From Casual Player to Speedrunner: Transitioning to a Competitive Mindset

9 August 2025

Ever find yourself replaying your favorite game, shaving off just a few seconds here and there, and thinking, “Maybe I could actually do this competitively”? If you’ve ever gone from casually enjoying games to obsessing over every pixel, frame, and input, you’re not alone. Welcome to the fascinating world of speedrunning—a unique blend of passion, obsession, and raw gaming skill.

Making the leap from laid-back gamer to full-blown speedrunner isn't just about playing faster. It's about thinking differently, pushing yourself harder, and adopting a mindset that’s laser-focused on mastery. And yeah, it can be a wild ride.

Let’s break it all down—from the moment you get that itch to go fast, all the way to embracing a competitive mindset that might just take you to the top.

What Is Speedrunning, Really?

Speedrunning is more than just finishing a game quickly. It’s an art form, a science, and honestly, a little bit of madness. Players aim to complete a game—or specific objectives within it—as fast as humanly (or inhumanly) possible. Sometimes they follow standard methods (Any%), and other times they twist the game until it breaks, using glitches and exploits to zoom through in record time.

While it starts as fun, for many, it evolves into a challenge, a community-driven pursuit, and even a career. Think of it as the Formula 1 racing of gaming—only your steering wheel is a controller, and your race track is every level in the game.

Casual vs. Competitive: The Real Difference

So, what's the actual difference between a casual player and a competitive speedrunner?

Casual players play for fun. They explore, enjoy the story, and might dabble in side quests. They don’t worry about the time it takes—they’re in it for the ride.

Speedrunners? They’re in it for precision. Every jump, every pause, every shortcut is calculated. They aren’t just “playing” the game—they’re mastering it.

The mindset is completely different. Casual play is about experience. Competitive play is about execution.

Step 1: Fall In Love With the Game (Again)

The number one rule of speedrunning? Pick a game you love. You’ll be playing it over and over and over… and over again.

You're going to break it down piece by piece, learn its code-level behaviors, and push it to its limits. If you’re not head-over-heels for the game, it's going to get old really fast. Think of it like dating someone you don’t really like—it’s not gonna end well.

Before you dive into leaderboards and time splits, ask yourself: “Do I love this game enough to spend dozens (maybe hundreds) of hours with it?”

If the answer’s yes, you’re off to a great start.

Step 2: Start Watching the Pros

Speedrunning is a community-driven beast, and there’s a lot to learn just by watching others. Platforms like Twitch and YouTube are goldmines for gameplay, tutorials, and strategy breakdowns.

Pay attention to:

- Movement optimization
- Glitch usage
- Segment routing
- Game version preferences
- Controller configs

It’s like watching martial arts masters before stepping into the dojo. You’ll pick up stuff you never would have thought of on your own.

Bonus tip: Join Discord communities for your specific game. Most popular speedrunning games have niche communities where you can ask questions, get feedback, and grow faster.

Step 3: Learn the Basics (and Tech)

Before you start timing yourself, you need to understand the fundamentals of speedrunning:

- Categories: Does the game have an Any% run? 100%? Glitchless? Decide what suits you.
- Splits: These are the checkpoints within your run that track your progress for each segment. Tools like LiveSplit help tremendously.
- RNG (Random Number Generation): Some games involve luck. Knowing how to manipulate or deal with RNG is key.
- Frame-Perfect Inputs: These are inputs that require precise timing. You’ll practice these… a lot.

Start slow. Nail the mechanics. Then slowly add speed.

Step 4: Practice with Purpose, Not Just Repetition

Here’s the trap most new runners fall into: they keep playing the game over and over, hoping they’ll just “get better.”

But real improvement comes from targeted practice. Instead of doing full runs every time, break the game into sections and focus on mastering each individually.

For example:
- Struggling with a tricky jump? Practice it 20 times in a row.
- Can’t get a glitch right? Watch tutorials, replicate the setup, and drill until it feels natural.

It’s just like lifting weights. You don’t get stronger by lifting the whole rack—you focus on each muscle group.

Step 5: Learn to Love Failure

Speedrunning has a brutal learning curve. You will mess up. A lot. Runs will die. PBs (Personal Bests) will mock you. You’ll miss frame-perfect inputs by a pixel’s worth of timing.

But here’s the thing: every failure is feedback.

Every messed-up run teaches you something. Every botched skip sharpens your instincts. Every reset is a chance to improve. It’s a mental game as much as a physical one.

The key is to keep going. Consistency beats perfection.

Step 6: Timing Your Runs and Setting Goals

Once you’re comfortable with the route and execution, it’s time to start doing timed runs.

Start simple. Use LiveSplit to track your splits and total run time. Don’t obsess over world records just yet. Instead, focus on beating your last best time.

Set realistic goals:
- “I want to get under 1 hour.”
- “I want to land that wall glitch consistently.”
- “I want to complete a no-death run.”

Every small victory fuels motivation.

Remember: speedrunning is you vs. yourself.

Step 7: Engage with the Community

Speedrunning isn’t a solo sport. The community is a huge part of the experience, and it’s full of passionate, helpful players at all skill levels.

Share your runs on Twitch, get feedback, ask for routing help, or just vibe with others who love the same game.

Participate in races or marathons like Games Done Quick (GDQ). These events not only showcase talent but also fuel inspiration.

You’ll feel more connected, encouraged, and inspired to push further.

Step 8: Upgrade Your Tools

If you're getting serious, investing in the right gear makes a difference.

- Capture Card: Essential for console runners to stream and record footage.
- Controller: Some games benefit from specific controllers (e.g., N64 original vs. modern clone).
- Timer Tools: LiveSplit is a community standard.
- Recording Software: OBS Studio is great for streaming and archiving runs.

Don’t worry about having the perfect setup right away. Just improve bit by bit.

Step 9: Handle the Pressure

As you climb the leaderboard, pressure creeps in—especially during good runs. Your palms sweat, your heart races, and your brain screams, “Don’t mess this up!”

Here’s where that competitive mindset shines. Top runners train themselves to stay calm, focused, and in the moment.

A few tips:
- Breathe deep during long segments.
- Keep water nearby.
- Talk through your runs to stay relaxed.
- Remember: even the best make mistakes.

It's a marathon of sprints.

Step 10: Stay Humble, Stay Hungry

You might hit top 10. Maybe even number one. But the real joy of speedrunning? Always having something to chase.

There’s always new strats to try, new glitches to master, and new categories releasing. Even games from the ‘90s still see new world records after decades.

Stay curious. Stay hungry. And most importantly, have fun.

Because once you stop enjoying the process, what’s the point?

Final Thoughts

Transitioning from a casual player to a speedrunner isn’t just about going fast—it’s about transforming how you approach games. You dissect, experiment, fail, retry, and reinvent. You turn a hobby into a craft.

It’s not for everyone. But if you’re someone who thrives on challenge, precision, and relentless improvement, speedrunning might just be what you’ve been looking for.

So, what're you waiting for?

Pick your game. Set your timer. And hit START.