Minecraft Speedrunners

Classic summer activities often involve long-distance camping trips, fireworks displays, and campfires in designated areas, swimming in lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water, and of course, the most anticipated event for every student—summer vacation! However, if you find yourself spending a lot of time playing various computer games, including Minecraft, like I do (let’s be honest, if you’re reading this article, you probably enjoy gaming, and that’s perfectly fine), then your list of summer fun gets an exciting addition known as Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ)—a week-long marathon featuring the best speedrunners on the planet.

Summer Games Done Quick is an annual speedrunning marathon where gamers aim to complete their favorite games as quickly as possible, competing against one another (participants are referred to as “speedrunners”). Throughout the event, they raise funds that are donated to charity. The total amount usually exceeds one million dollars, and this year, SGDQ set new records by raising 3 million dollars, which was sent to the organization “Doctors Without Borders.” Yes, you read that right; gamers compete and annually gather millions of dollars while racing through their beloved games. It’s a fantastic opportunity to provide financial assistance to those in need and spend time with like-minded individuals who share a passion for video games. Plus, the next time someone tells you that you spend too much time on your computer, you can point to these players and explain that gamers are far from being people who simply sit at their computers without contributing to society.

This year at SGDQ, Minecraft took the spotlight thanks to a participant known as Illumina1337. He completed the “Any%” category, where the main objective is to finish the game and map as quickly as possible without focusing on completing additional tasks or collecting extra items. We had the opportunity to chat with Illumina and learn more about Minecraft Bedrock as one of the featured games in the event. Additionally, we were curious about Illumina’s impressions of such a large-scale occasion. In the video below, Illumina showcases his run in Minecraft (the video is in English):

In the “any%” category, participants aim to complete the game as quickly as possible, striving to outpace their competitors by utilizing any available tools. While this is certainly exciting, often the use of additional commands can lead to the game lagging or even freezing. As a result, players may waste valuable time. The commands used are referred to as “glitches,” which are unintended features created by the developers.

In the “any% glitchless” category, all the same rules apply as in the previous one, with one exception: players are prohibited from using glitches.

Additionally, there are seeds. Seeds are special codes that you can enter into Minecraft to generate a specific world layout. The concept of seeds can be likened to a map that contains chests filled with all necessary materials, where these chests are marked with large red crosses on the map. To achieve random regeneration of the seed, you need to close this map. After doing so, you will spawn in a randomly generated world (just like when you start a new world). And thus, we conclude our brief course on speedrunning. You can now consider yourself a professional speedrunner; just a practical session remains, and you’re all set!

I: Illumina, how did you become a speedrunner for Minecraft Bedrock?

Illumina: It all started with YouTube. I watched players completing games at high speeds on the platform, and it piqued my interest; I thought it was incredibly engaging. After watching several videos, I decided to give it a shot myself. I enjoyed it so much that I kept playing.

When I first got into speedrunning, it wasn’t very popular; the format was just beginning to take off. It felt like the Wild West back then. Previously, I had been playing PvP (player versus player) games, so I tried to apply the speed techniques I learned from those experiences, which really helped me out. I believe one of the biggest misconceptions about speedrunning is that it’s extremely difficult and not everyone can get into it. However, that’s not true—it’s not only fun but also more accessible than people think. Anyone can become a speedrunner, regardless of their skill level. I particularly enjoyed witnessing the growth of the community.Wow, that was Mr. Skeleton Archer! Did he really think he could stop a speedrun? That was an unforgivable mistake that cost him his life. Well, enjoy your defeat, poor archer!

I: How did you gain your experience? Did the performances of other participants in speedrun tournaments assist you?

Illumina: Initially, I benefited from a set of seeds for Vismuth provided by AGDQ (Awesome Games Done Quick). At first, there were only a few of us, just a handful of individuals, but then speedrunning gained traction and a vast community emerged. Gradually, it expanded globally alongside other runners competing in various games for fast completion. A player known as BastiGHG offered the German community a collection of glitchless seeds (Set Seed Glitchless), while another player named tarokitchen introduced random seeds with glitches to the Japanese community (Random Seed Glitchless). This way, we transitioned from a small group of participants to a worldwide community.I: During your run, you experienced some incredible luck. How did that happen?

Illumina: Yes! It was a rollercoaster of fortune. At the start of my journey, I discovered 10 obsidians in a chest, which proved to be incredibly useful as they were enough to craft a Void portal. However, that wasn’t all the chest had to offer. I also came across an iron pickaxe and an iron sword, which appeared just when I needed them most.

Typically, I construct the Void portal using lava and a bucket, which takes a bit more time. At that moment, my priority was not so much about time as it was about survival. However, there was definitely an element of the Void present. When I entered the Void, the flames that appeared were very close to the Void portal. In fact, I can’t even recall the last time I built such an impressive portal during my runs. I was incredibly fortunate that it manifested in this particular run. It’s hard to quantify how slim the chances were of creating such a perfect portal. One commenter suggested it was 1 in 500, but I believe it’s impossible to pin down an exact number. Perhaps they were right.

I: I’m far from being a math expert, but that figure sounds quite convincing to me. During your run, you should also showcase some loot from Minecraft. Could you please elaborate on that aspect?

Illumina: Ah, right. In general, you can customize your in-game avatar to wear the Minecon 2015 cape that I received when I was invited to participate in the speedrun for Diversity 2 and in Set Seed Glitchless.[My favorite speedrun by Illumina at the current Games Done Quick. The world of Minecraft is filled with horrors and random generation that can ruin a run, but he does such an amazing job!]

Even Per Landin, the content creator for the official community, was cheering on Illumina during the stream. This is quite shocking since he was supposed to be working at that time.

Me: Do you have a favorite speedrun category?

Illumina: I enjoy running the Diversity 2 mod, and overall, I love unconventional maps. It’s likely because it offers a refreshing change from the generated categories of Minecraft Bedrock, where mods aren’t utilized. However, unmodified categories hold their own unique charm. My absolute favorite among them is a random seed without glitches. It’s really exciting to come up with routes “on the fly,” even if luck can sometimes be quite harsh.

Illumina: Yes, since then we’ve become true friends.

Illumina: Everyone in the speedrunning community shares close and warm relationships with one another. Even though we are all competitors, ultimately, the only thing we compete over during runs is the time!