Speedrunning - A Quick History

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Super Mario 64 Trash Edition Release Video.

Video game challenge playthroughs aren’t anything new. Players of all ages and skill levels compete on various objectives; some official and in-game, others self-imposed or modded in. In some circles, there are even mods and ROM hacks upping the difficulty of long-standing favourites. For example, a friend of mine recently published a ROM hack of Super Mario 64, called “Trash Edition”. According to them, there’s even a competition to see who can beat the four most difficult levels without save-states.

However, there is a certain type of challenge run universally beloved and revered: Speedruns. If a video game exists, there is most likely at least one person to have speedrun it. Challenges range from awe-inspiring to absolutely absurd.

A great example of the absurd is Twilight Princess’s Low Percent Runs. To goal of this run is to reach the end of the game with as little progress as possible. Fewest dungeons, fewest items, etc. The goal is no longer speed, necessarily. So, it’s no surprise that these runs are 20 hours long.

To make this run work, a skip was found in the form of an animation error. You see, when Link picks up a rupee in the game, the game pauses to let you stare at this new development. However, the animators accidentally left out a crucial frame, and so, on each run through of the animation, Link edges backwards. In this state, he can even slide through barriers. So, theoretically, if you leave your game running just long enough, you can slide right through a barrier, and skip entire dungeons. Sure, it’s not a time save, but it’s an effective Low Percent strategy.

Regardless, all speedrunning takes years of hard work, technique refinement, and practice. Runners push the limits of human gaming to blast through games and are hypnotizing to watch. So, how did this phenomenon begin? Let’s dive in.

The Dawn of Speedrunning

Speedrunning predates the internet, with records chronicled in gaming magazines, having been mailed in, and published in various issues. However, with the rise of the internet, there was a boom in activity. Now you could submit videos of your runs, and chat in real time about routes. Websites began popping up to record the fastest times through different games, and the highest scores.

Generally, there is a consensus that Doom was the first game to have developed a community around speedrunning in the early 90s. Embedded in the game itself, there were features that allowed players to record reliable evidence of their run through the game. Even better, an end screen showed the completion time. This ease of access to speedrunning proof, plus the rise of Usenet and internet forums, birthed the community.

The header image of Speed Demos Archive. On one side, a list of video files, while on the other, an army man runs through fire. The caption reads: Playing through games quickly, skillfully, and legitimately.

The header of Speed Demos Archive’s current Homepage. Screenshot Taken By Me.

Then, in 1996, Nightmare Speed Demos launched itself onto the scene. It began as a leaderboard for runs through the game Quake on the hardest difficulty. As speed-running gained steam, the website branched out, first to Metroid in 2000, and soon was one of the best catalogues for speed-running. The website is still available now, under the name Speed Demos Archive, and one can scrounge through the old files, links, and threads.

The Dawn of the Tool-Assisted Speedrun

Another major achievement was reached in 2003, when a TAS was created for Super Mario Bros. 3 garnered huge attention. Though it was not the first created (that honour goes once more to Doom), it brought the concept to a wider audience. A TAS, or Tool-Assisted Speedrun, is a run not played by an actual person, but are emulated to achieve the best theoretical times and routes through a game. The tool runs through the game frame-by-frame to achieve pixel perfect timing and runs, that push the limits of the game. They are not actually admissible (legally) to leaderboards, due to the aforementioned lack of player. They’re fascinating to watch, as they launch from the edges of ledges and move faster than one would think possible.

Posted by zVyper, this is a former World Record for the Path of Pain.

Through the years, as new skips and glitches are found and used, there has been one constant; the speedrunning community remains an accepting and strong community. Where at the start, runs were recorded on old cameras, or in game, now each run can be streamed to a live audience. There are catalogues of runs on Speedrun.com, YouTube and Twitch that are incredible to witness. For example, fans of Hollow Knight will appreciate this speedrun of the hardest parkour section in the game; The Path of Pain.

Three N64 Controllers of different colours on a counter in an arcade. The lights are dim, and the controllers are in focus.

Image From Pexels (Nathan J Hilton)

When Sarah isn’t hostage to her cat’s snuggles, she can often be found playing Stardew Valley or Minecraft. Raised on the Nintendo Wii, she’s had a life-long love of video games and hopes to express this passion through her writing. Some of her favourite games include – Paper Mario (N64, 2000), Super Paper Mario (Wii, 2007), Mario Galaxy, Hollow Knight, and Undertale.