Speedrunning is the practice of completing games or specific objectives as quickly as possible, using optimized strategies, glitches and precise execution. Community events like Games Done Quick showcase top runs and raise money for charity
Overview
Speedrunning transforms single‑player games into competitive time trials by defining categories, rules and leaderboards that let runners compare performances. Categories may restrict tool assistance, require completion of all objectives, or allow any exploits, giving variety and structure to the pursuit.
Techniques and strategy
Runners use frame‑perfect inputs, route optimisation, precise movement and discovered glitches or sequence breaks to save time. Practice, analysis and community documentation turn individual discoveries into standard techniques that others learn and refine to chase world records.
Communities and verification
Active communities maintain rulesets, category definitions and verification processes to ensure runs are fair and reproducible. Runs are typically recorded, streamed or submitted for review, and leaderboards track official world records and personal bests.
Events and charity marathons
Live events such as Games Done Quick gather top runners to perform record attempts on stream, often interleaved with commentary, panels and incentives. These marathons highlight skill, entertain large audiences and frequently raise substantial funds for charities.
Cultural impact
Speedrunning has turned deep knowledge of games into spectator entertainment, inspired tool‑assisted analysis and modding, and fostered collaborative discovery. It bridges solitary mastery and shared spectacle, creating a global scene where players, commentators and fans celebrate ingenuity and precision.
Takeaway
By turning games into races, speedrunning rewards creativity, technical skill and community collaboration, while charity marathons demonstrate how competitive play can also achieve meaningful social impact.