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Speedrunners: Cheaters or Pioneers?

Speedrunning is an increasingly popular pastime, in which players attempt to complete video games as quickly as possible. While some view speedrunning as a legitimate competitive sport, others argue that it is nothing more than cheating.

How Does Speedrunning Work?

Speedrunners use a variety of techniques to complete games faster, including:

Exploiting Glitches: Using glitches in the game code to bypass obstacles or skip sections of the game.
Save Scumming: Saving and reloading the game at specific points to avoid making mistakes.
Tool-Assisted Speedrunning (TAS): Using special tools or emulators to perform actions in the game that would be impossible for a human player to do manually.

Arguments Against Speedrunning

Those who argue that speedrunning is cheating point to the following:

speedrunners are cheaters

It undermines the intended gameplay experience. The developers of video games create their games with a certain difficulty level in mind. Speedrunners bypass this difficulty by using glitches and other exploits.
It promotes a culture of laziness. Speedrunners are often unwilling to put in the time and effort to complete games the "legitimate" way. They instead rely on tricks and shortcuts to get to the end as quickly as possible.
It gives an unfair advantage to those who use glitches. Speedrunners who use glitches and other exploits have an unfair advantage over those who do not. This can lead to a sense of frustration and resentment among non-speedrunners.

Arguments In Favor of Speedrunning

Supporters of speedrunning argue that it:

Encourages creativity and innovation. Speedrunners often come up with new and innovative ways to complete games faster. This can lead to the discovery of new glitches and techniques that can be useful in other areas of gaming.
Provides a unique challenge. Speedrunning provides a unique and challenging way to play video games. It requires players to think outside the box and push their skills to the limit.
Can be a fun and rewarding experience. Speedrunning can be a lot of fun and can provide a sense of accomplishment. It can also be a great way to socialize with other gamers who share your interests.

Is Speedrunning Cheating?

Ultimately, whether or not speedrunning is cheating is a matter of opinion. There is no right or wrong answer. However, it is important to be aware of the arguments for and against speedrunning before making a decision about whether or not to participate in it.

The Future of Speedrunning

Speedrunning is a rapidly growing phenomenon, with new records being set all the time. It is likely that speedrunning will continue to evolve and grow in popularity in the years to come.

Speedrunners: Cheaters or Pioneers?

How Does Speedrunning Work?

Conclusion

Speedrunning is a controversial topic that has no easy answers. There are valid arguments to be made both for and against it. Ultimately, whether or not speedrunning is cheating is a matter of opinion. However, it is important to be aware of the arguments for and against it before making a decision about whether or not to participate in it.

Additional Resources

Tables

Table 1: Glitch Exploitation in Speedrunning
Glitch	Description
---	---
Wall clipping	Allows players to walk through walls and other obstacles
Sequence breaking	Allows players to skip sections of the game by triggering events out of order
Memory manipulation	Allows players to change the game's memory to give themselves an advantage

Table 2: Save Scumming in Speedrunning
Method	Description
---	---
Quick saving	Saving the game at a specific point, then reloading and trying again if the player makes a mistake
State saving	Using an emulator to save the game state at a specific point, then reloading the state if the player makes a mistake

Table 3: Tool-Assisted Speedrunning (TAS)
Tool	Description
---	---
Frame advance	Allows players to advance the game one frame at a time, making it possible to perform precise actions
Cheat codes	Allows players to input codes that give them an advantage, such as invincibility or unlimited ammo
Memory editors	Allows players to edit the game's memory to give themselves an advantage

Table 4: Arguments For and Against Speedrunning
Argument	Description
---	---
For	Encourages creativity and innovation
Against	Undermines the intended gameplay experience
For	Provides a unique challenge
Against	Promotes a culture of laziness
For	Can be a fun and rewarding experience
Against	Gives an unfair advantage to those who use glitches