HIGH SCORE
Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET
DOCUMENTARY SERIES PREMIERE: This new Netflix documentary series focuses on the development and popularity of the first generation of videogames, back when Nintendo’s 8-bit game console claimed about 97 percent of the market until Sega came up with a 16-bit alternative. And while High Score is much too superficial in spots, and misses lots of opportunities for explorations of both history and social impact, it touches on enough topics to make it worth a visit. If you grew up or played videogames from the 1970s to the 1990s, in arcades or on the first home consoles, the nostalgia value alone will draw you in, and High Score treats certain game designers with the respect usually given to cinematic auteurs. So while this documentary series could be more thoughtful, it does provide interesting backstories about Donkey Kong and Tetris, Pac-Man and Space Invaders, and Sonic the Hedgehog and Mortal Kombat. I miss certain steps and games that are overlooked in this overview of the genre (wherefore art thou, Zork?) – but I kept watching anyway.