2019-05-01_Games_World_of_Puzzles

may 2019 | GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES 35

VIDEO GAMES AND PINBALL

In 1982, when arcades were spawning like centipedes, an

article appeared in the July/August issue of GAMES that

listed the then-current high scores for 10 popular arcade

video games. Thanks to Twin Galaxies, an organization that

has been keeping track of video game high scores since

1981, we can see how the scores for those 10 games have

changed over four decades. Check out the inset list of video

games and high scores from 1982, along with the current

high scores (as of early 2019) to see how your personal

bests stack up.

GAME (RELEASE DATE) HIGH SCORE (1982) CURRENT HIGH SCORE (YEAR SET)

579,350

4,421,232

300,000

71,720

2,808,190

231,000

3,900,000

828,453

61,350

111,000

3,333,360 (1999)

7,750,817 (2018)

1,247,700 (2018)

970,440 (2012)

17,684,050 (2018)

1,666,604 (1983)

71,473,400 (1983)

1,728,329 (1983)

223,139 (1983)

933,580 (2006)

Pac-Man (1980)

Centipede (1981)

Donkey Kong (1981)

Frogger (1981)

Galaga (1981)

Qix (1981)

Stargate (1981)

Tempest (1981)

Turbo (1981)

Ms. Pac-Man (1982)

It’s not surprising that some of these titles peaked in popu-

larity only a year or two after their release dates. The dates

of their high scores speak to that. What really attests to the

staying power of the truly classic games from the golden

era is that new high scores are still being set nearly 40

years after the games were released. Pac-Man, for exam-

ple, was almost 20 years old when its maximum high score



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complished by six people in the game’s lifespan. Donkey

Kong also continues to be a popular game, as high score

records trade hands frequently, even as recent as 2018. As

for Ms. Pac-Man, her maximum high score was actually

achieved in 2017 by artificial intelligence developed by

Microsoft. But I personally don’t recognize scores by any-

thing that doesn’t need bathroom breaks.

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the scores have changed for several of these games. Don-

key Kong, for example, has seen its high score quadruple

since 1982. What accounts for this explosion in achieve-

ment? Have video game cabinets been made more ergo-

nomically comfortable, allowing longer play? Has the cod-

ing of the game changed since the original release, making

the game more predictable or easier?

No on both counts, according to Dave Hawksett, the head

custodian of records at Twin Galaxies. “If you are going for

the high score on Pac-Man for the arcade, you need

to do it on an original Pac-Man arcade machine. How-

ever, many classic arcade games are available for oth-

er, newer platforms. Twin Galaxies has different high

score leaderboards for the same game but on different

platforms.”

Hawksett reveals the real secret to success on clas-

sic arcade games: Learn from those who have traveled

the road before you. “I believe the simplest explanation

is that, in 1982, players had only two years to master

Pac-Man,” Hawksett said. “Strategies for classic ar-

cade games, such as Pac-Man and Centipede, were de-

veloped over time by gamers, allowing extreme point

scoring. Anyone starting from scratch on these games

today has access to a body of knowledge relating to

strategy that was not available back in the early 1980s.”

If you’d like to take a shot at the top score on Pac-

Man, learn your patterns on YouTube, practice up, and

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In 1978, the pinball queen, Mandi Martin, played 505

hours of pinball over 22 days to set a Guinness record

for continuous pinball playing. She went on to break her

own record in 2000 by playing for 555 hours, 55 min-

utes and 55 seconds. This particular record category

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would play for about 22 hours each day and then nap.

Martin passed away in 2012, and technically, this re-

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isn’t recognized by GWR anymore. The active category

is now called “longest marathon playing pinball,” and

the record is held by Wayne Johns, with 30 hours and

10 minutes invested.

PLAYERS GONNA PLAY

If you deal Bryan Berg in for a poker game, he may

turn the cards into a full house. If you give him several

may 2019 | GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES 35