Arcade game machines, by their very nature as fixed-system cabinets, do not possess the dynamic, patchable infrastructure of modern online games to formally integrate player-created lore. However, they have cultivated and handled player lore expansions through several ingenious, often emergent, methods. The primary and most classic vector is the high score board. By entering their initials, players are not just claiming a rank; they are inscribing a character, a persona, into the machine's memory. This simple act transforms the abstract "1st place" into the legend of "ABC," a mythical player whose prowess is discussed by those who see the stored score. This player-created identity becomes a foundational piece of the arcade's local lore.

Furthermore, arcade games are rife with Easter eggs, glitches, and obscure mechanics that serve as fertile ground for myth-making. The infamous "kill screen" in *Pac-Man* wasn't an intended feature but a glitch that became a central part of the game's legend, a forbidden frontier that spoke of ultimate limits. Rumors of secret characters, like the supposed ability to play as Sheng Long in *Street Fighter II*, spread through player communities, creating elaborate stories and methods that, while often false, expanded the perceived universe of the game far beyond its code. Developers sometimes retroactively acknowledged this player-driven narrative. For instance, the character of "Mr. Awesome" from *Rampage World Tour* was directly inspired by a real player who held a record-setting score, thus canonizing a player's achievement into the game's official storyline.

In the modern era, the handling of arcade lore has evolved. While the cabinets themselves remain static, online communities, forums, and social media platforms have become the repositories and amplifiers for this player-created content. Speedrunning histories, detailed explanations of glitches, and fan art based on high score initials are all curated online, creating a rich, expansive lore that is detached from the physical machine but intrinsically linked to the experience it provides. Therefore, arcade games handle player-created lore not through direct code modification, but by providing a constrained, high-score-oriented sandbox where player achievement, community rumor, and emergent gameplay coalesce into a lasting, player-driven narrative legacy.