Examining Why Speedrunning is Fun with Running with Speed: The Fastest Gamers on Earth

This documentary chronicles the surprisingly rich and complex history of the fastest video game players in the world. It’s aptly named Running with Speed.

Running with Speed Documentary PosterToday, Wild Arrow Media, in conjunction with Good Deed Entertainment, officially released the feature documentary film Running with Speed: The Fastest Gamers on Earth, chronicling the surprisingly rich and complex history of the fastest video game players in the world (known as speedrunners) and the unprecedented millions these unsung heroes have raised for charity over the past decade. The film is available on major VOD platforms including Apple TV, iTunes, Amazon, Google, YouTube Movies, Vudu, and Microsoft.

From January 6 through 15, in conjunction with and in support of this year’s Games Done Quick, a portion of the proceeds from each download of Running with Speed will be donated to the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

“Speedrunning is as popular as it has ever been and runners continue to push boundaries — like beating Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, while blindfolded! A big part of the thrill for fans is witnessing speedrunners execute high level strategies in real-time, as they whittle world record times down to the millisecond,” said director Patrick Lope. “With the onset of streaming platforms like Twitch, select runners are finding ways to make a living from their persistent endeavors. It’s both uncanny and remarkable.”

Continue reading “Examining Why Speedrunning is Fun with Running with Speed: The Fastest Gamers on Earth”

Having New Comic Book Release Day Woes? Fret not, True Believers!

Home Page - Back the ComebackAfter more than a month of no new books of sequential art to admire, some geeks are most likely truly suffering from cabin fever. Diamond Comic Distributors and Alliance Game Distributors have officially restarted distribution and many comic book and game stores are starting to reopen safely, following a pause and temporary closure of many retailers amid stay-at-home orders across many  countries.

With new comics and games starting to ship to eager stores and fans, consumers can look forward to games from WizKids, Renegade Studios, Wizards of the Coast, and others as well as new stories from Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment, Marvel and DC Comics, among others in the coming weeks.

While this Back the Comeback campaign is very specific to operations in the United States, we shouldn’t stop there. In Canada, the UK, Australia and other points in between, the operations here also need fandom’s help.

Continue reading “Having New Comic Book Release Day Woes? Fret not, True Believers!”

Fireman Sam Original Artwork Fetches £152 at Charity Auction

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

FiremanSamNewAn original drawing of Fireman Sam signed and donated by Rob Lee, co-creator of the series has been auctioned off for charity fetching £152 ($284 CAD, $214 USD). Fireman Sam debuted on BBC One in 1987. The characters and storyline were created by Lee based on the idea from two ex-firemen from Kent, Dave Gingell and David Jones. The show was about a Fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and the townspeople who lived in a fictional Welsh town called Pontypandy. Fireman Sam was originally stop-motion animated and lasted for five series. A computer animated version continued Sam’s adventures in 2003. Today Fireman Sam has been sold to television stations in over 40 countries and has been published in book form.

Continue reading “Fireman Sam Original Artwork Fetches £152 at Charity Auction”

Gamers against Cancer is Racing Now till the 10th!

Awesome Games Done Quick is a yearly showcase event that began in 2010 and it takes place early January (taking place now till the 10th in 2016) to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Games Done Quick LogoAwesome Games Done Quick is a yearly showcase event that began in 2010 and it takes place early January (taking place now till the 10th in 2016) to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Its sister event, Summer Games Done Quick, takes place in July and supports Doctors without Borders. Anyone can apply, and there are even prize draws and bonuses that viewers can affect simply by donating. The best and amusing gamers are chosen from the community in the months leading up to each event.

These week-long marathons have gamers play in speedruns. This approach spotlights the player (known as a speedrunner) using almost every method at their disposal to complete games as quickly as possible. Everything like abusing game-breaking bugs, practicing tricks that have as little as a sixtieth of a second window to perform, and using technical knowledge of how the games are programmed are exploited.

Approximately 2.8 million dollars was raised in both of these events in 2015. The gamers who gather at these events show off a level of skill in video games that the average player can only gawk at.

Continue reading “Gamers against Cancer is Racing Now till the 10th!”

%d