1980s in video games

Video game-related events in 1980s

* 1970s
* 1980s in video games
* 1990s

Other topics in 1980s:

* Anthropology
* Comics
* Fashion
* Motorsport
* Music
* Science and technology
* Sociology
* Television

Pac-Man (1980)

The 1980s was the second decade in the industry's history. It was a decade of highs and lows for video games. The decade began amidst a boom in the arcade video game business with the golden age of arcade video games, the Atari 2600's dominance of the home console market during the second generation of video game consoles, and the rising influence of home computers. However, an oversatuation of low quality games led to an implosion of the video game market that nearly destroyed the industry in North America.[1] Most investors believed video games to be a fad that had since passed,[2] up until Nintendo's success with its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES, Famicom) revived interest in game consoles and led to a recovery of the home video game industry.[3] In the remaining years of the decade, Sega ignites a console war with Nintendo, developers that had been affected by the crash experimented with PC games,[4] and Nintendo released the Game Boy, which would become the best-selling handheld gaming device for the next two decades.[5] Other consoles released in the decade included the Intellivision, ColecoVision, TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) and Sega Genesis (Mega Drive).

Notable games of the 1980s included Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Metroid, Elite, Tetris, SimCity, Galaga, Contra, Pitfall!, Frogger, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Defender, Missile Command, Mega Man 2, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Super Mario Bros. 2, Bubble Bobble, Double Dragon, Final Fight, Ninja Gaiden, Adventure, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Arkanoid, Populous, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, R-Type, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Super Mario Bros. 3, Prince of Persia, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Gauntlet, Strider, Tron, Dragon's Lair, Golden Axe, Ms. Pac-Man, Out Run, Dungeon Master, Final Fantasy, Altered Beast, Shinobi, Tempest, Lode Runner, Super Mario Land, Battlezone, Dragon Quest, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, Pole Position, and Marble Madness.

## Consoles of the 1980s

[edit]

### Third generation consoles (1983–1993)

[edit]

Main article: Third generation of video game consoles

The Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the mid-1980s and became the best-selling gaming console of its time.

Starting in 1983 the third generation began with the Japanese release of the Family Computer (or "Famicom"; later known as the Nintendo Entertainment System in the rest of the world) by Nintendo. Although the previous generation of consoles had also used 8-bit processors, it was at the end of this generation that home consoles were first labeled by their "bits". This also came into fashion as 16-bit systems like Sega's Genesis were marketed to differentiate between the generations of consoles. In the United States, this generation in gaming was primarily dominated by the NES/Famicom. Other notable consoles included Sega's Mark III, also known as the Master System.

### Early Fourth generation consoles (1987–1996)

[edit]

The Sega Genesis was released in North America in 1989.

Main article: Fourth generation of video game consoles

Starting in 1987 with the PC Engine in Japan and ending in 1996, with the last console being the Neo-Geo in 1991, the fourth generation of video game consoles consisted primarily of games and systems programmed for the 16-bit era. During this generation, 2D graphics had improved over the previous generation and experimentation began to occur with 3D graphics, although 3D games were more prevalent on the PC at the time. The fourth generation also was the first time compact discs were considered a viable port for video game retail sales with the CD-i. Some of the most notable systems released during this generation were the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990), the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (1988), and the Neo Geo (1991).[6] Nintendo's Game Boy was also released during the fourth generation, which would become the most popular series of handheld gaming systems during the 1990s.[7] A rivalry between Sega and Nintendo occurred during this generation, starting the first ever console war.

## History

[edit]

### Golden age of arcade games

[edit]

Main article: Golden age of arcade video games

In the early-1980s, arcade games were a vibrant industry. The arcade video game industry in the US alone was generating $5 billion of revenue annually in 1981[8] and the number of arcades doubled between 1980 and 1982.[9] The effect video games had on society expanded to other mediums as well such as major films and music. In 1982, "Pac-Man Fever" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 charts[10] and Tron became a cult classic.[11]

### Third-party development and an oversaturated market

[edit]

Following a dispute over recognition and royalties, several of Atari's key programmers split and founded their own company Activision in late 1979.[12] Activision was the first third-party developer for the Atari 2600.[13] Atari sued Activision for copyright infringement and theft of trade secrets in 1980,[14] but the two parties settled on fixed royalty rates and a legitimizing process for third parties to develop games on hardware.[15]

In the aftermath of the lawsuit, an oversaturated market resulted in companies that had never had an interest in video games before beginning to work on their own promotional games; brands like Purina Dog Food.[16] The market was also flooded with too many consoles and too many poor quality games,[17] elements that would contribute to the collapse of the entire video game industry in 1983.

