Hi everyone! I am in a college class about modern-day folk culture. We were tasked with writing a paper on a modern group of people in a community with similar interests, and naturally I came here! Speedrunning has such a friendly, competitive and sharing community, I was wondering if you could answer one or two of these questions for the paper I'm writing?

How did you get started here? What/who lured you in? What's the most important thing in speedrunning? Whats the ultimate goal? Do you play or just watch? Why do you like it so much? How has speedrunning and/or this community impacted your life?

Any and all answers are valid and appreciated! Thanks!