Netflix’s High Score Sheds Light on the Golden Age of Gaming
"High Score" is a six-episode docuseries that hit Netflix on August 19, 2020. The premise of the series was to look at how gaming evolved over the '80s and '90s. The series fully leans into the culture of those eras, using a pixel art intro and having its theme song performed by "Power Glove," an Australian musical group that takes its name from Mattel's memetic NES peripheral. Lastly, Charles Martinet, the esteemed voice of the dragon Paarthurnax in "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" and Nintendo's Mario, serves as the narrator of the series.
The premise of the series was to look at how gaming evolved over the '80s and '90s.
The series begins by discussing the huge boom of the gaming market that started in the late '70s and hit massive cash in 1983. Its second episode tackles how Nintendo practically saved the video game industry with "Donkey Kong" the localized version of its "Super Famicom" console, the "Nintendo Entertainment System;" the 1990 World Championship tournament and a tip hotline.
Netflix's High Score | Credit: Netflix
The middle part of this series begins by tackling the genre known as "Role-Playing Games" (RPGs) and shows how they evolved from simple text adventures like "Colossal Cave" and limited graphic adventures like the "Ultima" franchise into behemoths like "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest." The series then pushes on to discuss the "console wars" between Nintendo and Sega with Sega's push into 16-bit gaming with its Sonic mascot and the "John Madden Football" franchise.
One of the biggest strengths of this series is the roster of developers and creators interviewed.
The last third of this series addresses the growing maturity of gamers as seen in titles like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap, titles that sparked congressional hearings in 1993 and led to the establishment of the "Entertainment Software Ratings Board" (ESRB). The final episode is a reflection on where gaming had come from and how it further evolved with technology to offer 3D imagery with titles like "Star Fox" and "Doom"
Netflix's High Score | Credit: Netflix
One of the biggest strengths of this series is the roster of developers and creators interviewed. Yes, you have plenty of big names that anyone who followed gaming during that era would recognize, including the following people.
- Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka, esteemed musician for many Nintendo titles.
- The late John Kirby, who handled Nintendo's side in the lawsuit between Universal Studios and Nintendo regarding likeness rights between Donkey Kong and King Kong.
- Jon Romero, the creator of Doom.
- Yoshitaka Amano, an illustrator who has regularly done work for Final Fantasy.
- Trip Hawkins, the founder of Electronic Arts.
- Richard Garriot, creator of the Ultimate franchise known for inserting his likeness as the king of that world.
- Nolan Bushnell, co-creator of Atari and founder of "Chuck E Cheese's".
Netflix's High Score | Credit: Netflix
You also have plenty of interviews with people most have never met or whose involvement in gaming seems to have been long overlooked. Some notable highlights are Ryan Best, the creator of "GayBlade," an RPG with a heavy emphasis on LGBT themes. Other interesting people the documentary team sought stories from include the following.
- Rebecca Heineman, winner of the first national championship for "Space Invaders" in the United States.
- Karen and Anderson Lawson, the children of "Fairchild F" game cartridge creator Jerry Lawson.
- Howard Scott Warshaw, the developer of the abysmally-received "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."
- Gail Tilden, head of marketing for Nintendo of America during the early months of the NES.
- Shaun Bloom, one of the many "Game Counselors" that Nintendo hired to staff a tipline for its games.
Netflix's High Score | Credit: Netflix
Overall, "High Score" is a great way of informing newer generations of people about what gaming used to be like. It may not be the most comprehensive of looks at this era, especially when there is a disturbing absence of any mention of innovative titles like "Tetris" or the "Wizardry," but this series is informative for those who were barely around at that time and nostalgic for the people who lived and grew up during its featured decades.
If you are craving even more nostalgic gaming media on the Netflix platform, checkout "Hi-Score Girl." It is an anime that takes place during the Japanese arcade boom of the '90s with a focus on the fighting and beat 'em up genres and the friendships that bloom from digitally throwing down.