Whether you’ve lived through the Golden Age of Gaming or not, Netflix’s new documentary High score is for you. The six-part series not only looks at the late 1970s and the rise to dominance of arcade machines, they also follow their ultimate downfall in the midst of the struggle to keep the coin-operated games viable against stiff competition from the growing brand of home-based PCs and consoles. From the fashions and fashions of the ’80s to the extreme marketing of the’ 90s, this might just be a time machine for those of us living through the era, or at least a very fine time capsule to look at. let how it was those who did not.
High Score review the height, emptiness, and unexplained declines of the video game industry over the better part of three decades, and include candid interviews with personalities you may or may not have heard (depending on your level of video game nerd cred). It has courtroom drama, cutting-edge tech, inspiring examples of sensible business certainty, personal life-changing stories, and a strong nostalgia factor that makes you want to pick up and dust off that old controller.
Image via Netflix
Told by Charles Martinet, and with episodes of directors William Acks, France Costrel, Sam LaCroix, a showrunner Melissa Wood, with executive producers Costrel, Wood, and Courtney Coupe, High score is pure candy for video games out there. But that’s just on the surface. Like the colorful artwork that adorns the sides and marks of arcade cabinets, along with the signature music and sounds, draw your attention to a game, High ScoreThe high concept premise and catchy, Easter-like intro sequence promises to have a good and entertaining time by all. But what I love more about all the pixel art and MIDI music is how High score highlights the important contributions of people in the sector whose names you may not know.
Some of those names include Gordon Bellamy, “A Black, Queer Child Who Grew Up In Virginia” who played a large part in bringing Black athletes to the formerly all-white players of the Madden NFL video game franchise; former Nintendo Game Play Counselor Shaun Bloom which gives viewers a glimpse into the past appeal; Early Nintendo of America hired Gail Tilden, who earned her the nickname “The Dragon Lady” by clashing with the company’s Japanese executives, all the while leading the way in the successful launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System in ‘e FS; Atari game designer Howard Scott Warshaw was a game designer who successfully rocketed Yars’ revenge en Raiders of the Lost Ark, before you crash hard with the game based on the hit movie ET of Extra-Terrestrial; that is a story that is simply not to be missed.
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And that’s just a small sample of the many pieces of lore drawn from decades of the existence of the video game industry that are being explored here. Others do not include a visit to an early Atari competitor, known as the Fairchild Channel Fun, or simply Channel F, a console designed in part by engineer Jerry Lawson whose pioneering work on video game patterns is far from unherald. There’s also quite a bit of exploration of the fandom side of the video game industry of the ’80s and’ 90s, from low-key leagues, to big tournaments, to complete marketing blasts; this was a real trip, especially for fans of The wizards.
The series strikes a solid balance between the cultural and business partnerships of the video game industry. High score is perhaps not the most in-depth or lengthy documentary series you will ever see, but the composite interviews of people with compelling stories and charismatic personalities bring a personal kiss. Nostalgia does the rest. And we are here for it.
Rating: IN-
Here’s more of what you can expect from each episode!
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Episode 1 / Boom & Bust:
Video games burst into the mainstream in the early 1980s, with children spending quarters faster than PacMan could eat fruit. But the emerging sector was not without its share of lemons. After a few bad ideas and a lot of bad press, everyone said video games were done.
Episode 2 / Comeback Kid:
Just when everyone thought video games were toast, Nintendo made a comeback. It took a fight in the courtroom, some tears in the boardroom, and a team of teens ready to sacrifice their mullets for the market to find success. By the end of the decade, they would be at the top of the entire sector.
Episode 3 / Role Players:
Nintendo and Atari may have been household names, but lesser-known visionaries revolutionized the way we played. In the shadow of giants, these developers would open us up to new worlds and identities and transform the home computer into the next gaming device in the world.
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Episode 4 / This Is War:
Through the 1980s, video games found their artistic, narrative, and technical steps. By the early 1990s, no one could call them the origin of dorks. The suit began to realize that video games were big business – the kind that guaranteed marketing campaigns, cutting tactics and everything from [console] war.
Episode 5 / Fight !:
Nintendo’s Mario vs. Sega’s Sonic was through, but it was not the only battle that went. A new fighting game had hit the market – one such epic, it caused an arcade renaissance and established a whole new genre. Rival games followed, and became so convincingly violent, that they threatened an entire industry to collapse.
Episode 6 / Level Up:
By 1993, the big-money industry was built by rule-breakers and risk-takers about to enter another dimension, thanks to a new generation of rogue nerds. Combining new technology and a growing platform called ‘the web’, gaming would never be the same.
Here is the official synopsis for High score, now streaming on Netflix:
High Score is a documentary series about the golden age of video games, when legends – from Pac-Man to Doom – were brought to life. Through ingenuity and white willpower, computer pioneers and visionary artists from around the world brought the iconic worlds of Space Invaders, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, Sonic the Hedgehog, John Madden Football, and beyond. Without rules or roadmaps, players and innovators pushed the boundaries of making money, crushing rivals, and hearts to win. This is the story of the brains behind the pixels and how their unusual innovation built a multi-billion billion sector – almost by accident.
Image via Netflix
Dave Trumbore is Collider’s Senior Editor overseeing games, animation, and all those early Saturday morning cartoons that no one else remembers. Test his trivia IQ on Twitter @DrClawMD
