TikTok users and others have been “speedrunning” the Church of Scientology by dressing in costumes, rushing past members and security, and trying to penetrate restricted areas before being removed. Participants compare attempts and improve strategies, including recreating church layouts in Roblox to practice. The behavior is likened to earlier “Anonymous” actions targeting the same organization and to a reported incident involving a gunman and game designer who ran through security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. A game developer of a political history shooter says people feel like an era is ending and that urges to act quickly have always existed, with gaming providing a clearer form for them.
"TikTok teens and general gremlins have been "speedrunning" the Church of Scientology. Dressed in costumes, sometimes as Minions, they storm the doors of the church, zip past as many members and security officers just to see how deep they can penetrate the secretive chambers before being ejected."
"Just like their gaming counterparts, the runners are iterating and improving on each other's attempts. They've even recreated churches in Roblox to improve their strats."
"The trend reminded me of the nascent days of "Anonymous," the online hacker collective who initially targeted the same contentious organization. I thought of the trend again when alleged gunman and game designer Cole Tomas Allen stormed the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Grainy footage showed him bolting past a security detail in what appeared to be a Naruto run."
""I think the urge has always been there," Lawson tells me. "History is bursting with people who tried to do things as quickly as possible-because they thought it was forceful and effective, because they had big plans and a narrow window, or just because they didn't like thinking and did like doing.""
Read at Kotaku
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