Changes

A '''World Record''', often abbreviated to '''WR''', is the fastest known [[speed run]] or the best known [[high score]] for a category or level.

A '''World Record''', often abbreviated to '''WR''', is the fastest known [[speedrun]] or the best known [[high score]] for a category or level.

There is always an outside possibility that there are people in the world with better records than the video gaming community at large knows about. However, in general this possibility is ignored, for good reasons:

There is always an outside possibility that there are people in the world with better records than the video gaming community at large knows about. However, in general this possibility is ignored, for good reasons:

# By definition, ANY world record is the "best known" world record, and all world records were "unknown" before they were reported. This applies to every record in the Guinness Book Of Records as much as it does to the videogaming community.

# By definition, ANY world record is the "best known" world record, and all world records were "unknown" before they were reported. This applies to every record in the Guinness Book Of Records as much as it does to the gaming community.

# In the case of popular or long-fought-for records, it becomes exceedingly unlikely that anybody could have independently discovered the necessary strategies and beaten the known WR without having any contact with the videogaming community.

# In the case of popular or long-fought-for records, it becomes exceedingly unlikely that anybody could have independently discovered the necessary strategies and beaten the known WR without having any contact with the gaming community.

# Speculation is pointless, especially in an arena where proof is so critical.

# Speculation is pointless, especially in an arena where proof is so critical.

The Proceedings of the 13th International Harvest And Verification of WRs Symposium (IHAVWRS) identified six categories of records:

The Proceedings of the 13th International Harvest And Verification of WRs Symposium (IHAVWRS) identified six categories of records:

* '''Stupid WR''' (''Type 3'') - 'records' for lame and stupid challenges that are lame and stupid, and lame. Examples include 'biggest fish caught in LoZ:TP', 'most worms held in mouth for one minute', 'longest freefall skydive while playing a DS by a three-headed midget', or other things you'd see on Guiness TV.

* '''Stupid WR''' (''Type 3'') - 'records' for lame and stupid challenges that are lame and stupid, and lame. Examples include 'biggest fish caught in LoZ:TP', 'most worms held in mouth for one minute', 'longest freefall skydive while playing a DS by a three-headed midget', or other things you'd see on Guiness TV.

* '''Cheated WR''' (''Type 4'') - records made with cheating. Cheating involves either lying directly about one's score, or using any banned or otherwise unfair tactic or substance to achieve it. People will still call such records 'records' because they don't know any better, but such records are not really records. Eventually they're found out, and the cheater is hung, drawn, quartered and sold for slavery. In countries where this is (unfortunately) illegal, they are simply banned and forced to suffer public humiliation and ridicule for the rest of their life.

* '''Cheated WR''' (''Type 4'') - records made with cheating. Cheating involves either lying directly about one's score, or using any banned or otherwise unfair tactic or substance to achieve it. People will still call such records 'records' because they don't know any better, but such records are not really records. Eventually they're found out, and the cheater is hung, drawn, quartered and sold for slavery. In countries where this is (unfortunately) illegal, they are simply banned and forced to suffer public humiliation and ridicule for the rest of their life.

[[Category:Terminology]]

[[Category:Terminology]]

[[Category:Types of Records]]

[[Category:Types of Records]]