Glitches in the Matrix: Overcoming Deterministic Systems

Growing up I used to wonder if a perfect game of Mario or Zelda were possible; one without any deaths, completed with perfect efficiency.   It turns out I wasnt the only one, and in the past couple of decades a community has grown up around the concept, men who compete to complete video games in record times, developing new tricks and techniques to shave off seconds from their run and set a new world record.  They call it speedrunning.

I find this hobby fascinating.  Not just for the...