Synopsis
High Score (2020), Season 1 is Netflix's six-part documentary series on the history of video games — watch all episodes online on iFILM.
The season moves chronologically but never drily. Episode one tracks the Space Invaders–Pac-Man arcade craze, then follows the money straight into Atari's collapse. Episode two reframes Nintendo as what it actually was: a playing card company that stumbled into Donkey Kong and rewrote home gaming with the NES. The middle episodes cover RPGs born from Dungeons & Dragons, the Sega–Nintendo console war, and the congressional hearings that Mortal Kombat triggered. The finale gets to Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and the first taste of networked multiplayer.
What separates this from a standard retrospective: the developers talk on camera without PR filters — Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man), Nolan Bushnell (Atari), Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy) among them. Stream High Score Season 1 online on iFILM.
6 episodes
S1·E1Boom & Bust
Space Invaders and Pac-Man lead an arcade craze, while Atari's cartridge system dominates home gaming until a high-profile failure sparks a downfall.
S1·E2Comeback Kid
A Japanese playing card company called Nintendo enters gaming and hits it big with Donkey Kong, then later takes over home gaming with the NES.
S1·E3Role Players
Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, adventure and role-playing computer games introduce unprecedented levels of choice and complexity to players.
S1·E4This is War
Sega's Genesis console and its speedy new character, Sonic, hit the market. Electronic Arts kicks off a partnership with football legend John Madden.
S1·E5Fight!
Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat give rise to the head-to-head fighting genre, but the increasing graphic violence in games brings controversy.
S1·E6Level Up
Nintendo goes 3D with Star Fox. Wolfenstein 3D popularizes the first-person shooter format, while Doom ups the ante with networked gaming.
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