### American video game crash of 1983

[edit]

Main article: Video game crash of 1983

By 1983, the video game bubble created during the golden age had burst and several major companies that produced computers and consoles had gone into bankruptcy.[18] Atari reported a $536 million loss in 1983.[19] Some entertainment experts and investors lost confidence in the medium and believed it was a passing fad.[20] A game often given poster child status to this era, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial had such bad sale figures that the remaining unsold cartridges were buried in the deserts of New Mexico.[21][22]

### Rise of computer gaming

[edit]

The brunt of the crash was felt mainly across the home console market. Home computer gaming continued to thrive in this time period, especially with lower-cost machines such as the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and IBM Personal Computer. Some computer companies adopted aggressive advertising strategies to compete with gaming consoles and to promote their educational appeal to parents as well.[23][24] Home computers also allowed motivated users to develop their own games, and many notable titles were created this way, such as Jordan Mechner's Karateka, which he wrote on an Apple II while in college.[25]

In the late 1980s, IBM PC compatibles became popular as gaming devices, with more memory and higher resolutions than consoles, but lacking in the custom hardware that allowed the slower console systems to create smooth visuals.[26]

### Rejuvenation

[edit]

By 1985, the home market console in North America had been dormant for nearly two years. Elsewhere, video games continued to be a staple of innovation and development. After seeing impressive numbers from its Famicom system in Japan, Nintendo decided to jump into the North American market by releasing the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short. After release it took several years to build up momentum, but despite the pessimism of critics it became a success. Nintendo is credited with reviving the home console market.[3]

One innovation that led to Nintendo's success was its ability to tell stories on an inexpensive home console; something that was more common for home computer games, but had only been seen on consoles in a limited fashion. Nintendo also took measures to prevent another crash by requiring third-party developers to adhere to regulations and standards, something that has existed on major consoles since then. One requirement was a "lock and key" system to prevent reverse engineering. It also forced third parties to pay in full for their cartridges before release, so that in case of a flop, the liability will be on the developer and not the provider.[27]

## Notable video-game franchises established in the 1980s

[edit]

### Arcades

[edit]

* 1942 (1984)
* After Burner (1987)
* Altered Beast (1988)
* Arkanoid (1986)
* Balloon Fight (1984)
* Baraduke (1985)
* Battlezone (1980)
* Berzerk (1980)
* Bionic Commando (1987)
* Bomb Jack (1984)
* Bubble Bobble (1986)
* BurgerTime (1982)
* Centipede (1981)
* Contra (1987)
* Darius (1987)
* Defender (1981)
* Dig Dug (1982)
* Donkey Kong (1981)
* Double Dragon (1987)
* Dragon's Lair (1983)
* Fantasy Zone (1986)
* Final Fight (1989)
* Frenzy (1982)
* Frogger (1981)
* Gauntlet (1985)
* Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985)
* Golden Axe (1989)
* Golden Tee Golf (1989)
* Gradius (1985)
* Hang-On (1985)
* Joust (1982)
* Jungle King (1982)
* Kunio-kun (1986)
* Ikari Warriors (1986)
* Mappy (1983)
* Missile Command (1980)
* Mr. Do! (1982)
* Ms. Pac-Man2 (1982)
* Ninja Gaiden (1988)
* OutRun (1986)
* Pac-Man (1980)
* Paperboy (1985)
* Pocky & Rocky (1986)
* Pole Position (1982)
* Punch-Out!! (1984)
* Q*bert (1982)
* Qix (1981)
* Rally-X (1980)
* Rampage (1986)
* Red Baron (1981)
* Robotron: 2084 (1982)
* R-Type (1987)
* Rush'n Attack (1985)
* Shinobi (1987)
* Space Harrier (1985)
* Spy Hunter (1983)
* Street Fighter (1987)
* Strider (1989)
* Super Cobra (1981)
* Tempest (1981)
* Track & Field (1983)
* Tron1 (1982)
* TwinBee (1985)
* Wonder Boy (1986)
* World Stadium (1988)
* Xevious (1982)
* Zaxxon (1982)

