'''playerData['highLevel']''' will be '''false''' if '''playerData[highLevel] == 0''' in addition to to the desired case where '''playerData.highLevel''' is and undefined map entry. Checking if an entry exists in an AS3 Dictionary/map has surprisingly many versions, but a reasonable version appears at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/695215/how-to-determine-if-an-associative-array-has-a-key :

'''"highLevel" in playerData'''

Likewise for '''highTime'''