A very recent phenomenon in the gaming community has been players at the top level trying to beat the game as fast as possible. It has been rising in popularity since the late 2000's and started since games were around. The goal of most speed runs is to simply beat the game's main objective as fast as humanly possible and has garnered a lot of attention and support from watchers online. Speed runs aren't just restricted to beating the main objective either, there are many categories per game that can include completing all objectives or some even have dying as fast as possible. Speed running is very popular and has been revolutionary for the gaming community. A lot of people have that impression that you have to be really good to speed run, but it actually isn't that hard to do at all! The hardest part of speed running is the set-up, then after that it's just a matter of constant practicing and perfecting your run.

Supplies

Your supplies will only consist of:

A working computer (quality is dependent on which games you wish to play)
Working wi-fi connection
Programs for recording (OBS or El Gato are preferable)

Step 1: Find a Game to Speed Run

One of the easiest steps by far is finding a game that you really enjoy playing. Every game can be speed ran to some degree, it's just a matter of finding one you enjoy and picking the route that interests you the most. For the sake of providing my own experience and visuals, I will be demonstrating with the Any% NMG route for Hollow Knight. Any% is the most common category in most games as it is to simply beat the main objective of the game as fast as you possibly can and NMG stands for No Major Glitches. A lot of games use NMG as there are game breaking glitches that can make runs a lot faster, but also a lot less trivial. No game is off limits, you can find any game you absolutely enjoy, find a goal that the game provides, and strive your best to beat that goal as fast as you can!

Step 2: Learn the Route for the Category

Once you have your game and category decided, the next step is to learn the route for the game. Once you know the end goal, you need to play or watch the game to decide what the best method would be to complete the objective. Luckily, most games have very prevalent speed running communities and a lot of the time you can watch other people use a very planned and optimized route for the game and category you chose. A lot of the times, games have glitches or exploits that can be used to get through the game way faster than intended. Learning these exploits or shortcuts are key to beating the objective as fast as possible.

Step 3: Setting Up Your Recording Software

There are two main recording softwares that most speed runners stick to using. The most popular one is OBS, a really mainstream application that makes it really easy to record your screen, computer audio, and even microphone audio if you want to commentate on your recording. The other one is El Gato, which has the same capabilities but uses an external device to allow you to record not just your PC screen, but other devices as well. I suggest to stick mainly to OBS as it is completely free while El Gato requires you to purchase an external device to make it work. Simply search OBS in your browser, go to its webpage and download the application. It has a really easy set-up that just requires you to tweak some of the video and audio settings to best match your PC and game. The website also has a set-up guide and FAQ for any problems you might encounter.

Step 4: Setting Up LiveSplit

LiveSplit is the most commonly used application that allows you to time your runs and have it set up as an overlay in-game. It is highly customizable and absolutely vital for a speed run as most communities require a timer for the run to be validated. LiveSplit lets you change the way the timer looks, add a tool called a "split" which basically marks what time you made it to a certain checkpoint in your run. These are very useful as they allow you to keep track of what parts of the run you need to practice to lower your overall time. It is very easy to set-up, simply go to the website and download it. They have guides on their site that allow you to see how it works and how to set it up properly if you need guidance.

Step 5: Practice Your Run

This is easily the most vital step to any speed run. A lot of people are naturally better at playing games than others, and some people may find success in a certain route much quicker than others. None of this matters, all that matters is applying yourself to the route and mastering it. Speed running is a lot like an instrument, there is a certain way to do things and you need to learn this certain route and master it before you can move on and further develop the method you are using. A lot of speed runs still see active improvements from constant practice, learning new things about the game through playing it, discovering new glitches through testing, and so much more. Learning the route and dedicating yourself to it is the most important step, because as you develop these skills you will be able to apply them to other games and even flesh out a name for yourself in the speed running community one day. Any one can speed run, you just have to make sure you don't give up on your goal.

Step 6: Incorporate the Timer Into Your Practice

Once you've learned the route and practiced a lot of the tricks and skills that are required for the run, you can start incorporating the LiveSplit timer into your run. As mentioned previously in this guide, there are "splits" you can add into the LiveSplit timer which allow you to mark the time you got to certain checkpoints in the run. It often helps to keep track of your best split times in runs and constantly check to see what splits in the runs need to be improved and try and perfect each piece of the puzzle. Speed running is always about practicing and trying to get your run down as much as humanly possible. A lot of games have random elements that are uncontrollable in runs that can lower or raise your time. It's always best to try and disregard these extra elements if you can and just try and get all the controllable elements as mastered as you can. A lot of runs ran by top level runners who have mastered the route still don't come close to the fastest time because of random elements that affect gameplay. Try your best to work around this and as long as you keep at it, you will see lower and lower times.

Step 7: Community Outreach

It is arguable that the best part of speed runs are the communities that form around games and the planning and sharing that goes into their routes. Communities online always form for games, and the strongest always seem to be the speed runs for games as it is full of forums of people giving suggestions, tips and tricks, and theorizing new ways to further advance speed run times. Great communities are ones such as Speedrun.com and reddit speed run forums. Speed running is growing more and more and many people go and watch people who stream their attempts at a game, or interact with videos posted of runs to talk about it. The community for a game's speed run is a very crucial resource and is the place to be when you are trying to attempt a speed run. People in them often have great ideas, good ways to practice certain methods, and a lot of other resources they themselves have gathered. It is always alright to reach out for help when you need it and these communities are close-knit and constantly in the know about a game's ins and outs. Why do something alone when they are literal thousands of people only a message away?

Step 8: Never Give Up!

It has been said many times in this guide and I have it as my closing statement because its the number 1 rule for speed running. If you really want to be good at the run and want to be a part of these communities and develop an online presence, then the best advice is to just keep at it. You really don't need extraordinary skill at all, you just need to practice it and master it, like any other skill you want to develop. The best thing is that you really don't need to change too much once you've finished this guide. These steps apply to any game and once you've done them, you only need to adjust LiveSplit to fit the game that you are running. Once you get your foot in the door, it is really easy to keep at it and broaden your gameplay into more than just one game.