Why Speedrunning should be recognised as an esport

There’s a good chance that one of your favourite games holds a speedrunning world record by someone who has completed it in ways the developer never intended. First coming to the fore around 1993 with the debut of the first-person-shooter DOOM, speedrunning has grown into its own category where world records are made and beaten almost every month.

There are many types of speedrunning, too, from 100% runs to those made with exploitative glitches that can skip large chunks of a game. But, like esports, they can be incredibly watchable, as the failings of a speedrun can be just as fun to watch as someone completing another.

With esports fast becoming a behemoth thanks to the many events held worldwide every year, and others like the ongoing Esports World Cup (EWC), we make the case for why speedrunning should also become as recognised as an esport.

Speedrunning is a method of completing a game in various ways that the developer didn’t intend. It’s been around in gaming for years, arguably since the debut of DOOM in 1993, when players would try to complete certain levels as fast as possible. Nowadays, several events are held where players come together to speedrun games in a marathon, or you can follow your favourite speedrunners via their channels on YouTube.

A speedrun is split into various categories, such as:

Players have also achieved speedruns in completely different ways, such as a blindfolded run of Super Mario 64. Runs like these pull viewers to watch their speedrun attempts via live streams to see if they can break the world record or complete the game using these rare and random methods. Ultimately, speedrunning is a skill that requires a lot of practice, but can be immensely watchable, whether that’s via a YouTube video or at several events held worldwide.

Summer Games Done Quick is part of Games Done Quick, a series of events founded by Mike Uyama, held since 2010, where registered players will speedrun a game in an allotted timeslot. Two main events, Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) and Summer Games Done Quick (SDGQ), are held in January and July, respectively.

Money is also raised for certain charities throughout these events, with the most being $3,442,033 at AGDQ in 2022. On the Games Done Quick site, you can keep track of the schedule at SGDQ, the latest event, which is running between July 3 and 10 this year. Games are speedrun in various ways, such as relay races, glitch runs, or even when a machine plays a game with pinpoint accuracy, exploiting glitches that no human can achieve.

Speedrunning shares many traits with esports. Both have events which feature prolific players that viewers tune in for, both host games that are always a big draw, and there’s usually a monetary goal that’s a running thread at various events. If you watch the latest videos from this year’s Summer Games Done Quick event, you can see full crowds in most of these speedruns, watching the speedrun to see if a new world record is possible.

But there’s still an art to speedrunning, which makes it fun, alluring, and immensely watchable. Beckski93, a speedrunner who has attended several Games Done Quick events, has completed speedruns for games like Tomb Raider I: Remastered and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in the past. When the question was posed to her about whether speedrunning could be an esport, she was receptive to the idea. “For me personally, I enjoy speedrunning on a more casual basis since speedrunning competitively can be incredibly time-consuming, and without decent incentive, it’s difficult to justify the time sink,” Beckski93 explains. 

Esports was in a similar place for years, before sponsorships and developers discovered that several opportunities could benefit everyone. Beckski93 currently holds the world record for a glitched completion run of Tomb Raider I: Remastered on PC, and believes legitimacy could bring benefits to everyone. “Potentially. Competitive speedrunning has helped a lot of twitch streamers grow their channels, and if it were better publicised/treated as an esport, it could certainly help on a larger scale,” Beckski93 continues. “Speedrunning has always been quite niche (though events like GDQ have definitely helped it grow in popularity over the years) and is largely community-led, so it would be interesting to see that expanded to a wider audience where the skills of top speedrunners can be recognised by more people outside the speedrunning community.”

There is huge potential for speedrunning to be as huge as esports, with similar attributes such as leaderboards, leagues, and live rankings that could give even more excitement to speedrunning events. However, there may need to be more awareness and sponsorships by big brands before we see it on the same level.

Despite esports getting a 20-year head start with its early beginnings in the 1970s, it’s time for speedrunning to have a similar standing. Watching events like Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) showcases how much passion and potential there is for the category to ascend to a bigger stage. Watching players achieve records like 230 hours in games like Gran Turismo 4, as well as three minutes and 40 seconds for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, can be very fun and shows the dedication required.

Sponsorships and celebrity endorsements are admittedly what helped esports grow in the last two decades, but it was also the community that helped spur the industry to raise awareness of how fun it can be to watch gamers compete against one another. The same can be done for speedrunning, but it depends on whether similar factors are also recognised.