The history of speedrunning

Speedrunning is a fascinating and increasingly popular activity in the world of video games. It involves completing a game as quickly as possible, whether by exploiting glitches, mastering difficult techniques or executing strategies to perfection.

The first documented speedrun (1985):

Darrell "D.P." Sampson, an avid gamer and enthusiast of “Montezuma's Revenge” on the Atari 2600, performed an extraordinary feat when he completed the game in an impressive 4 minutes and 59 seconds.

Sampson's speedrun was not only recorded, but confirmed and recognised by other players. This laid the foundation for the development of speedrunning as an officially recognised discipline within the gaming community. The ability to complete a game in such a short amount of time became an art form, requiring the perfecting of skills, strategies and techniques.

Speedrunning communities (1990s):

People began to exchange ideas and share scores and techniques online. Forums and mailing lists became important platforms for the exchange of information. In 1996, the "Speed Demos Archive" was founded, a website dedicated to collecting and archiving speedruns, further promoting the speedrunning community.

This allowed people to share knowledge of glitches, techniques and strategies, and to improve each other's speedruns. They laid the foundation for modern speedrunning and created a vibrant and close-knit community that still exists today.

The development of speedrunning events (2000s):

In 2000, the first "" (AGDQ) event took place, where speedrunners played games live in front of an audience and raised money for charity. This event laid the foundation for future speedrunning marathons and became an annual tradition. In 2003, the European Speedster Assembly (ESA) was launched, a European speedrunning event that also takes place annually.

The establishment of speedrunning records (2010s):

In 2014, the "Guinness World Record" was established for the fastest speedrun in a video game. This record was officially recognized and documented, underscoring the importance and recognition of speed running as a sporting achievement. Numerous records have been set and broken since then, and there are now a variety of categories and subcategories for different games and platforms.

The professionalization of speedrunning (2020s):

In recent years, speedrunning has become increasingly popular and professional. There are now professional speedrunners who are supported by sponsors and who perform at major events. In addition, prize money and charity fundraising have become an important part of the speedrunning community.

Final words:

Some game studios have recognised the appeal of speedrunning and have incorporated special modes or challenges that encourage players to complete the game as quickly as possible. This creates a kind of synergy between the game and the speedrunning community. In addition, streaming platforms such as Twitch provide an ideal stage for speedrunners to showcase their skills to a wide audience and share their progress in real time.

All in all, speedrunning is an impressive and fascinating form of gaming, with a passionate community dedicated to beating games in record time.