Tool-assisted speedrunning is a type of speedrunning in which various computer tools are used to obtain performances which would be near-impossible for a human player, and are not held in competition with speedruns done by human players in real time, known as real-time attacks (RTA). Other speedruns exploit programming mistakes, or glitches, that a skillful player can exploit to their advantage. Speedruns follow gameplay routes that are planned out carefully and often involve disarranging the intended sequence of events or skipping entire parts of it. To achieve a high level of play, speedrunners often have to reason about the game differently from the way that ordinary players might. These recordings are used to entertain others, to verify the completion time, to certify that all rules were followed, and to spot ways to further improve the completion time. Speedrunners often record their attempts. Players speedrun mainly to challenge themselves, to entertain, to compete, and to attain mastery over a games system in a way that would not be possible in an ordinary playthrough. While all speedruns aim for quick completion, sometimes players impose additional goals or limitations, such as collecting all key items or playing blindfolded. A speedrun is a play-through of a video game or a selected part of it (such as a single level), performed to complete it as quickly as possible.

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