Hometown: New Jersey
Currently Living: USA
Primary Speedgame: Banjo-Kazooie
Q: What's the first speedrun you ever watched? What got you into speedrunning?
A: After being introduced to speedrunning back in 2012 by my friend and moderator Joo0ooo on Twitch, I checked out Siglemic’s Super Mario 64 runs. I was more than amazed by his performance in the game. It had never dawned on me how people could move so quickly in games until then. I had always been interested in the concept of speedrunning, but had no idea there was a growing community based around the concept. I decided to pursue streams on my own. Banjo-Kazooie was the choice that immediately came to mind when I was picking a game. It had always been my favorite game and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to bring new life to the gameplay.
Q: What was it like for you when you first started running?
A: When I started, there was really nobody speedrunning BK, not on SpeedRunsLive at least. So, alongside my prior knowledge and experience of the game, I learned to speedrun BK by checking out the Speed Demo Archives run for reference, which was a 2:28:51 game time by Jumpman. It took a couple months to really kick in, but my stream and Banjo-Kazooie as a speed game were slowly being recognized. More people wanted to run the game themselves and the runners and glitch hunters began trickling in. It was definitely exciting to know that growth of the game and the community around it was imminent. A few months later, I stumbled upon a Japanese BK runner named Besurei on Twitch and discovered that there was a Japanese BK community. Thinking that Jumpman’s time was the fastest archived time, I thought that I held the world record with a game time of 2:27ish, but I was surprised to find out that a runner by the name of Hambacon had a game time about 8 minutes faster than Jumpman’s time. I had no clue how that was possible, but I kept grinding. Hambacon and I were in competition for a couple months until I eventually beat his game time of 2:16:58 with a time of 2:16:56 in October 2012. This was the first time I officially held the world record in BK 100% to our community's knowledge at least.
Q: How has speedrunning changed for you now?
A: So much has changed in the last five and a half years. We started going by real time instead of game time pretty shortly after the game took off. That was the up and coming standard for many games and it just made more sense. The original Japanese runners stopped playing and we only have a few still left in the community. However, the general BK community has since grown immensely, bringing in runners, glitch hunters, and spectators from all over the world. As people have brainstormed route improvements or have found a multitude of game-breaking glitches, the game has evolved in ways we would have never thought were possible. Examples that come to mind are Furnace Fun Skip, found by Arbliterator, which allowed us to skip about half of Furnace Fun and the first set of credits, saving upwards of 8 minutes. Furnace Fun Moves, found by Linkus7, allows us to start with any moves we desire, allowing for multiple Bottles skips and faster routes. Reverse Bee Adventure, found by Cronikeys, allows for quicker item collection via backtracking as the bee. All of this plus more probably would not have happened if it weren’t for the growth of the BK community and the awesome people who run the game. It's definitely been a wild ride.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: Currently, I’m trying to bring my BK 100% time down to a 2:01. With the new route, I think it is definitely within reason. However, I am also trying to improve my skill and time in Banjo-Tooie 100%. I also have plans to learn Donkey Kong 64 101%, so I can participate in the 301%, but it could be an interesting game that will probably grow on me. I have no definite plans other than those; however I might learn Diddy Kong Racing 100%, if anything (which I’ve been saying for years).
Q: Who's another runner that doesn't run BK that you admire and why?
A: The runner that comes to mind for me is cheese05. I really admire his dedication to Super Mario 64 and his drive to meet his goals, and then improve them! I feel that we have very similar mindsets and that I can relate to him very well as a runner. I hope he continues to push SM64 and bring speedrunning to new heights!
A: The runner that comes to mind for me is cheese05. I really admire his dedication to Super Mario 64 and his drive to meet his goals, and then improve them! I feel that we have very similar mindsets and that I can relate to him very well as a runner. I hope he continues to push SM64 and bring speedrunning to new heights!
Q: How do you handle frustration and failure / bad runs?
A: I used to get a lot more upset when I lost a run as if a prized possession was ripped from me and thrown into a fire. The stress used to be pretty intense, especially because I used to reset a ton over the smallest of mistakes. Over time, I’ve realized more and more that mistakes are bound to happen and that it just isn’t realistic to expect a flawless run. Human error and bad RNG are factors that are just never going to go away. With that, I’ve gotten a lot better at deflecting frustration and not letting it get to me too much. Of course, I lose sight of this mindset on occasion, but I do my best to remember it. I know what I’m capable of and I just have to remember that if I keep trying, I will improve, and I will eventually reach my goals.