### Consoles and home computers

[edit]

* Adventure Island (1986)
* Alien1 (1982)
* Alternate Reality (1985)
* Alex Kidd (1986)
* The Bard's Tale (1985)
* Batman1 (1986)
* BattleTech (1988)
* Blaster Master (1988)
* Bomberman (1983)
* Bonk (1989)
* Boulder Dash (1984)
* Carmen Sandiego (1985)
* Castlevania (1986)
* Choplifter (1982)
* Dizzy (1987)
* Dragon Ball1 (1986)
* Dragon Quest (1986)
* Dragon Slayer (1984)
* Dungeons & Dragons (1988)
* Dungeon Explorer (1989)
* Dungeon Master (1987)
* Elite (1984)
* Excitebike (1984)
* Famicom Detective Club (1988)
* Family Stadium (1986)
* Final Fantasy (1987)
* Fire Pro Wrestling (1989)
* G.I. Joe1 (1983)
* Godzilla1 (1983)
* Horace (1982)
* James Bond1 (1983)
* Jetpac (1983)
* Kid Icarus (1986)
* King's Quest (1980)
* Last Ninja (1987)
* The Legend of Heroes (1989)
* The Legend of Zelda (1986)
* Leisure Suit Larry (1987)
* Lode Runner (1983)
* Madden NFL (1988)
* Maniac Mansion (1987)
* Manic Miner (1983)
* MechWarrior2 (1989)
* Mega Man (1987)
* Megami Tensei (1987)
* Metal Gear (1987)
* Metroid (1986)
* Microsoft Flight Simulator (1982)
* Middle-earth1 (1982)
* Might and Magic (1986)
* Mother (1989)
* Parodius (1988)
* Phantasie (1985)
* Phantasy Star (1987)
* Pitfall! (1982)
* Police Quest (1987)
* Populous (1989)
* Prince of Persia (1989)
* The Prisoner1 (1980)
* RealSports (1982)
* RoboCop1 (1988)
* Rocky's Boots (1982)
* Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1985)
* SaGa (1989)
* Shadow of the Beast (1989)
* SimCity (1989)
* Space Quest (1986)
* Spider-Man1 (1982)
* Star Raiders (1980)
* Star Soldier (1986)
* Super Mario (1985)
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles1 (1989)
* Test Drive (1987)
* Tetris (1985)
* Thunder Force (1983)
* Ultima (1981)
* Wasteland (1988)
* Wizardry (1981)
* Wolfenstein (1981)
* X-Men1 (1989)
* Ys (1987)

Notes:

* 1Game franchises that also accompany major film or television franchises.
* 2Game franchises that are considered spin-offs of previously established franchises.

## Financial performance

[edit]

### Highest-grossing arcade games of the decade

[edit]

See also: List of highest-grossing arcade games

The following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of each year in the 1980s, in terms of coin drop earnings.

Highest-grossing arcade games of the 1980s  Year  | Market  | Chart(s)  | Title  | Revenue  | Inflation  | Developer  | Manufacturer(s)  | Genre  | Ref

