I think I have a great analogy for this, and it's something with which most of us are familiar in some way: SCHOOL.
In my college experience, when a teacher assigns homework, we, the students, are required to complete the homework and submit completed work, meaning sheets of paper containing problem numbers, often the problem statement, followed by the complete solution which may include multiple answers. Sounds good. Interestingly, some students sit down with nothing but their textbook, pencil and paper and tackle the work head on. This is the picture of a traditional student is it not? How wonderfully diligent of them!
Others however tend to congregate. Why? Free pizza? Enjoyable company? Maybe, but the point is they collaborate on the homework. When the book does not present a way forward, they consult amongst each other to more quickly complete the assignment with their combined resources.
Still another sits down at his computer, pulling up the internet, a .pdf copy of the solutions manual, scans of homework from a previous semester, and some computation software (Excel, Matlab, whatever...) in addition to his or her trusty TI-89 calculator. This student works the problem with mostly the paper and hand calculator - careful to show all work regardless - but has much less of a burden thanks to the fleet of resources made available on the computer.
Next Class - assignments are turned in. Let's suppose that all the students above get A's. Let's also suppose that none of the methods above are outlawed by the teacher regarding homework. After all, the homework is only worth 5-10% of the grade. The insightful student will realize that it's like an attendance grade - the challenge is in simply getting it done and turning it in.
This may seem unfair, but of course then there's test day. On test day, only pencil, paper, and regulation scientific calculators are allowed (no fancy stuff). The test hall is strictly proctored to virtually eliminate the potential for cheating. The test has also been randomly constructed so as not to give advantage to those with copies of previous tests. Your work is your own.
Sounds fair doesn't it? After all, regardless of how each student has prepared for the test, the test conditions are as regulated as possible to ensure an accurate comparison of grades across the classroom.
Who is going to argue that the student has cheated because he used a computer model to verify his homework and thus knew he was right in 5 minutes compared to the pencil/paper loner who could only hope that he was properly applying the method laid out in the book. Who is going to condemn the study group, who breezed through their studies by reinforcing each other's weaknesses with their respective strengths? What about the poor kid who is retaking the course and made an A with little effort because he'd already learned the material months prior.
Who will admire the student who neglects the tools made available to him, but succeeds through the persistence, labor and toil? Who has achieved with greater time, effort, and energy, the same outcome as those who took more efficient means to the same end.
Do you see the comparison? Homework is like practice runs - it is training for that which is to come. In many, many cases it doesn't matter how it gets done, so long as it gets done. After all, homework is a not a test of what you can truly know and accomplish, it's a test of whether or not you can hand in a sheet of paper. The test is more like the speedrun. An A on the test is like a speedrun which has been accepted by SDA. This creates problems for the analogy, but just go with it for now.
The test is subject to a set of rules which provide a grounds or equal comparison and evaluation, much the same as SDA's rules attempt to provide a fair grounds for both comparison and acceptance. The closely proctored testing environment is like the verification process at SDA. They both exist to ensure the enforcement of the rules (that is..."No Cheating").
The pencil and paper student is like the traditional gamer. Scoffing at calculators and emulators, these types like to do things the hard way in order to gain a genuine and complete experience with their task. This of course consumes massive amounts of time, especially if a single calculation goes wrong, you have to erase it all and start over - not unlike a fatal mistake in a speedrun.
The study group represents the forum. In a group environment, the uniqueness of each individual's experiences gives each person an advantage in certain areas. By allowing people to help others in the areas they excel in and get help on what they are deficient in, everyone's problems are solved much more quickly. In the SDA Forum, the work and suggestions of others can be invaluable to planning and successfully implementing a run. It might even be useful to collaborate using an emulator savestate much the same way a study group will agree on the method to solve part "a" of a problem before moving onto part "b."
This brings me to the student who got an easy A because he'd taken the course previously. Poor guy did very well the last time he took it, but he unfortunately bombed the final and failed the course on a technicality (the professor required a C on the final to pass the class). Luckily, retaking it was a breeze, because his preparation was long complete, and with a little practice, he could easily pass the requirements to get an A. This is something like the runner who uses the same route, planning, and methods from a previous run to successfully record and submit an improvement of a run already on SDA, or an improvement of a run that was previously not accepted. Much of the extra time spent in learning and planning is done - all that it is to actually implement the speedrun. Of course speedrun implementation varies widely in difficulty - just as school tests tend to vary by the subject.
Finally we have the resourceful student, who with the help of his fancy calculator, the computer, and even some outside references, is able to easily complete the homework, leaving him with more time than any of his colleagues to actually practice working different problems. In fact, when playing his computer program, he found a shortcut which cut his hand-written solution down by half. This is of course similar to the resourceful speedrunner, who uses an emulator as a tool. The resourceful runner finds that using an emulator to practice allows him to focus directly on the problem at hand and not waste time having to start over after every mistake.
How can save-states be considered wrong when they have nothing to do with what is actually being verified when a run is submitted. Runs are not verified based on the entire process of preparation.
SDA is based on the fastest single recorded completion of a game. What kind of speedrunner you want to be is based on your choices, and your choices alone.
I hadn't intended to write all of that, but that's what came out, so there you go! Thanks to those who read my little story.
[size=10](NOTE: This is an analogy similar to the sports analogy earlier...please don't dismiss it for being "unrelated")[/size]