Hey guys, as an outsider here I feel it's important to preface this post by clarifying a few things about myself. First of all, I respect the speedrunning community. I appreciate the skill and knowledge involved in speedrunning, and the passion and dedication it takes to become good at it. I enjoy viewing runs of games I like during the occasional marathon, so I suppose I might rightly be described as a casual viewer of speedruns. My lifelong interest in gaming in general, however, is far from casual. I consider myself a gaming enthusiast, and while I personally never got into real-time speedruns I did spend a couple of years TASing on a regular basis.

That said, what brings me here today is this: during the recent GDQ event, as per usual many runners talked about the differences between speedruns and so-called 'casual' playthroughs; I thought about it, and it seems to me this tendency you guys have of labeling everything that isn't speedrunning as 'casual' is like a bad habit; for it is an incomplete descriptor of other types of play, that both presumes and implies a false dichotomy, and whose actual definition is in questionable alignment with the ambiguous meaning speedrunners seem to assign it; therefore it is an inappropriate term and so it deserves to be replaced by a better one, of which there are plenty, unless there is some good reason not to do so, which I can't imagine that there is.

Now I know some of you are probably thinking, "So what? Who cares what word we use?" Well, you guys should. Especially during marathons like GDQ when there are a hundred thousand people watching, your collective choice of words reflects something of the attitude of your community, and affects the public image of your hobby - negatively, in this instance, in my opinion. So without further ado, I respectfully, humbly and sincerely present for your consideration what I believe to be a pretty sound argument against the presently prevailing use of the word 'casual' among speedrunners.

There are lots of different ways to play video games. Just playing normally, or 'casually' as you guys would say, is one way; speedrunning is another, but it is not the only other. For example, I can play a game normally, enthusiastically - as opposed to casually - by doing things like completionist or minimalist runs. Alternatively, maybe I have in mind a specific class-build I wish to pursue that entails acquiring key pieces of gear and efficiently allocating stat points. Or maybe I simply want to become very good at playing the game normally, just for kicks - maybe my only aim is to master one or more particular aspects of it, such as the combat or physics mechanics.

Like speedruns, all of the above scenarios demand an above-average level of interest in the game. They all require extracurricular knowledge which is often only obtainable by going out of the way to research it in-depth on the internet. They all enable those who do this to experience first-hand the nonessential, esoteric parts of the game that would be lost on a casual-normal playthrough. They are all specialized kinds of playthroughs - enthusiast runs, let's say - methods of playing and enjoying games on a sub-surface level, just like speedrunning. And so, in an abstract sense, I see no fundamental difference between any of them - including speedrunning.

Yet for some reason speedrunners like to separate their preferred playthrough from all others - distinguishing themselves from their own peers, their own enthusiasm from that of their fellow enthusiasts. When you categorically refer to not-speedrunning as 'playing casually', you inadvertently reveal that about yourselves; you effectively deny the validity of other specializations, along with the existence of other specialist players, by simultaneously failing to recognize and attempting to consolidate everything that isn't what you like doing, and by extension everyone who doesn't like doing what you do, into a single group.

Moreover, you erroneously use the word 'casual' when what you really mean to say is 'normal', 'standard', or 'traditional'. Of course it's possible to do things casually, in general, but casualness is fundamentally a state of mind; it's more an attitude than an action. It manifests as an approach to doing something, a manner in which some activity is performed, characterized by a level of enthusiasm that is unremarkable and not outstanding.

Considering the huge amounts of time and repetition it takes to get good at speedrunning a particular game - and given that the speedrunner's excitement diminishes over time as everything becomes more and more routine, except during WR- or PB-pace runs, which are uncommon - the odds are that, most of the time, most speedrunners play from a relatively casual mindset themselves. It is possible to speedrun casually. And yet, that's not an indication that there is or isn't anything intrinsically 'casual' about speedrunning as a hobby, or about the act itself of practicing it.

So 'casualness' is neither separate from, nor part of, either speedrunning or not-speedrunning; in principle, it is equally irrelevant to both. Defining any style of play as 'casual' is flawed in the first place since the title isn't based on any central characteristic of the activity but merely a potential condition of it, with no intrinsic relation to it. In a way, that's a bit like calling non-professional athletes 'angry athletes', because that emotion theoretically can affect people - and the manner in which they approach playing sports - who are athletic but don't make millions of dollars off of their athleticism.

Speaking of the word 'professional': if you guys think of not-speedrunning as 'casual', doesn't that mean you must think of speedrunning as 'professional'? Because I can see how someone might think speedrunners think that about themselves, and I'm not sure if you guys do think that or not but I hope you don't. Although it may be true that some of the world's top-tier speedrunners of various games just so happen to be able to make decent money, they are the exception to the rule. In the same way that not-speedrunning is not necessarily casual (and speedrunning is not necessarily not-casual), there is nothing inherently professional about speedrunning.

And I know 'casual' isn't technically the opposite of 'professional', 'amateur' is. But 'casual' is pretty close, especially since some gamers use it as slang. When used in that context, its meaning is virtually synonymous with 'amateur'. I don't know if you guys know this - though I do know you don't mean it like this - but in certain circles, gamers have been known to use 'casual' in a pejorative sense. Calling someone a casual, or an amateur, is an insult. Or at least it can be, depending. So, your use of the term carries with it the risk that someone out there could misinterpret it as such, which would make it seem to them like the speedrunning community is full of condescending, elitist jerks, when it's not.

TL;DR: I would really prefer if you would stop saying everything other than your preferred enthusiast playthrough is 'casual'. Please consider using the words 'normal', 'standard', or 'traditional' instead. This is important because it's for the best interest of your own community's public image. There is no reason not to do this, and there are several good reasons why you should.

And for the record, I understand the use (or not) of a single word is ultimately not that big of a deal. So if you just don't care, you are of course welcome to ignore me and carry on as usual. I really don't care what happens in the end, because it is your guys' community, not mine - I'm just an outsider looking in, sharing my perspective as such.

And while I do believe I raise some good points, I absolutely do not mean to suggest that I definitely am right about this overall; I realize there may be something I'm missing that I just can't see. So if you disagree, please feel free to use this thread to open up a conversation, and maybe together we can work out what the truth really is.

If, however, you find yourself in agreement with me or anything I had to say, I would encourage you to take that to heart and (as corny as it sounds) be the change you want to see in the world of speedrunning. I know there's no 'International Bureau of Speedrunning' that mandates what vocabulary terms runners must use - and there doesn't need to be - but if each individual who reads this and finds my arguments persuasive starts saying 'normal' or whatever else instead of 'casual', that will be more than good enough.

Again, I may be right, I may be wrong, I don't know. I am posting this here with respect, in good faith, and out of compassion. And I'm only doing so for your kind consideration, if you please. I hope some of you have found this helpful. Thank you all.