High Scores and Modern Gaming
Back in the golden era of arcade gaming, high scores were of utmost importance. The idea that your initials would be displayed there at the top of a list for all to see, a declaration of your superiority and a pinnacle that others would hope to achieve. The quarters sunk into a machine were not only a challenge made to the game, but to the person ranked #1. Whoever this mysterious ‘ABE’ was, one thing was certain: they were a target, a goal, an obstacle – it was the closest thing we had to a god complex back in our youth.
As gaming transitioned to the console market, high scores became less relevant. Other than bragging rights against your friends and your baby sister who likes to chew on the joystick, you weren’t really showing off to anyone. During this time, Pac-Man underwent a desperate series of transformations to try to stay afloat. Other than the titular hero and his cast of characters, what did Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures really have to do with Pac-Man at all? Not much. The only noteworthy revelation is that Pac-Man is an absolute jerk, and tormenting him was half the fun.
Trends in gaming have proven to be cyclical, however, and the advent of mobile gaming has breathed new life into the arcade-style genre, where the goal is not your ultimate success, but to outdo the efforts of others. As game designer Scott Rogers observed in his book Swipe This! The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design, ‘modern gaming lets you display your entire name to the whole world – which makes the bragging all that much sweeter’.
If all of this sounds a bit too pedantic for your taste, it can be summarized thusly: we’re totes full of ourselves and want to show off our mad Pac skillz. Take a selfie with your high score and post it on your Insta, it’s lit! (100 emoji) (raised hands emoji) (obscene eggplant emoji)