Q: What does a good run look like to you?
A: While mistakes are inevitable, a good run to me is one where the execution is more or less on point, and one that a runner feels personally satisfied with. This is obviously subjective, for everyone has different opinions and skill levels that help shape their definitions of a good run. Improvements also happen and perceptions change. No one will ever be perfect, but people will most likely improve and expect more out of themselves if they keep playing. Therefore, it’s hard for many to ever be fully satisfied and think their run is good, which is why speedrunning seems to be a never ending journey.
A: I used to get a lot more upset when I lost a run as if a prized possession was ripped from me and thrown into a fire. The stress used to be pretty intense, especially because I used to reset a ton over the smallest of mistakes. Over time, I’ve realized more and more that mistakes are bound to happen and that it just isn’t realistic to expect a flawless run. Human error and bad RNG are factors that are just never going to go away. With that, I’ve gotten a lot better at deflecting frustration and not letting it get to me too much. Of course, I lose sight of this mindset on occasion, but I do my best to remember it. I know what I’m capable of and I just have to remember that if I keep trying, I will improve, and I will eventually reach my goals.
Q: What does a good run look like to you?
A: While mistakes are inevitable, a good run to me is one where the execution is more or less on point, and one that a runner feels personally satisfied with. This is obviously subjective, for everyone has different opinions and skill levels that help shape their definitions of a good run. Improvements also happen and perceptions change. No one will ever be perfect, but people will most likely improve and expect more out of themselves if they keep playing. Therefore, it’s hard for many to ever be fully satisfied and think their run is good, which is why speedrunning seems to be a never ending journey.
Q: I've heard people call you God, a robot, the human TAS, and not just at BK, but with other games as well. How would you describe your own gameplay?
A: Yeah, people say those things a lot. I do believe I’m inherently skilled at playing video games and this, along with my perseverance with BK, has led me to where I am today. However, we all need to remember that there are many other skilled gamers out there and that there is no ‘chosen one’ for any game. I really would not compare myself to a robot, or my gameplay to that of a TAS. While TAS creators do frequently find ways to save frames, the performance the TAS outputs will always be the same. While BK has become second nature to me, my performance will always fluctuate. This is the difference between TAS and human play, and this is why I would not compare myself, or anyone, to a TAS.
Nevertheless, I do believe my BK gameplay is very well refined. I can consistently perform within a few minutes of my sum of best, and I know I have yet to unlock even further potential.
A: Yeah, people say those things a lot. I do believe I’m inherently skilled at playing video games and this, along with my perseverance with BK, has led me to where I am today. However, we all need to remember that there are many other skilled gamers out there and that there is no ‘chosen one’ for any game. I really would not compare myself to a robot, or my gameplay to that of a TAS. While TAS creators do frequently find ways to save frames, the performance the TAS outputs will always be the same. While BK has become second nature to me, my performance will always fluctuate. This is the difference between TAS and human play, and this is why I would not compare myself, or anyone, to a TAS.
Nevertheless, I do believe my BK gameplay is very well refined. I can consistently perform within a few minutes of my sum of best, and I know I have yet to unlock even further potential.
Q: How do you think our generation of gamers will incorporate video games (and speedrunning) into middle and old age? Where do you see speedrunning going in the future?
A: Gaming is becoming more and more normalized in society, which in my opinion is really great. It’s really starting to make a mark on the world, which can especially be seen in the growing esports industry. As video games, the internet, and broadcasting continue to evolve, more and more opportunity will be created for others. It’s to the point where gaming has become not only a hobby, but an alternative for making a living. Of course, not many can make the claim that they live off of their gaming, but I believe we’re still in the beginning stages of this becoming more common and accepted. This will happen mostly through competitive scenes, but maybe concepts like speedrunning will also find a way in somehow. Obviously not everyone is going to aspire to be a professional gamer, but regardless, I do believe our generation as well as those that follow will increasingly respect video games and their impacts throughout the years.
Q: Lastly, is there anybody who you'd like to shout out or plug their stream?
A: Not particularly. However, I will say that if you’re interested in BK or related games, I recommend checking out their speedrunning communities on Twitch and Discord. Even if you’re a viewer, it’s always fun to see new people getting involved and you’ll most likely have fun doing so. Who knows, you may even find your own inspiration to start speedrunning, which could be an exciting and rewarding experience.
Thanks, Stiv.
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