The Wholesome SM64 Speed Running Scene

Speed running has become a very popular pastime on some of the biggest streaming platforms like Twitch – from those looking to hold the record for themselves to those looking to find a bit of nostalgia in seeing the older games they used to struggle with being beaten in spectacular ways – the scene has even grown so large that there are things like betting markets attached to them under esports as a list of betting sites not registered to platforms like Gamstop follows some of the bigger events in the scene. But there are some moments that standout to many of the bigger fans, as there are some extremely wholesome moments that have come in the past two years from those still competing in the Super Mario 64 community.

Fans will certainly be all too aware of Simply – his attempts last year helped introduce a much larger audience to the speed running community after an eight year long quest to get the 120 star WR finally happened and put Simply on top with a top of 1:38:28 – whilst an achievement in its own right, the clip of him beating the record gained a lot of popularity after Simply had an emotional moment on stream and his parents came in to great him after such a long attempt.

(Image from dexerto.com)

Whilst there another to capture the record since, the latest has come from popular speed runner Cheese who had held the record two years prior – with the growing interest in the SM64 speed running community however he decided to finally come back to regain his position with a time of 1:38:25 with a great reaction to the run too, whilst not as wholesome as the Simply moment it does show how passionate these guys are about doing what they do and certainly helps bring a lot of excitement to the speed running events.

Now, with so much interest, it seems the top contenders are all going back with the aim to achieve a 1:37 run – Simply will once again be streaming eight hours per day throughout March in an attempt to get the 120 record once again, alongside other popular names like Siglemic – March Mario Madness is certainly here as the competition is heating up – but the most wholesome thing about these runners, unlike other big competitions online, there’s no toxicity, no anger or upset at the others, the runners-up are happy for the others pushing the game forward, and the winners welcome the challenge to improve their own performance too. It’ll be an exciting month in the speed running community, and if you’ve ever wondered what all the hype is about there’s a great opportunity to check it out.