Do high scores matter?

[AARPLynne]

Are you a casual gamer or a fierce competitor? Do high scores even matter?

[1402MF]

The high scores do matter as they are part of the game experience.  It is perfectly reasonable for Members, offered the chance to "play games", expect that ALL aspects of the game are on the up-and-up.  In my opinion, failure to protect this part of what AARP offers to its members reflects a lax attitude towards this benefit.  I wonder what else AARP feels comfortable letting be hacked?

[LisaK499411]

 I regularly beat Outspell by 150 points to 200 points. Yet I can never come close to the high score. The same is true of several other games I've played in AARP games. I've played for months. I agree with others that the leaderboard is full of cheats. The scores posted are impossibly high. I would like the option to "hide" the leaderboard so I don't have to look at it. I do not play to beat cheaters, but just to improve my own score. 

[nctarheel]

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@AARPLynne wrote:

Do high scores even matter?

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High scores matter when you know that those high scores were obtained through spurious means.

Impossible scores in 5ROLL were allowed to be hacked onto your leader boards for months before anyone did anything about it.

It seems that the same thing is happening with other games on AARP'S gaming platform to this day.

A user has proven that they can hack a BILLION POINT score onto Blackjack's leader board in a short period of time thus disproving that these HUGE scores are accumulated over several days period.

It is discouraging to know when you ARE FOLLOWING the rules, that you have NO CHANCE of achieving a score high enough for the leader board.

[LoriJ210463]

I like the competition, but cheaters ruin it and that's why I hardly play any of the games anymore. 

[1402MF]

They totally do NOT matter to me.  I don't even notice them.  Some people here appear to know the actually usernames of these high scorers.  I've never noticed.  I only look at my score and see if I can keep beating it.  That's the fun.  Who cares about people getting 1MM when everyone else get 1000?  All that matters is you have fun and challenge yourself.  They could delete the entire "other player" experience and I wouldn't even notice. I only play against myself for the reasons others outline here about scoring. 

[HokiePoq]

Yes, they matter, but not in the way that I have to be the top scorer.  I'd like to be in the ball park with the top players' skill levels.   Then there are games like Tri Peaks Solitaire (basically luck) that I had a great score and it was erased after a period of time.  I got 3444 the very first week the game came online and have never had a deal like that one ever again.....same two cards on the entire bottom line.  Still miss that one!  And it bugs me on a skill game like Codeword where all scores are not reset at the same time at the end of the month.  False leaders exist all month although daily leaders are correct.  I'm not one of the leaders in either case, but I like following the top players and see who is on top each month.   So yes, they matter, whether I am just trying to improve my own top score or want to see who the legitimate leader is in a particular game. (Haven't played the one mentioned by others in this thread)

[ACB3]

Yes and no, while I am not losing money these people that are getting impossible scores have figured out a way. I have challenged you to try 8 Ball in the past many times and then tell me the scoring system is correct. The high scores do matter to a lot of people just not you because you have probably never even played any of the games. And when it is the same handful of people getting the high scores while the rest of us players couldn't possibly get these scores there is something fishy going on. Why even ask this question. 

Oh now I am going to get banned from the community again for saying this.

[EnglishAndyNJ]

They are basically cheats, who seem to have a need to be seen to be top. But they are just highlighting themselves as losers. Can be done by completing the puzzle, screen capturing result then typing all the numbers in as quickly as possible. Top person probably uses code. They basically just look like losers to us all !. Should be simple enough to tag and boot them, or put some minimum time boundary for completion, or identify how they are filling the numbers (sudoku has logic to complete the puzzle)

[AARPLynne]

Personally, I don't worry too much about the score. I'm happy to play the game/solve a puzzle to completion😎

[HannahJ96796]

Part of the fun in playing these games, is the competition. But the cheaters take away the fun with their ridiculously high scores. And  AARP doesn't do a thing about it. 😠

[LoriJ210463]

I  I like the competition of the scores, but not when AARP allows some people to cheat. I have stopped playing some games because of the cheaters, and I know of others that  have  stopped playing all AARP games because of this issue. How does anyone get 33,000 points in Bridge?

[ACB3]

Play 8 Ball and tell me that the scoring system is correct Lynne. You don't have to worry about the high scores. You are the Manager.

[2Papa]

You’re reading a comment from the state Sudoku champ and soon to be Wordle champ!  

[pjc87guy]

The ONLY way to be Hurdle champ is to cheat like ALL of the leaders do. There is no mathematical way for ANYONE to get the word correct all five times on the first guess, yet there are always half a dozen or more people who get perfect scores. It's sick, it's lying, it's cheating, and Lynne and AARP should be bouncing all of them out of the game section, but instead they diddle on comment sections like this and then do NOTHING about it.

[AARPLynne]

@2Papa, tell us more!! Have you ever solved Wordle on the first guess?!

[HokiePoq]

@AARPLynne   I have and I'm not a champion.   Just have a good starter word for NYT Wordle.   Are people talking about Hurdle?  Or is there a Wordle here I'm missing out on?  Love to start the day with my NYT puzzles and then move on to the AARP ones.   

[pjc87guy]

Yes, Hurdle, of course. Getting the word on the first try happens occasionally yet rarely, but even you do not get five in a row on first guess.

[8strts]

I’m a laid back gamer. I love playing games and scores aren’t all that wonderful, too much stress and nail biting. I like to exercise my brain.

[2Papa]

I’m a fierce competitor with myself!

[ReTiReD51]

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Who doesn’t like to spike the ball and do a little end zone dance once in a while? Just don’t do it early like on the 20-yard line like I’ve done a time or two. Seriously healthy competition is good for the soul. It’s part of our human DNA. I don’t unfavorably compare myself with someone when in competition. But my goal is to be as good or better than someone else at playing online games. So sure, I try and play for the high scores but I don’t think I’m better than someone else because I out score them. So pick the online game double or nothing.

[ACB3]

Well said, but then you have people that get these high scores EVERYDAY which in 8 Ball pool is impossible. Try it someday. You can make a break from the exact same place every time and the balls will rarely do the same things. Plus if you look at the rules and scoring it is complete B.S. It doesn't give the points it says it does. I have played thousands of the same game and got 37000 once so how these few same people always get high score have figured out a way to cheat and it makes them feel good so good for them. We all like to feel good. Stay safe

And when you converse with Arkadium they don't have a clue!