Speedrun Science: A Long Guide to Short Playthroughs

by Eric Koziel

Learn about the history and philosophy behind the speedrunning hobby and community—and how to start planning runs yourself—with this book by computer engineer and obscure-game speedrunner Eric "Omnigamer" Koziel.

Speedrun Science examines the motivations and principles of speedrunning, explores how it evolved over the past several decades, and presents an entire guide for running a game from scratch. Each section is supported with quotes from significant runners and gaming personalities, in-game examples, expansive technical sidebars, and wonderful illustrations from the very talented Kari Fry! Whether you're completely new to speedrunning or are a seasoned veteran, Speedrun Science will help you better appreciate and grow into this fascinating activity!

Genres: Nonfiction, Video Games

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2019

Reviews

[Yilin Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, picked it up only because I was interested in the history of speedrun, but in the end I learned more then that. I was initially surprised how much attention is given to strategies to actually get started on performing a speedrun. But even though I'm not interested in doing one myself, I learned quite some interesting methods developers use in reducing game sizes, etc. Overrall very fun read.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very broad in its scope, which is both a blessing and a curse. The downside is that it's hard to imagine anyone for whom every section is interesting and relevant. People who need the basic beginner-level information are probably not going to get much out of some of the more advanced material, and vice versa. I can certainly say that at my personal level of knowledge and expertise, there were sections that felt trivial but other sections that went into more details than I feel will ever be relevant to me.

The flip side of this, though, is that with this broad scope, there is probably going to be some material of interest to pretty much anyone who has any sort of interest in speedrunning (which is, presumably, anyone who chooses to read this book). I'd feel pretty confident saying that anyone with an interest will get at least something out of this book, some new bit of knowledge or different perspective.

[Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

vsetko co chcete vediet o speedrunningu hier v jednej knizke, zamerane skor na starsie a 2d hry, ale concepty a principy sa daju aplikovat na vsetky hry. technicke, psychologicke aj procesne rady ako zacat ale aj vylepsit svoj speedrunning hier najdete tu

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to both the history, definition, and methods of speedrunning, with a wide array in topics without losing all depth

[Finn]

i was so excited to read more of this and then? i misplaced the book while moving? well i'm sure it's somewhere... guess i'll just have to wait to read more lol