Summer Games Done Quick: Four impressive speedruns on 'Tetris,' 'Mario,' and more

This year's charity event Summer Games Done Quick brought the gaming community together in the US city of St. Paul, Minneapolis for a week of fast-paced gaming to beat popular and rare titles as fast as possible, with over $1.2m raised for charity Doctors Without Borders. Here's a window into the speedrunning world with four cuts from the SGDQ 2015: "Tetris," "Super Mario 64," "I Wanna Be the Boshy," and "Ori and the Blind Forest."

"Tetris: The Grand Master 2 Plus" in 9 minutes
Who's the family champion at Tetris? Was it you, one of your parents? Perhaps your grandma was the secret obsessive.

The accessible puzzle game is so well suited to high-level play that SGDQ devoted a 2-hour chunk to "Tetris" feats of skill.

In this excerpt, Versus Mode is turned upon itself so that both progress-aiding bonuses and cruel obstacles are delivered to the same stack of puzzle pieces.

For many, a single obstacle could end it, but SQR proceeds to decimate one of the game's hardest challenges at a lighting pace.

Watch from the 1-hour, 6-minute, 20-second mark: youtu.be/p4XHa3adhVM?t=1h6m20s

"I Wanna Be the Boshy" in 38 minutes
Certain games have a reputation for toughness: "Dark Souls," "Ghosts 'n Goblins," "Battletoads," even educational staple "The Oregon Trail."

Then there's "I Wanna Be the Boshy," which takes the already ridiculous "I Wanna Be the Guy" and ramps it up to 11. Not only does it require pixel-perfect precision, split-second timing, and thorough knowledge of the game's devious traps, but there are random elements whose exact nature can't be anticipated.

One of the game's best players not only provided a running commentary of his methods, but also pledged a minimum of $30 for each death endured, of which there were a great many.

Watch from the 9-minute, 16-second point:youtu.be/SzLQX35JGKQ?t=9m16s

"Super Mario 64" in 8 minutes
Two players race to finish "Super Mario 64" by any means possible, and that means missing out on every one of the game's 120 essential, collectible stars.

Those stars are usually needed to unlock later levels, but there are some clever ways to do without.

One trick required five hours of daily practice for two weeks solid for victorious racer 360Chrism, who finished in just a shade over 8 minutes.

Watch from the 7-minute, 59-second mark:youtu.be/uVGHGxkdzdE?t=7m59s

"Ori and the Blind Forest" in 44 minutes
For a developer's perspective on the speedrunning phenomenon, in which players deliberately go against the intended flow of a game, see 2015's lush "Ori and the Blind Forest."

It's a great source of crowd laughs, with Vulajin fluffing a few important moves while taking it in his stride, and there are insider stories from Moon Studios who discuss the glitches which, though unnoticeable to most, enable speedrunners to make swift progress.

Watch from the 9-minute, 12-second mark: youtu.be/nlOEH2o7oHw?t=9m12s