4 Mindsets The Most Accomplished Speedrunners Developed

Have you ever heard of speedruns? If not, you’re in for a treat.

The concept isn’t complicated. Complete a game as fast as possible. Simple but far from being easy. The speedrunning scene has become extremely competitive.

Speedrunners have shown over and over limits shouldn’t be taken for granted.

I became interested in speedrunning a few months ago and dove deep into this world to understand it. As a result, I saw feats I couldn’t even imagine before. In this journey, I realized it was more than just about playing a game. It’s a way of thinking and living, with all the efforts concentrated on a precise task. Finishing the game faster than anybody else.

Many of the skills developed by speedrunners can be useful for the everyday Joe. Here are the ones I learned and try to apply to my life now.

The End is Nigh

Limits are too often self-imposed. We believe something is impossible and thus work to reach that limit. Our goal is only to push our own boundaries a bit, trusting there’s an overall limit nobody could overcome.

Speedrunners destroy this belief. They have shown time after time that you can dig further and find ways to improve.

Super Mario 64 came out on the Nintendo 64 in 1996. The main story usually takes about 12 hours but can you guess the fasted time recorded is? 6 minutes and 36 seconds. This world record was established only 4 months ago at the time of writing. This means it was set 24 years after release! The number 3 in the world set his record of 6 minutes 44 seconds three years ago.

There are many categories that exist for speedrunning. Each has its own set of challenges and showcases different skills and paths.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out in 1998 but the world record for its “Any%” category — in which the goal is to beat the final boss in the least amount of time regardless of how you get there — was set 2 months ago.

If you dig deep, you’ll find a way to improve. The game may be “requiring” you to follow a path by design but you can also push it further.

In life, most of us grew up in the standard path of “study, go to college, get a job, a partner, and have kids”. Yet, we now see many people following their own path and still living a fulfilling life.

No matter what people tell you, if you have something you want to accomplish, go for it and dig deeper. You’ll find a way, even if it takes time.

“One finds limits by pushing them.” — Herbert A. Simon

Life is Random

Do you think speedrunning is all about games like Mario and Zelda? No. There is a wide variety of games tackled. You can even find speedruns of many RPG (Role-Playing Games).

In such games, there is a lot of RNG involved. What is it? “Random Number Generation” is how many games function in the background. To simplify this concept, it adds randomness to the game. In RPG, encounters with enemies come at random and their attacks are random too. There are parts you cannot predict at all.

For speedruns of Mario games, you have to learn the theory and then repeat it until you master it. Only then, you can dig and find new ways to improve. RPGs don’t have this luxury. Each try, the run will be different.

Yet, they still exist and thrive. They require more flexibility. You have to understand that not everything always goes as planned.

Octopath Traveler is a game that came out in July 2018 on which I spent 120 hours to finish at 100%. The current 100% speedrun world record is 3 hours and 19 minutes, established a month ago. One of the runs I watched was this one (for Any%) in which the player fell upon an enemy much stronger. It forced him to use an item supposed to be kept for later. He didn’t beat the world record but wasn’t far from it. The adaptability shown was impressive.

No matter how much we plan and prepare for “every case scenario”, there will always be more than we imagined. Instead of focusing on the fear and risks, it’s important to note them and move forward.

“If you are not moving forward, the world is passing you by.” — John C. Maxwell

Be consistent

One of the most fascinating developments in the speedrunning world happened in 2017. Zelda: The Wind Waker came out in 2002. Early in the game, you could see the final area but an invisible barrier blocked the path. Yet, 15 years after the game came out, a glitch was found to skip it, shaving 30 minutes off the world record in an instant.

Everybody thought a path had to exist but nobody but discovered it for 15 years! Hard work, countless tries, and thousands of hours of play by hundreds of speedrunners made this discovery possible.

Speedrunners dedicate thousands of hours to find the smallest of mishaps to improve. This is also how Super Mario 64 was shortened to such a time too.

When we think we’ve reached a limit, we should interrupt our self-talk and keep grinding. If we want to accomplish anything that matters for us, we need to keep our heads in the game that is life.

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” — Dwayne Johnson

You’re Not Alone

Speedrunners have existed since the dawn of games but their number only exploded with the internet. In the past, speedrunners were alone in their room and had to discover everything on their own. It was also easy to convince themselves they “couldn’t” do better.

Now, they have a thriving community, sharing tips and keeping each other motivated. The community pushes everybody to challenge themselves.

This is why world records of each game are never stuck for too long. Every speedrunner is excited at the idea of doing better next time. Contributing to the community helps develop a sense of purpose. Each and everyone feels useful to advance the meta.

I’ve seen the impact of a community in my language-learning journey, too. The time I was most efficient in my learning was when I was most active on the How To Learn Any Language forum. Every day, I exchanged with other learners and improved both my languages and my learning processes.

No matter what we decide to dive into, a community for it exists. It is just a matter of finding it. Look for it. Find it, and enjoy your interest in the subject grow faster than you could have ever imagined.

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” — Helen Keller

You may not be a gamer but you cannot deny the efforts put forth by the speedrunning community. It is one of the most captivating ones I have ever seen. Speedrunners ignore all factors outside of the speedrun and concentrate on doing the best they can. Then, they overcome that “best” and create a new one, only to push it further and further.

From the outside, it looks like child’s play but the drive found in the community is contagious. You can’t help but feel motivated to push your own limits. And you should. They exist to be broken and overcome.