Quick definition:The highest number of points achieved in a game, usually recorded on a table so that later players can try to beat it.
Meaning
A high score is the best points total recorded for a game, either by a single player or by everyone who has played it. Scores are earned by defeating enemies, collecting items, completing objectives quickly or chaining actions together, and the exact method depends on the game's scoring rules.
In the arcade era, the table of top scores was displayed between plays, giving strangers a reason to return and try to take the top place. Today, online leaderboards serve the same purpose on a much larger scale, comparing a player with friends or with people across the world.
Chasing a high score is a style of play in itself. Dedicated players study the scoring system, plan routes and practise for hours to squeeze out extra points, and communities keep records of the best known results. In some games, the ultimate aim is simply to beat one's own previous best.
Origin:The concept comes from arcade machines, which saved the best results so that players could compete for a place on a list, often entering initials of three letters. Coin-operated games such as pinball already encouraged competing for a top result. Home games later copied the feature, and it remains familiar across many genres.
Example:Ravi finishes his run of a falling-blocks puzzle game and sees a new number flash on screen. His score has passed the old record held by his sister, and the game asks him to enter three initials. He types his own, takes a photograph of the screen and sends it to her with a smug message.
Did you know?Many early arcade games had no ending, so the high score table was the main measure of success. Players competed to push scores as far as possible, and some games eventually overflowed their score counters, or even stopped working properly, once scores grew beyond what the programmers expected.
