Masahiro Sakurai discusses how to evolve high-score mechanics

Masahiro Sakurai is back with yet another installment in his game development series, and this one fits into the “Planning and Design” category.

Sakurai says that in the past, score systems were a must-have for games—but these days, simply playing for points isn’t enough to captivate players. That said, Sakurai believes that changing the way scores are presented might just change the way they’re perceived, as well.

It’s true that some games still have high-score features, but many have expanded with leaderboards, specific challenges and more. High-scores may be a relic of the industry, but with the right tweaks and adjustments, they can add yet another element to a game that’ll keep players coming back time and time again.