Speedrun

A book/series about a world in which large realistic computer games are used to replace school.

All young people are required to go to the Speedrun institution and there play dangerous and heavy (virtual reality?) games all the time. Their scores in those determine their skills and where they end up, and a unique prize or reward awaits those who score the very best.

The book is divided into levels (a kind of flat simple puzzles).

You get an image at the beginning.
Toward the end you must have found faster ways to complete that same level.
Hence the name “Speedrun” –> all children must become faster and faster at a specific task and only the best of the best are then selected.

The students are at a school / institute where these kinds of things are used to test you.

Loose Ideas

IDEA: The whole idea is that people are testing for creativity. The levels themselves an AI can easily play. But those tricks to be faster? The computer does not find those yet.

IDEA: There is a famous, select group (such as “Fastest Way Only”) with the world records and the very fastest

IDEA: A robot companion, or an AI, that someone talks with?

Chapters in which someone talks with an AI. (Or the AI with itself? That is the twist?) => speech bubbles with ominous questions and answers. (Like the interludes of the book “Scythe”.)
The “AI Backdoor”. The training data of the AI is simply taken from the internet. So if you have many webpages full of targeted disinformation online and get it into the data, a sort of cheat code automatically arises. Nobody else knows about it. But you know that, if you ask a certain word, the AI completely flips out
Every device/person has such an “input” that locks him or her exactly in place? That works exactly with someone’s hormones/brains/memories in such a way that someone literally goes crazy and gets stuck, and cannot do anything about it?

IDEA: Someone who uses cheats / hacks

Somewhere at some point the code of a level has suddenly changed?
Most useful cheat is of course to slow the game down, or make your tokens worth more.

IDEA: A patch at an unbelievably shitty moment

IDEA: Waiting until an update is completed

IDEA: Make it especially very attractive for children / young people. Make sure it is immediately clear that it appeals, that it is about games and is a game, etcetera.

IDEA: People can train / follow classes for different classes / experience points. So if you are very slow, you might be “Speed Blue”, while if you are very fast, you get “Speed Red”. Like a kind of upgrades or “black belt” system of judo.

IDEA: People must complete the level with certain challenges. Without checkpoints, max 5 jumps, visit each place only once, etc.

IDEA: Someone who cooperates on the code. Who can then change things, might be blackmailed.

IDEA: “No mom, I cannot pause the game. It is online!”

IDEA: A bug that causes you to glitch through the floor, or suddenly get more points, or do a level in reverse.

IDEA: Also incorporate something like Lootboxes, Battle Passes, etcetera? But not too much upfront or obvious, more subtly show the consequences. (Also this might perhaps work better in another story in which we really sit inside a game. Here it is still mainly the school and the puzzles around it.)

Opening scenes

OPENING SENTENCE: It was a special day when school stopped existing. Normally I only hear such news an eternity later. With my thick headphones on and shouting at my screen I do not even hear my mother when she is almost sitting next to me on the chair. But this news came in on all channels, screaming and cheering. Well yes, of course children do not really get freedom. The adults would be crazy! No, school changed into another mandatory institution.

First chapter: school closes, shady figures come by, main character recruited for School of Speedrunning & Gamification

Our main character does not want to. But they are so desperate that they still take her along or trick her into it.
She is known under some username that totally does not fit her appearance, or is just funny. She has set a few records on games, that is why they want her.

Second chapter: the challenge. That level 1, which at first seems impossible.

Third chapter: main character realizes the bug in the code and solves it.

Fourth chapter: inside the school, explanation and everything begins.

Questions

Biggest question: how does the Speedrun system work?

Find a good explanation for how people fuse with computers.

Do you get armor around you? A bracelet? Something with which you pay those tokens and execute your actions? Do you do those actions by thinking them or simply doing them immediately?

What is the point of such challenges if you get the code, or have an advantage if you simply are faster or stronger? How do you prevent people from exchanging information?

Sort of idea: they are mainly looking for people who can think up creative solutions to problems. Because their amazing AI cannot find anything against big problems such as overpopulation or climate change … or “rogue AIs”.

Question: one main character. What is their goal from chapter 1? The mystery is nice (school ends, new school, etcetera), but there is no clear threat or urgency.

Question: how does the programming language work? Devise simple and clear syntax for all parts. (And a level / storyline in which you would learn this and in which it becomes important.)

