Score (game)

A high score table referred to in computer games a table in which the best players are displayed in descending order according to their game in a game reached maximum score ( high score ). High Scores have been present in the earliest arcade video games and pinball machines.

In games with high scores, players for successful actions, such as defeating enemies, collecting treasures or simply a survival game points that are constantly added to the end of the game receive. These points form a common criterion by which the success of the player can be assessed for the different game plays. Usually, the player may be identification code ( usually earlier of three letters, now often longer) you specify, if his game points sufficient to appear in the table can. Classic high score lists can only accommodate the ten best game plays, but there are highscore lists of different length. Players may thereby be represented with several play games in the table.

Often the players get extra lives or extra balls when pinball game if they exceed certain point limits. Otherwise, the points are not included in the direct game. In platforming games from the players often play certain objects need to be collected ( eg coins ) to get extra lives. This can be regarded as a refined version of the high-score extra lives.

Highscores increase the replayability of games, since they correspond to a kind of indirect multi-player mode. Older games, including Pac -Man, often have no direct natural end of the game, that is, the game goal here is merely to endure as long as possible. The player is missing in these games so that the possibility to verify the confirmation of his game skills by reaching the final destination. Here highscore tables provide a simple, variable and local mechanism to allow a clearer play goal. Highscores demand in the arcades out the players to improve their game performance ever in order to maintain their place in the highscore list. Highscores thus have a competitive challenge character, so you can count them on the first precursors of e-sports.

In today's games plot and atmosphere come more and more into the foreground, High Scores are no longer available here. As a modern variant of high scores, however, the fragment tables can be viewed in the multiplayer mode of first-person shooters. The possibility in most current racing games, set some fastest laps, is also based on the highscore principle. In addition, high score functionality many browser games have installed because the Internet work is an excellent medium.