What does "beating a game" mean to you?

[MrPopo]

I think the devil is really in the details. I think we can all agree that a save state that replicates whatever a password does is fine; it saves you time. It gets greyer when you compare a save state at the first part of Sigma's Fortress with all your sub tanks filled to the password that gets you to that point (password doesn't save the filled state of your sub tanks). Most people would say the save state is fine since you can just take a few minutes and fill up at the start of Armored Armadillo's stage with no risk. Then it gets greyer when you look at a game like Castlevania which doesn't have passwords, but you have a single save state you do at the start of the level, that you sometimes reload until you do the level well enough to be happy with it, then overwrite that save state with the next level's. And so on through nuance until you get to save stating every second to do a perfect run.

Yet another nuance is comparing save states to quick save/save anywhere games. The former is functionality added by an emulator author/clone hardware while the latter is built into the game by the devs themselves. Is one more ok than the other?

Finding the line is tricky. I think it really comes down to asking yourself "Do I feel like I have overcome this game's challenge." An example; you can beat the original Myst in a couple minutes if you know the last two clues given to you, as the rest of the game is working your way through puzzles to learn these last two clues. If your buddy gives you those two clues and you see the ending of Myst do you think you have over come the game's challenge?

[Fragems]

This really should have been labeled what does "Beating a Score Based/Arcade Style Game" mean to you.

What I consider beating a game is getting to the credits. Getting 100%, 1cc runs, and etc. are there to add game time and to provide extra entertainment. Hell to phrase it another way "beating" a game could be considered getting to the end credits while "Completing/Finishing" a game could mean completing all the available challenges left in a game. I try to "beat" every game I buy but due to time restrictions and having better things to do I rarely "complete" them.

On another note I don't personally consider a game beaten if you use cheats to get through it but then you have technically still beaten the game even if you did use illegitimate means.

[Exhuminator]

This really should have been labeled what does "Beating a Score Based/Arcade Style Game" mean to you.

But that would be an entirely different question than the one I asked. However it could certainly be its own poll.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I want to address the 1 Credit Beaten concept and talk about my perspective on the situation.

I feel that an arcade game, be it beat-em-up, shoot-em-up or crazy classic games like Pac-Man or Donkey Kong are to be experienced differently than your standard console game. They have rules and mechanics that need to be understood to be fully enjoyed. I feel that a game is beaten when you grasp and understand the mechanics, use them to the best of your abilities to appreciate a game and then complete the game using as many credits as necessary to complete it.

Arcade games were built differently than a console game and intended people to pump more and more quarters into them. Some rely on this more or less depending on the title. I feel like a person who completes one of these games and understands the methods and mechanics of the game and really enjoys it can beat it at any amount of credits given, as long as they grasped the game.

I could seriously just bash through a beat-em-up without using any strategy or patterns and complete it in an hour, but will I have enjoyed myself or played the game in a fulfilling manner? No. If I use strategy and put effort in attempting to beat the game and did so on various credits did I beat it? Yes, because I put effort in trying to experience the game and enjoy it. I would say that you should play an arcade title numerous times before calling it beaten.

I find the Dungeons and Dragons Beat-Em-Up games as great examples of what I mean. You could just smash the attack button, or you could learn how to block, use slide attacks, use spells and your inventory to the fullest affect and you can succeed fairly well in the game. Sure you may not 1CC it, but if you really try your best and learn the games intricacies (not master them mind you), you can say you beat it.

As for console games, credits roll...congratulations!

[Exhuminator]

So far it seems we are all in agreement as to what beating a game means. From a polling perspective at least.

More importantly we have pointed out the difference between beating a game and mastering a game. An important distinction going forward in discussion of such matters, I personally believe.

[Blu]

Why does this thread exist?

Are we doing scholarly research, for a peer reviewed journal and we're secretly part of your graduate thesis or PhD dissertation? I didn't consent to that!

Who really cares? If you feel like you beat it, you beat it. If someone has a different opinion or definition, it's not like my hackles are going to go up and try to tell you otherwise.

I certainly can't 1cc TMNT Arcade Game and neither can you. I credit feed that machine like it's a pachinko machine. After Shredder starts blinking ever-so-quickly, when he's already zapped $4.00 of quarters from my pockets but then I knock Shredder's stupid fucking helmet off his misshapen pixelated head like this:

I still call that game beaten. No one will take that satisfaction from me. Sorry, I'd like to consider that the $10.00 I put toward a game to credit feed is for my enjoyment, I don't need to stroke my ego more by 1cc'ing something. I don't have the time to practice for a 1cc. More power to the people who have that dedication. For me, the amount of cash to drop for a one time is better than the opportunity cost of investing days and days and days of my life that I won't get back.

Queue Teester with well, that's just your opinion man. I'm cool with that. It's a hobby and a pastime for me. If someone makes their livelihood off of gaming, that's entirely different and they can define their experiences completely different.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Why does this thread exist?

Sadly, it exists because this debate has derailed multiple threads over the past few years...

[BogusMeatFactory]

Why does this thread exist?

Are we doing scholarly research, for a peer reviewed journal and we're secretly part of your graduate thesis or PhD dissertation? I didn't consent to that!

Who really cares? If you feel like you beat it, you beat it. If someone has a different opinion or definition, it's not like my hackles are going to go up and try to tell you otherwise.

I certainly can't 1cc TMNT Arcade Game and neither can you. I credit feed that machine like it's a pachinko machine. After Shredder starts blinking ever-so-quickly, when he's already zapped $4.00 of quarters from my pockets but then I knock Shredder's stupid fucking helmet off his misshapen pixelated head like this:

I still call that game beaten. No one will take that satisfaction from me. Sorry, I'd like to consider that the $10.00 I put toward a game to credit feed is for my enjoyment, I don't need to stroke my ego more by 1cc'ing something. I don't have the time to practice for a 1cc. More power to the people who have that dedication. For me, the amount of cash to drop for a one time is better than the opportunity cost of investing days and days and days of my life that I won't get back.

Queue Teester with well, that's just your opinion man. I'm cool with that. It's a hobby and a pastime for me. If someone makes their livelihood off of gaming, that's entirely different and they can define their experiences completely different.

Oh dude! I can not fault you for that. The key thing is if you enjoyed your time. My little rant really goes towards the people who compulsively play games to beat them without ever really enjoying the genre. I know you love Beat-Em-Ups and know how to play them and yeah... shredder is a cheap biznatch. Just like those stupid tentacle pits in Golden Axe 2 that got us stuck and forced to rage quit!

[BoneSnapDeez]

Been thinking about save states.

I actually use them on the Retron 5, but only as an "extended pause" - essentially a substitute for battery and password saves. Basically all this allows me to do is bypass the title screen / password / save screens. I actually never intended to do this, but the R5 saves automatically.

I never thought to use save states for practice. That's an interesting idea, and perhaps would help hone my skills enough to finally get through something like Ninja Gaiden or Ghosts n Goblins.

For me, where save states disqualify a game from being "beaten" is when they're reloaded multiple times during play basically as a substitute for extra lives.

Though my perspective may be different as I was gaming well before emulation was a thing. And again, if anyone wants to beat games using save states that's no issue with me.

[J T]

This is how you beat a game.