World's Greatest Gamers, Unite

SamMichaels writes "Zophar's Domain had news of a press release from Twin Galaxies, the people who've tracked the high scores in games since 1981 (got famous in 82). They're looking for the top gamers to be published in a special commemorative edition of Twin Galaxies' "Official Video Game & Pinball Book Of World Records", which is the industry's official record book. The search is for gamers of "every game, every genre and every platform, whether old or new"."

Comments

emulation w/o representation :)

[rfsayre]

Does anyone know how they deal with emulators, differences in platform, etc.?

Besides the obvious possibility of using capabilities like flash saves to get high scores, how do they determine if a player has used technology in an unfair (unjust?) way?

If you set the world record for a game on a MAME cabinet, does it count?

What if you set the record for a Nintendo game using the "Advantage"?

It reminds of that scene in The Wizard where the Lucas character had a power glove...

Repetitive redundancy

[Enoch Root]

[...] "Official Video Game & Pinball Book Of World Records", which is the industry's official record book.

No kidding? Are they world records?

Atari 2600 Circus

[Tyrannosaurus]

I once scored over 4,000 on the Atari 2600 game Circus. (Anybody remember that one? You were a clown, bouncing around and popping balloons. Sweet. Eat your heart out, Quake 3 Arena!) I imagine that's some kind of record, considering only 9 people ever even played that game...

---

why a book?

[Ben Schumin]

This is exactly the kind of thing web pages are designed to do, so why are they putting this in a book? It would be much more useful as a searchable database online.

With a huge chunk of information like that, they could create a community around people who are trying to get high scores on video games. Message boards about your favorite games where you can communicate with other people who like the same games.

I realize part of the reason they are publishing this book is to stroke the egos of the people involved, but they could really do so much more. It's disappointing to see the opportunity to create a new online community wasted.

Re:Verification

[Squirrel Killer]

I got into the book by posting by scores to rec.games.video.classics back in 1996 when someone (can't remember who now) was keeping track. That must have gotten incorporated somehow.

As for verification, on rgvc, there wasn't any. While I know that my scores were honest, I don't know it that held across all of the scores reported. Nowadays, there is more verification, but I'm not sure what all the codes that TwinGalaxies uses mean (ie most of my scores are listed as verified by referee, but I sure as hell don't remember anyone else in the room when I posted that Bank Heist score.)

I know a lot of these games lose a lot when you go back to them, but this might be enough encouragement for me to go back to some of them, just to post higher scores. I remember in rgvc that Lafe Travis kept inspiring me to greater playing heights. This is inspiration on crack - "You mean I might get put in a book for this?!?"

-sk

Taking ourselves a tad too seriously?

[coupland]

I've whiled many a day away with drool on my chin trying to take out a shambler with a shotgun, but could these people perhaps be taking their fun a bit too seriously? As a game addict I still feel a bit embarassed when I see phrases like "stellar accomplishments", "inner genius", and yes... "athletes" used to describe the process of jumping over the barrels being hurled at me by a video gorilla named "Donkey Kong". Video games are no more an athletic sport than juggling or burping the alphabet. Sure it takes practise and some skill, but that doesn't make it a sport.

---