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1980 | Worldwide  | —  | Pac-Man | $6 billion | $20 billion | Namco | Namco / Midway | Maze | [28][29]
1981
1982
1983 | Worldwide  | —  | Pole Position | Un­known  | Namco  | Namco / Atari | Racing | [30]
1984 | UK | Un­known  | Track & Field | Un­known  | Konami | Konami | Olympic sports | [31]
USA | AMOA  | Pole Position | Un­known  | Namco  | Atari | Racing  | [32]
RePlay | Pole Position II | Un­known  | Namco  | Atari  | Racing  | [33]
1985 | UK  | Un­known  | Commando | Un­known  | Capcom | Capcom | Run-and-gun | [31]
USA  | Play Meter | Hang-On | Un­known  | Sega | Sega | Racing  | [34]
RePlay | Karate Champ | Un­known  | Technōs | Data East | Fighting | [35]
1986 | Japan | Game Machine | Hang-On | Un­known  | Sega  | Sega  | Racing  | [36][37]
UK  | Electrocoin (London)  | Nemesis (Gradius) | Un­known  | Konami | Konami | Scrolling shooter | [38]
USA  | Play Meter | Gauntlet | Un­known  | Atari Games | Atari Games | Hack-and-slash | [39]
RePlay | Hang-On | Un­known  | Sega  | Sega  | Racing  | [40]
1987 | Japan  | Gamest / Game Machine | Out Run | Un­known  | Sega  | Sega  | Driving | [41][42]
USA  | Play Meter | Sega  | Sega  | Driving  | [43]
1988 | Japan  | Gamest / Game Machine | After Burner | Un­known  | Sega  | Sega  | Air combat | [44][45]
Hong Kong | Bondeal  | RoboCop | Un­known  | Data East  | Data East  | Action | [46]
UK  | Un­known  | Operation Wolf | Un­known  | Taito | Taito | Light gun shooter | [47]
USA  | Play Meter | Double Dragon | Un­known  | Technōs  | Taito  | Beat 'em up | [48]
1989 | Japan  | Dedicated cabinet | Final Lap | Un­known  | Namco  | Namco | Racing  | [49]
Conversion kit | Tetris | Un­known  | Sega  | Sega  | Puzzle | [49][50]
USA  | AMOA (dedicated)  | Double Dragon | Un­known  | Technōs  | Taito  | Beat 'em up  | [51]
AMOA (conversion kit)  | Capcom Bowling | Un­known  | Strata | Capcom  | Sports
RePlay (dedicated)  | Super Off Road | Un­known  | Leland | Leland | Racing  | [52]
RePlay (conversion kit)  | Ninja Gaiden | Un­known  | Tecmo | Tecmo | Beat 'em up

### Best-selling home video games of the decade

[edit]

The following table lists the top 20 best-selling home video games of the 1980s. Note that video game sales numbers were not as widely reported during the 1980s, with the exception of titles published by Nintendo and Atari, Inc.

Best-selling home video games of the 1980s (as of 2015)  No. | Title  | Units sold  | Initial release date  | Platform(s)  | Genre  | Developer  | Publisher(s)  | Ref

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|
|

1  | Super Mario Bros. | 40.24 million  | September 13, 1985 | NES | Platformer | Nintendo R&D4 | Nintendo | [53]
2  | Tetris (Game Boy) | 35 million  | June 14, 1989 | Game Boy | Puzzle | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | [54]
3  | Duck Hunt | 28.31 million  | April 29, 1984 | NES | Light gun shooter | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | [55]
4  | Super Mario Land | 18.14 million  | April 21, 1989 | Game Boy | Platformer | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | [56]
5  | Super Mario Bros. 3 | 17.28 million  | October 23, 1988 | NES | Platformer | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [56]
6  | Donkey Kong | 15.05 million  | June 1982 | G&W, Coleco, Atari, NES | Platformer | Nintendo R&D1 | Coleco, Atari Corporation | [a]
7  | Pac-Man | 11.15 million  | 1982 | VCS, Coleco, NES, PC | Maze | Namco | Atari, Coleco, Namco, Thunder Mountain  | [b]
8  | Tetris (NES) | 8 million  | November 1989 | NES | Puzzle | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | [67]
9  | Super Mario Bros. 2 | 7.46 million  | October 9, 1988 | NES | Platformer | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [56]
10  | The Legend of Zelda | 6.51 million  | February 21, 1986 | NES | Action-adventure | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [68]
11  | Space Invaders | 6.09 million  | March 1980 | Atari VCS | Shoot 'em up | Taito | Atari, Inc. | [62][c]
12  | The Last Ninja 2 | 5.5 million  | August 29, 1988 | Computers | Action-adventure | System 3 | Activision | [69]
13  | Pitfall! | 5 million  | April 20, 1982 | Multi-platform | Platformer | Activision | Activision | [70]
14  | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | 4.38 million  | January 14, 1987 | NES | Action role-playing | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [71]
15  | Excitebike | 4.16 million  | November 30, 1984 | NES | Racing | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | [72]
16  | Frogger | 4.1 million  | August 1982 | Atari VCS, Computers | Action | Konami | Parker Brothers, Sierra On-Line | [d]
17  | Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? | 4 million  | June 1, 1985 | Multi-platform  | Educational | Broderbund | Broderbund | [75]
The Last Ninja | 4 million  | 1987 | Commodore 64 | Action-adventure | System 3 | Activision | [69]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 4 million  | May 12, 1989 | NES | Action-platformer | Konami | Ultra Games | [76]
Populous | 4 million  | June 5, 1989 | Multi-platform  | God game | Bullfrog Productions | Electronic Arts | [77]

