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One of the most amazing things about video games is the impressive feats accomplished by both gamers and game devs. From lightning-paced speedruns to amazing games made by small development teams, people are often amazed at what gamers and game devs can do.Â
Personally, I believe that nothing encapsulates this more than world records. These feats often quantify both the best of the best and the first-ever people to achieve something. As such, I have decided to cover some impressive world records.
Top of the Leaderboards: Achievements by the Best of the Best
One impressive world record-holding gamer is a Norwegian, Foss Anderson. In 2024, Anderson achieved the longest-distance kill in Fortnite using a telescope. He achieved the kill while 3,810 feet away from a screen. For a collaborative feat that includes many people, from artists to marketers, Lara Croft from Tomb Raider (1996) is the video game character that holds the record for being on the most magazine covers, as she appears on 2,300. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) is a significant feat by its developers, as it is the most critically acclaimed video game on Metacritic with a score of 99. As for developers of fan games, Doom (1993) has the most unofficial ports out of any video game. Talented fans have ported it to 110 platforms, which include everything from an iPod to an electric toothbrush! As for feats by writers, Baldur’s Gate III has the longest script in a video game with 2,121,425 words of dialogue and 382,412 in other contexts (names of items, actions, etc.) totaling 2,503,837 words.
A revival of an older franchise, Wasteland 2 (2014), holds the record for the longest wait for a video game sequel, as its predecessor, Wasteland (1988), was released 26 years prior. American Antonio R. Monteiro has the world record for the largest video game collection with a total of 24,268 games as of 2021. In 2023, Polaris Convention held the largest assembly of people dressed as video game characters in Hamburg, Germany, with a total of 492 people. Hungarian man Szabolcs Csépe holds the record for the longest video game marathon. Csépe obtained the record in 2024 when he played a Dance Dance Revolution game for 144 hours. The most expensive video game sold at auction was a copy of Super Mario 64 (1996) that sold for $1.56 million. More specifically, it was a rare version of the game that was in near mint condition.
Press Start: Amazing Video Game Firsts
In 2014, the Danish Geodata Agency published a full-scale recreation of Denmark that was built in Minecraft (2009). This made Denmark the first country to have a full-scale model made of it in a video game. Unfortunately, the in-game nation was invaded. Parts of the map were blown up by players and tanks, and American flags were built in their place.
The first first-person shooter (FPS) video game was Maze War (1973). The game was developed by Americans Steve Colley, Greg Thompson, and Howard Palmer. The first play to be performed in a video game was Playcraft Live, which was performed both in 2017 and in person at the Playhouse Theater in Northern Ireland, and in Minecraft (2009). The first video game to incorporate an online service into the game itself was Diablo (1996). Before then, online gaming services utilized external platforms. The first female playable character in a video game was Ms. Pac-Man in Ms. Pac-Man (1982).
The first video game with multiple endings was Bubble Bobble (1986). The game had three endings. Which one a player got was based on their performance and what game mode they were playing. The first video game to keep track of its players’ high scores was Sea Wolf (1976), an arcade game. Super Mario 64 (1996) was the first video game to allow players to control its camera. In 2004, the PlayStation became the first video game console to sell 100 million units.Â
In 2009, Entropia Universe (2003) became the first video game to have a licensed bank in-game. The game’s banking license was granted by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, as it is a Swedish game. The game’s in-game currency, Project Entropia Dollars (PED), has a real-world value as a result. One PED is worth ten American cents.
ConclusionIn conclusion, gaming feats can be accomplished by all sorts of people. Whether it is a man adding games to his video game collection or a Swedish government employee allowing the creation of a digital bank, it’s not just game developers who can contribute to these accomplishments. Of course, the role of game developer cannot be ignored. Game devs are the ones who ported Doom (1993) to a toothbrush and gave Bubble Bobble (1986) multiple endings after all. In the end, anybody, regardless of whether they are a fan or a developer, can achieve something great related to their favorite game. You can too, as long as you keep on trying, working hard, and gaming!