(CNN) -- 586. 2,850. 5,400. 789,349.
These are all world-record numbers. But they aren't weights, distances or speeds. They are achievements in video gaming.
They're all recorded in "Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition," which highlights unprecedented scores, players and games. The book is the fourth edition dedicated to gamers, produced by the company that has been tracking world records since 1955.
This year's edition emphasizes the fact that people of all ages are gaming these days. Ryota Wada, a 9-year old from Tokyo, set the record for being the youngest person to reach a perfect score on the expert level of "Dance Dance Revolution."
On the other end of the age spectrum, John Bates, an 85-year old from Onalaska, Wisconsin, scored 2,850 perfect games in Wii Sports Bowling. Bates got his Wii in 2008 and kept logs of his bowling efforts. "I didn't get my first perfect game until 2009, and I did that left-handed." (Bates is normally right-handed.)
He does have a special technique, which others have tried to emulate with little success.
"I use both hands on the remote, move the cursor to the outside of the lane, then aim for the 1,3 pocket," Bates explained. "I watch my breathing and throw the ball for a perfect strike."
Sometimes, records fall from sheer determination to prove someone else wrong. Not wanting to be outdone by her male counterparts, Annie Leung of San Francisco decided to rock out harder on "Guitar Hero 3" than anyone else.
Although she wasn't able to break the overall record (985,206 by Danny Johnson in 2009), she did set a record for highest score by a female gamer when she amassed 789,349 points while jamming to DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames" on the expert setting.
"I chose 'Through the Fire and Flames' because it is one of the most difficult and lengthy songs of the 'Guitar Hero' games," Leung said. "Not only would it be difficult for others to beat but it would also showcase my skills."
Leung honed those skills for three years, playing in tournaments and practicing for hours. She said that when she decided to attempt the record, she hadn't played that song in more than two years.
"I remember spending seven to nine hours the first week getting back into the game and also having very sore wrists and fingers," she said. "After that, I practiced less, about three or four hours a couple times a week. It took me about two months to set my current record.
"This record is like the icing on my cake of accomplishments. It solidifies my skills and status as the best female 'Guitar Hero' player in the world."
Not all records take skill with a controller to achieve gaming immortality. Some just require the will of a packrat.
Mitsugu Kikai, a 25-year old from Tokyo, was born the same year that the first "Super Mario Bros." game was introduced to the world. Whether it was fate or karma, Kikai began collecting Super Mario memorabilia when he was a boy and has amassed 5,400 individual items from the Mario world.
"The first thing my parents bought me was a Mario bowl for rice, but as I was very little then, I don't remember about it," Kikai said. "I never tried to become a number one collector, but as I loved Mario since I was little, the collection gradually grew.
"I live in two-bedroom apartment in Tokyo, and I dedicate one room entirely for the collection and use the other room for living. I also have many items left in my parents' house."
The "Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition" includes more than just numbers and stories. The book lists the top 10 games of 2010, the top 50 characters of all time and lists of old game titles with record scores ready to be beaten by someone with a Sega Genesis or Intellivision console.
And the records keep on falling.
Last month, a new game established a whopping seven records recognized by Guinness, including the record for most user-generated video game levels played in one marathon session (586 levels).
Three dedicated players and a cast of many sitting in the fourth chair spent 51 hours (also a record) playing the new release, "LittleBigPlanet 2." During their marathon session, the team also established records for longest marathon playing a platform video game (51 hours), most video game genres played in one video game in 24 hours (38 genres) and most user-generated video game levels played in 24 hours (272 levels).
David Dino was one of the hardcore three who stuck it out for nearly the entire 51 hours. He said the mental challenges in setting the record were toughest. After a while, his physical abilities started to fade as well.
"Our reflexes got slower. It got harder to play easier levels," he said. "We started looking for fun, party stuff to play."
After all the playing was done, Guinness also recognized the game itself for two records: most gaming genres in one game and most player-created levels in one game.
So will those new records stand the test of time? Will they even make it into the Guinness World Record Gamer's Edition book for next year? That may depend on how dedicated a gamer you are.