### Best-selling home systems of the decade

[edit]

The following table lists the top 20 best-selling home systems in the 1980s, including home video game consoles, handheld game consoles, handheld electronic games, and personal computers.

Best-selling home systems in the 1980s  No. | System(s)  | Manufacturer  | Type  | Generation  | Release  | Hardware sales  | Software sales

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Japan | USA | Europe | Korea | Worldwide  | As of  | USA  | As of
1  | Famicom / NES | Nintendo | Console | Third | 1983 | 14,630,000[78] | 20,800,000+[79] | 1,000,000[80] | 20,000[81] | 36,450,000  | 1989 | 101,500,000[82] | 1989
2  | Game & Watch | Nintendo  | Handheld | —  | 1980 | —  | —  | —  | —  | 18,600,000+[83][84] | 1982 | —  | —
3  | Atari 2600 (Atari VCS)  | Atari | Console  | Second | 1977 | —  | —  | —  | —  | 18,450,000+[85][86] | 1986 | Un­known  | Un­known
4  | Commodore 64 | Commodore | Computer | 8-bit | 1982 | —  | —  | —  | —  | 13,700,000[87] | 1989
5  | IBM PC | IBM | Computer  | 8/16-bit | 1981 | —  | —  | —  | —  | 6,952,600+[e] | 1989
6  | ZX81 / ZX Spectrum | Sinclair | Computer  | 8-bit  | 1981  | —  | —  | —  | —  | 5,000,000[91] | 1985
7  | Apple II | Apple Inc. | Computer  | 8-bit  | 1977  | —  | —  | —  | —  | 4,487,000[87] | 1989
8  | NEC UltraLite / PC-88 / PC-98 | NEC | Computer  | 8/16-bit  | 1981  | 4,040,000[f] | 211,000+[90] | Un­known  | Un­known  | 4,251,000+  | 1989
9  | Famicom Disk System | Nintendo  | Console  | 8-bit  | 1986 | 4,000,000[92] | —  | —  | —  | 4,000,000  | 1989
10  | MSX | ASCII Corp. | Computer  | 8-bit  | 1983  | —  | —  | —  | —  | 4,000,000[93] | 1989
11  | Sega Mark III/Master System | Sega | Console  | Third  | 1985 | 1,440,000[94] | 1,665,000+[95][96][97] | 700,000[80] | 130,000[81] | 3,935,000+  | 1989
12  | Macintosh | Apple Inc.  | Computer  | 16-bit | 1984  | —  | —  | —  | —  | 3,502,000[87] | 1989
13  | Intellivision | Mattel | Console  | Second  | 1979 | —  | —  | —  | —  | 3,000,000+[98] | 1983
14  | Coleco Mini-Arcade | Coleco | Dedicated | —  | 1982  | —  | 3,000,000[99] | —  | —  | 3,000,000  | 1982  | —  | —
15  | PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 | NEC  | Console  | 8/16-bit | 1987 | 2,350,000[78] | 300,000[100] | Un­known  | Un­known  | 2,650,000+  | 1989  | Un­known
16  | Game Boy | Nintendo  | Handheld | 8-bit | 1989 | 1,480,000[78] | 1,000,000[79] | —  | —  | 2,500,000[101] | 1989
17  | ColecoVision | Coleco  | Console  | Second  | 1982  | —  | 2,000,000[102] | Un­known  | Un­known  | 2,000,000+  | 1984
18  | Amstrad CPC | Amstrad | Computer  | 8-bit  | 1984 | —  | Un­known  | 2,000,000[103] | —  | 2,000,000+  | 1989
19  | Atari 8-bit computers | Atari  | Computer  | 8-bit  | 1979  | —  | —  | —  | —  | 1,900,000[87] | 1989
20  | Amiga | Commodore  | Computer  | 16-bit  | 1985  | —  | —  | —  | —  | 1,600,000[87] | 1989

