Did you experience the concept of HIGH SCORES in video games? These scores were like a test, a medal for your victory and effort when you played video games back then. Nowadays, high scores in video games don’t really exist that much, but why is that?
The Early 80s
High scores were prominent in Atari games for their consoles. However, they really do that much, but after the crash, there was the rise of the arcade. Arcade systems back then had high scores for their games. It was satisfying for some people to have their names saved on the high scores. Challengers could try to take the crown, but they would also get knocked back down again.
During the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) a lot of its games had high scores. However, these scores were kept on the cartridge, so unless you shared your cart, nobody could see your scores but you. Rental stores that rent out the cartridges probably had their high scores changed.
The Early 90s
During the early 90s, the SEGA Genesis and SNES ruled the high scores. There were some games that still had them, and like the early 80s, these scores served a purpose. Other than just bragging rights, games would reward you with an extra life when you are able to reach a high score, and something similar later on. Games like Mario, Sonic, and others had that kind of mechanic.
The Late 90s and Early 2000s
When the PlayStation 1 rolled in, the concept of high scores was dwindling. Even games for the Nintendo 64 and SEGA Dreamcast kind of slowly got rid of the concept. This was when video games were getting more innovative. More games like RPGs were getting more story-oriented. You didn’t need a high score to get extra lives.
The concept of bragging rights also wasn’t a main concern anymore. Arcades were still prevalent, but most people just didn’t care. The games were getting better, and the concept of high scores just faded into obscurity.
The Rise of the Internet (Late 2000s to Present)
The rise of the internet brought back the concept of high scores. While getting an extra life wasn’t the main attraction, bragging rights were back in the fold. People love to brag about high scores in multiplayer games. Imagine playing Tetris against other people, and you hold the high score in your match.
The concept of LEADERBOARDS was also introduced. People from all over the world could compete in the games and get the high scores. There really wasn’t any kind of reward, except that you could get to put your name into the Leaderboards, until someone knocks you down.
While not high scores, the concept of Achievements is also there. You need to finish certain tasks and conditions to get that Achievement. It could even be harder than any kind of high score goal you can set for yourself. It is still fun to think about the concept of high scores, for games that are too old and those that are just brand new.
