High Score

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Aug 19, 2020
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 978 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 891 out of 978
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 978
  3. Negative: 83 out of 978
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User Reviews

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  1. nachtgold
    Aug 21, 2020
    10
    Really interesting topics and great interviews. They found some rare characters to talk with. I like the animations the most.
  2. TR8R_Of_America
    Aug 20, 2020
    10
    While the knowledge this series posits may be not new to a particularly active game player. This is still an excellent introduction to the world of interactive television.

    Perhaps it might even lead YOU into becoming the next great technology archivist? The world is yours to preserve!
  3. Scififan12
    Aug 26, 2020
    0
    Really damn boring. Crappy tv show, just pure garbage **** tv that sucks balls
  4. geewah
    Dec 20, 2020
    8
    As a long time gamer this series offers a great insight into some of the best games made over the last few decades.
  5. AtheisT_
    Aug 23, 2020
    10
    Muito bom, espero que continuem com mais temporadas, sobretudo com o inicio da era da playstation.
  6. mind_overflow
    Sep 8, 2020
    0
    As pretty much a lot of other people said - this was a great, wasted potential. Netflix had the power and ability to instruct the world about the history of what 90% of teenagers spend their afternoons doing today, and completely failed doing it.

    The show does not follow a chronological path; events are often reversed historically and someone who doesn't already know about it, will    As pretty much a lot of other people said - this was a great, wasted potential. Netflix had the power and ability to instruct the world about the history of what 90% of teenagers spend their afternoons doing today, and completely failed doing it.

    The show does not follow a chronological path; events are often reversed historically and someone who doesn't already know about it, will hardly be able to follow.

    Instead - imho - too much time was wasted on political matters. It's common knowledge that Netflix is pretty far left-wing, and given the moment in time we are living right now, this feels more like a show made for the purpose of sponsoring a political ideology, hidden behind videogames, rather than teaching about videogames and how they influenced people's lives.

    The main problem is that a too high amount of events, technologies, companies and countries were completely left out of the story. The show screams about how inclusivity and respect are important, and yet manages to completely disrespect (by completely ignoring and not acknowledging) so many great inventors, engineers, gamers - who are (by far) more important than, arguably, some of the shown characters. Japan *had* to be portraied, since that's where everything began - but the fact that USA is the only other country that the show talks about, only reinforces the idea that this show was not developed to be a thorough documentary, but more of a TED Talk for unheard voices.

    This is by no means historically accurate and complete. It's a really heartwarming novel about people who loved videogames. The videogames history is used to make viewers understand about what those people were going to talk about - not to teach them about how the industry was born, how it developed, and how it influenced the whole world and technology.    … Expand
  7. Falloutdood
    Aug 28, 2020
    0
    I'd love to be able to watch one modern thing without hearing about modern politics. I watch stuff for escapism and this still managed to shove that garbage into it.
  8. valrond
    Sep 5, 2020
    2
    Not much of a documentary. Random bits and pieces of video game in the USA, the rest of the world doesn't exist, maybe a bit Japan with Nintendo. Oh, and it is Netflix, so they managed to make a videogame documentary about current politics, race, sexual orientation and virtue signaling.
  9. ryius
    Aug 31, 2020
    2
    Netflix is not even capable of making a video game history documentary without turning it into some quest to virtue signal. If you don't like to attend church and be told you're a sinner, why would want to watch this and get preached down to?
  10. tenow
    Sep 3, 2020
    2
    Instead of establishing cohesive timeline or presenting interesting facts, documentary highlights stories of random people in industry and other people NOT IN INDUSTRY. Half of stories are about random gays who heard about video games. There are so many more interesting historical videos and interviews on youtube.
  11. JD_Chambers
    Aug 19, 2020
    3
    Has awkward sidetracks from it's narrative, and includes jarring and forced political segments that confuses the scope. Content is overly watered down and doesn't follow a strict/sequential enough progression of the history it covers, nor does it dig into many technical/detailed oriented aspects, which is why it comes off as bland and dumbed down.
  12. XezonN
    Aug 24, 2020
    0
    Just another annoying forced narrative **** show that insults historical facts. Didn't surprised....
  13. mr_misthios
    Aug 20, 2020
    6
    After finishing all the episodes I can’t help but feel the aim of the production was to use SOME of the history of video games to ram home political point scoring that didn’t really fit with the theme the series was projecting from the outset. Whether it be a transgender gamer who competed in early Atari competitions to a questionable episode purporting to be about the godfathers ofAfter finishing all the episodes I can’t help but feel the aim of the production was to use SOME of the history of video games to ram home political point scoring that didn’t really fit with the theme the series was projecting from the outset. Whether it be a transgender gamer who competed in early Atari competitions to a questionable episode purporting to be about the godfathers of adventure and role playing games in Ken and Roberta Williams but transitioning away to some odd story about a lost copy of an old LGBTQ dungeon crawler that didn’t define anything historically significant in gaming, or how Ultima was apparently the flagship for ensuring there were consequences to players freedom of expression if said expression was poor.

    Within though there are some great moments, particularly when they focus on the development of the technology, the decision making and after market modifications that generated new markets. These parts are good, but they’re constantly overshadowed by ensuring your morality and political correctness is in check. I don’t understand how that adds to this docuseries. Yes, devote a whole episode to that theme so we can see that there’s other important stories that helped move the almighty machine forward, but it’s felt more as as a tool to whip the audience. Overall it’s an okay series that has some poorly executed moments that seem deliberate rather than sloppy.    … Expand
  14. Bagumka
    Aug 22, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you think this show about video games and video games industry - you are wrong. It's more about persons, who identify themselves as women, playing video games. You know, Netflix.… Expand
  15. kirkender
    Aug 21, 2020
    7
    As someone who has played and followed video game history for most of my life, High Score offers few revelations, but instead reminds me just how infused with capitalism the gaming industry always has been, for better and worse. I desperately want more video games that explore new possibilities, and the demand for profit always makes art suffer. Anyways, this docuseries will engage andAs someone who has played and followed video game history for most of my life, High Score offers few revelations, but instead reminds me just how infused with capitalism the gaming industry always has been, for better and worse. I desperately want more video games that explore new possibilities, and the demand for profit always makes art suffer. Anyways, this docuseries will engage and entertain those who know a little about video gaming and want more. It's a very entertaining series, and the smaller stories are fascinating among larger narratives. It's especially adorable to see footage of young gamers competing and to see how excited they still are today.… Expand
  16. DevidIrving
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    Добротный сериал,про создание видеоигры.

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Most Discussed TV Season of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Keza MacDonald
    Aug 27, 2020
    60
    High Score is narrowly focused – the US and Japan dominate, as if the rest of video game history never happened, and while Atari’s early consoles and the Nintendo Entertainment System crop up in almost every episode, the Amiga, Spectrum and Commodore 64 are never so much as mentioned. ... But this series does well at explaining what was exciting about this time, and the way that each of the landmark games featured built on the foundations of what came before.
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  2. Paste Magazine
    Reviewed by: Garrett Martin
    Aug 20, 2020
    45
    It’s less “here’s what happened,” and more, “hey, remember this?” Given how bad the game industry itself is at preserving and analyzing its own history beyond merely capitalizing on nostalgia, that makes High Score a huge missed opportunity.
    Read full review
  3. Collider
    Reviewed by: Dave Trumbore
    Aug 19, 2020
    91
    High Score may not be the most in-depth or lengthy documentary series you’ll ever see, but the curated interviews from folks with compelling stories and charismatic personalities bring a personal touch. Nostalgia does the rest. And we’re here for it.
    Read full review
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