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Niftski

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Niftski is an American speedrunner who was the fastest person in history to ever complete Super Mario Bros. at 4 minutes and 54 seconds and 631 milliseconds. He also holds other world records for the video game and was the first person to beat it in less than 4 minutes and 55 seconds.

Background

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Niftski lives in the United States.[1]

He started gaming when he was three years old, on PC, including Flash games.[2] He started playing Super Mario Bros. around six years of age.[3]

Speedrunning

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Niftski began speedrunning in 2019.[2]

He set his first world record in the any% category for Super Mario Bros. in 2020, with a time of 4:55.430, more than a fifth of a second improvement over Kosmic, the former world record holder. He set the record during a four hour live stream.[4] Justyna Janik notes the practice and study it would take to set this record.[5]

In April 2021, Niftski reclaimed the record from fellow speedrunner Miniland.[6] This time, he brought the time under 4:55, to 4:54.948,[7] a feat that Kyle Orland of Ars Technica compared to the four-minute mile.[6] The 4:55 barrier is expected to be the last "full second" barrier for Super Mario Bros. speedrunning.[6] The community called the milestone "historic".[8] Orland writes that the video of the run is worth watching to hear Niftski's exclamations. Elizabeth Henges of Eurogamer also notes the emotion shown by Niftski upon reaching the milestone.[9]

After claiming this record, Niftski declared his goal to set world records in other categories, including minus world and blindfolded runs.[6][8]

In late 2021, Niftski reclaimed the world record, again from Miniland. He then improved upon it in August 2022, reducing the time by exactly 5 frames.[10]

In September 2023, Niftski broke his own world record in the game again, lowering the time to 4:54.631. To make this time, he had to add a technique called "Lightning 4-2" to his run, which shaved fractions of a second off that stage of the game. The technique was established by a speedrunner and TASer named HappyLee who used emulation tools (TAS). Niftski himself updated that method, and development of the method used in this run was aided by KingOfJonnyBoy.[11] This record is the first time a human has achieved the best result with respect to "frame rules", however there is still time to save in 8-4, the game's final stage.[12][13]

Orland describes Niftski's video showing a heart rate of 188 BPM, and his tearful reaction following the run, telling himself to "Get oxygen, dude".[11] Dustin Bailey of GamesRadar+ describes Niftski's reaction at the end of the run "a genuine all-timer that really helps sell the significance of the accomplishment."[13]

Niftski has also held world records in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and he also speedruns ROM hacks.[2]

Equipment and publication

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Niftski usually plays with a keyboard rather than a gamepad,[10] emulated on PC.[14]

Niftski live streams his runs on Twitch,[8] and publishes on YouTube.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Niftski - About". Speedrun.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  2. ^ a b c Bennett, Jason (May 16, 2021). "A Q&A Session with the Speedrun champ of Super Mario Bros". Twin Galaxies. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Yang, George (January 31, 2023). "Inside the Art of 'Breaking' Video Games". Rolling Stone. No. 1371. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  4. ^ Burtt, Gavin (Nov 14, 2020). "Speedrunner Niftski Sets New Super Mario Bros World Record". TheGamer. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  5. ^ Janik, Justyna (2020). "Negotiating Textures of Digital Play: Gameplay and the Production of Space". Game Studies. 20 (4). Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  6. ^ a b c d Orland, Kyle (April 9, 2021). "How a speedrunner broke Super Mario Bros.' biggest barrier". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  7. ^ Elker, Jhaan (July 13, 2021). "Speedrunning's starting line: An intro guide to gaming's seemingly intimidating subculture". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  8. ^ a b c Hernandez, Patricia (Apr 7, 2021). "'Perfect' Super Mario Bros. speedrun beat after two years". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  9. ^ Henges, Elizabeth (15 Apr 2021). "The Super Mario Bros. speedrunning community just broke the 4 minute and 55-second mark - why does that matter?". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  10. ^ a b c Notis, Ari (August 8, 2022). "Super Mario Bros. World Record Now Just A Half-Second Short Of A Perfect Run". Kotaku. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  11. ^ a b Orland, Kyle (September 8, 2023). "Record-breaking Super Mario Bros. speedrun approaches robotic perfection". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  12. ^ Phillips, Kara (September 8, 2023). "A new Super Mario Bros. speedrun record has been set". Tech Radar. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  13. ^ a b Bailey, Dustin (September 7, 2023). "There's a new Super Mario Bros speedrun world record, and it's only 22 frames away from literal perfection". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  14. ^ Jacevic, Milan (2022). A Study in Practice (PDF) (PhD.). The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
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