Sources

Better/alternative titles:

School of Speedrun and Gamification
Subtitles: “The Black Sniper”, “The Invisible Sniper”, “The Bugjump”

A book/series about a world in which **large realistic computer games are used to replace school**. All young people are required to go to the Speedrun institution and there play dangerous and heavy (virtual reality?) games all the time. Their scores in those determine their skills and where they end up, and a unique prize or reward awaits those who score the very best. The book is divided into **levels** (a kind of flat simple puzzles). * You get an image at the beginning. * Toward the end you must have found *faster* ways to complete that same level. * Hence the name "Speedrun" --> all children must become faster and faster at a specific task and only the best of the best are then selected. The students are at a school / institute where these kinds of things are used to *test* you. ## Loose Ideas **IDEA:** The whole idea is that people are testing for *creativity*. The levels themselves an AI can easily play. But those tricks to be faster? The computer does not find those yet. **IDEA:** There is a famous, select group (such as "Fastest Way Only") with the world records and the very fastest **IDEA:** A robot companion, or an AI, that someone talks with? * Chapters in which someone talks with an AI. (Or the AI with itself? That is the twist?) => speech bubbles with ominous questions and answers. (Like the interludes of the book "Scythe".) * The "AI Backdoor". The training data of the AI is simply taken from the internet. So if you have *many webpages* full of *targeted disinformation* online and get it into the data, a sort of cheat code automatically arises. Nobody else knows about it. But you know that, if you ask a certain word, the AI completely flips out * Every device/person has such an "input" that locks him or her exactly in place? That works exactly with someone's hormones/brains/memories in such a way that someone literally goes crazy and gets stuck, and cannot do anything about it? **IDEA:** Someone who uses cheats / hacks * Somewhere at some point the *code* of a level has suddenly changed? * Most useful cheat is of course to slow the game down, or make your tokens worth more. **IDEA:** A patch at an unbelievably shitty moment **IDEA:** Waiting until an update is completed **IDEA:** Make it especially very attractive for children / young people. Make sure it is immediately clear that it appeals, that it is about games and *is* a game, etcetera. **IDEA:** People can train / follow classes for different *classes / experience points.* So if you are very slow, you might be "Speed Blue", while if you are very fast, you get "Speed Red". Like a kind of upgrades or "black belt" system of judo. **IDEA**: People must complete the level with certain challenges. Without checkpoints, max 5 jumps, visit each place only once, etc. **IDEA:** Someone who cooperates on the code. Who can then change things, might be blackmailed. **IDEA:** "No mom, I cannot pause the game. It is online!" **IDEA:** A *bug* that causes you to glitch through the floor, or suddenly get more points, or do a level in reverse. **IDEA:** Also incorporate something like Lootboxes, Battle Passes, etcetera? But not too much upfront or obvious, more subtly show the consequences. (Also this might perhaps work better in *another* story in which we really sit *inside* a game. Here it is still mainly the school and the puzzles around it.) ## Opening scenes **OPENING SENTENCE:** _It was a special day when school stopped existing. Normally I only hear such news an eternity later. With my thick headphones on and shouting at my screen I do not even hear my mother when she is almost sitting next to me on the chair. But this news came in on all channels, screaming and cheering. Well yes, of course children do not really get freedom. The adults would be crazy! No, school changed into another mandatory institution._ First chapter: school closes, shady figures come by, main character recruited for *School of Speedrunning & Gamification* * Our main character *does not want to*. But they are so desperate that they still take her along or trick her into it. * She is known under some username that totally does not fit her appearance, or is just funny. She has set a few records on games, that is why they want her. Second chapter: the challenge. That level 1, which at first seems impossible. Third chapter: main character realizes the bug in the code and solves it. Fourth chapter: inside the school, explanation and everything begins. ## Questions **Biggest question: how does the Speedrun system work?** Find a good explanation for how people *fuse* with computers. Do you get armor around you? A bracelet? Something with which you pay those *tokens* and execute your actions? Do you do those actions by *thinking* them or simply *doing them immediately*? What is the point of such challenges if you get the code, or have an advantage if you simply are *faster* or *stronger*? How do you prevent people from exchanging information? **Sort of idea:** they are mainly looking for people who can think up creative solutions to problems. Because their amazing AI cannot find anything against big problems such as overpopulation or climate change ... or "rogue AIs". **Question:** one main character. What is their goal from chapter 1? The *mystery* is nice (school ends, new school, etcetera), but there is no clear *threat* or *urgency*. **Question:** how does the programming language work? Devise simple and clear syntax for all parts. (And a level / storyline in which you would learn this and in which it becomes important.) ## Sources - <https://cpnb.nl/nieuws/unieke-stap-in-offensief-tegen-ontlezing-brengt-literatuur-en-gaming-opnieuw-samen/> - <https://kidlit.com/high-school-hierarchy-ya-fiction/> **Better/alternative titles:** * School of Speedrun and Gamification * Subtitles: "The Black Sniper", "The Invisible Sniper", "The Bugjump"