Glossary Entry: A Winner is You

Quick Definition

This is a disappointing ending found in some games. Instead of something that would provide closure to the story or a big celebratory fanfare, all the player gets for completing the game is a message that reads "You win!".

Old games, such as those on the NES, didn't have room on their cartridge to store fancy ending sequences, so they often defaulted to something simple like this. In fact, the phrase "A Winner is You" originated with the NES game Pro Wrestling, which presented the victorious player with this phrase and a picture of their chosen character.

Today, players expect (or even demand) something more for beating a game; even a simple slide show or epilogue screen is welcome compared to this.


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