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Speedrunning is an intriguing facet of the gaming world, where players attempt to complete games as quickly as possible, often by using glitches and unintended mechanics. But how exactly do speedrunners exploit these glitches to break records? Here’s an in-depth look at how speedrunners use glitches to shave seconds, minutes, or even hours off their playthroughs.

1. Understanding Glitches in Speedrunning

A glitch is a bug or unintended behavior in a video game that occurs due to programming errors or limitations. Speedrunners have learned to exploit these glitches to bypass certain game mechanics or sections, allowing them to complete the game much faster than normal.

• Sequence Breaking: One of the most common uses of glitches in speedrunning is sequence breaking. This involves skipping parts of the game that the developers intended players to complete in a particular order. By exploiting glitches, speedrunners can progress through the game out of sequence. For example, in Super Metroid, speedrunners can use wall jumps and other glitches to skip entire levels or even bosses, reducing the overall completion time.
• Omissions and Skips: Certain sections of a game can be entirely skipped using glitches. For example, a common glitch in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time involves bomb hovering, which allows players to reach areas earlier than intended. Speedrunners may also use tricks to skip cutscenes or other mandatory sequences to save time.

2. Techniques and Tricks

Speedrunners employ specific techniques and tricks that take advantage of glitches. Some of these techniques involve exploiting the game’s physics, while others involve timing, movement, or even interactions with in-game objects.

• Out-of-Bounds (OOB) Glitches: Many speedruns involve getting out of bounds, where players escape the intended play area of the game. This can allow players to skip sections, such as entire maps or levels, and reach the game’s end much quicker. For example, in Super Mario 64, players use glitches to jump out of the game’s world and skip certain areas to reach the final levels earlier.
• Frame-Perfect Inputs: Some glitches require precision timing, known as “frame-perfect” inputs. These inputs are incredibly difficult to execute, as they require players to press buttons at exact moments within a single frame of the game’s time. In games like Super Mario Bros., specific frame-perfect glitches allow speedrunners to warp to different areas of the game, significantly reducing the time needed for completion.
• RNG Manipulation: Many speedruns rely on manipulating random number generation (RNG) to ensure favorable outcomes. This is particularly common in games where random elements, like enemy behavior, item drops, or puzzle solutions, play a role. By understanding the game’s RNG system, speedrunners can use glitches to manipulate these outcomes for a faster completion time.

3. The Role of Community in Discovering Glitches

The speedrunning community plays a pivotal role in discovering new glitches and optimizing speedruns. Through collaboration and extensive testing, players share knowledge about how to perform glitches, discover new ones, and refine techniques to get the best times.

• Learning from Others: Speedrunners often share their strategies and techniques through forums, videos, and streaming platforms. New runners can learn from these resources, practicing and perfecting the glitches that have been discovered.
• Collaboration and Competition: The competition among speedrunners to break records and find new glitches drives the community to innovate constantly. There’s a sense of camaraderie as runners collaborate to perfect the most optimal routes and glitch techniques.

4. Glitchless vs. Glitched Speedruns

Not all speedrunners use glitches. Some prefer “glitchless” runs, which aim to complete the game as intended, without exploiting any bugs or glitches. Glitchless runs often require more skill and precision, as players must complete all sections of the game while still aiming to finish as fast as possible. The debate between glitchless and glitched speedruns is a defining aspect of the speedrunning community, with some fans arguing that glitches break the purity of the experience, while others enjoy the creativity and innovation that glitches bring to the table.

5. Famous Glitches and Speedrun Achievements

Speedrunning has led to the discovery of numerous famous glitches across various games. Some of the most notable ones include:

• The “Wrong Warp” in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: This glitch allows speedrunners to skip several key parts of the game by using specific in-game actions. It’s one of the most famous glitches in speedrunning history and has been used to drastically reduce the time needed to complete the game.
• Super Mario 64 “BLJ” (Backward Long Jump): The BLJ glitch lets players bypass certain sections of the game by moving backward at incredible speeds. This glitch has been used in speedruns to skip entire levels and reach the final stages of the game much quicker.
• Dark Souls and “Deathwarp”: In Dark Souls, players exploit a glitch where they intentionally die in certain areas, respawning at specific locations faster than they would have otherwise. This technique helps speedrunners optimize their routes.

By exploiting glitches, speedrunners have been able to push the boundaries of what’s possible in games, discovering new and creative ways to finish their favorite titles in record time.