life? These players spent countless hours mastering how to complete a game faster than lighting.
My Take about Speedrunners
Speedrunning is not my thing but played game called “Neon White” in December 2025. Neon White is about sinners winning a contest for salvation. The game is a first-person platformer developed by Angel Martix and published by Annapurna Interactive. Neon White gameplay is designed for speedrunners with shooting and other mechanics. The goal of the game is to complete each level fast as possible. In the game, you can give characters gifts, raise your neon rank and many more. Neon White was available for free on PlayStation Monthly Games December 2025 but it’s available on PlayStation 5, Xbox One and PC. Back on topic, I respect speedrunners and followed some on social media as well.
There is one called SebbyG13 who is a speedrunners that deals with retrogames. Feel free to check him out. Although, I haven’t tried speedrunning video games myself and trust me “you don’t want to see it”. I do enjoy some retro games like Mega Man, Final Fantasy and 007 Goldeneye. Completing them in a certain time frame will be a challenge for me. I am the last person to attempt a speed run. Some players use emulators and rom hacks to attempt to speedrun. These gamers are hardcore and dedicated to how to get to pass certain levels. Same guys who put out walkthroughs video and put out a hotline for trouble gamers.
Closing
Speedrun community is gated, and you don’t see a lot of them in 2025. I am not fully involved in speedrunning culture myself. There might be some content creators or streamers that build their channel off of it. How fast can you complete a game? Speedruns are part of the retro gaming community and modern ones can be speedrun too. You can check out different speedrun videos yourself to see how dedicated these players are. What are your thoughts on speedrunning video games or culture? Let me know in the comments and thank you reading this blog. Tune into the next one from yours truly.