## Hardware timeline

[edit]

The following gallery highlights hardware used to predominantly play games throughout the 1980s.

* Computer TV-Game (1980)

* Game & Watch (1980)

* ColecoVision (1982)

* Atari 5200 (1982)

* Commodore 64 (1982)

* Apple IIe (1983)

* Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System (1983)

* NES Zapper/Video Shooting Series light gun (1985)

* Mark III/Master System (1985)

* Bubble Bobble (1986)

* Atari 7800 (1986)

* TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine (1987)

* Mega Drive/Genesis (1988)

* Game Boy (1989)

* Atari Lynx (1989)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Game & Watch version sold 8 million.[57] ColecoVision version sold 2 million.[58] Atari VCS version sold 4 million in 1982,[59] and 180,523 between 1987 and 1990.[60] Famicom version sold 840,000.[61] Atari 8-bit computer version sold 25,502.[60]
2. ^ Pac-Man:
* Atari 2600 version (1982) – 8,095,586 game cartridges (7,956,413 by 1983,[62] 139,173 between 1986 and 1990)[60]
* Coleco tabletop version (1982) – 1.5 million units[63]
* Pac-Man Nelsonic Game Watch (1982) – 500,000+ units[64]
* Family Computer (Famicom) version – 480,000 cartridges in Japan[65]
* Atari 5200 version – 35,011 cartridges (between 1986 and 1988)[60]
* Atari XE computer version – 42,359 copies (between 1986 and 1990)[60]
* Thunder Mountain's home computer budget release (1986) – 500,000+ copies[66]
3. ^ 1,318,655 in 1980. 2,964,137 in 1981. 1,373,033 in 1982. 435,353 in 1983.
4. ^ The Atari VCS version by Parker Brothers sold 4 million cartridges in 1982.[73] Sierra's home computer version sold more than 100,000 copies in the United States by 1985.[74]
5. ^ 3.575 million up until 1984.[87] 1.4 million in 1985.[88] 1.229 million in 1988.[89] 748,600+ in 1989.[90]
6. ^ See Market share of personal computer vendors § Japan.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Video Game Crash of 1983". YouTube.
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3. ^ a b "A 20-Year Old Legend".
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11. ^ "Top 20 cult films, according to our readers". The Boston Globe. 17 August 2006.
12. ^ John Hubner; William F. Kistner Jr (1983-11-28). "What went wrong at Atari". InfoWorld.
13. ^ "Classic Gaming Expo: ALAN MILLER". Archived from the original on 2012-02-08.
14. ^ "The History Of Activision".
15. ^ Beller, Peter C. (2 February 2009). "Activision's Unlikely Hero". Forbes.
16. ^ "Chase the Chuck Wagon". Archived from the original on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
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19. ^ "Five Million E.T. Pieces".
20. ^ "All Your History: The Video Game Crash of 1983".
21. ^ "10 Ridiculous Old-School Video Game Rumors (That Were Actually True)".
22. ^ "The Video Game Crash of 1983". YouTube.
23. ^ "80's Radio Shack Color Computer Commercial". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20.
24. ^ "Commodore VIC-20 ad with William Shatner". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20.
25. ^ "Jordan Mechner's Karateka remake looks to modernize a classic story". Polygon.
26. ^ Hague, James. "Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?".
27. ^ "Striking a BalanceIs Nintendo digging its grave with shovelware?".
28. ^ Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader. Portable Press. September 1999. p. 373\. ISBN 978-1-879682-74-0. "In 1982 alone, Americans pumped $6 billion in quarters into Pac-Man's mouth—more than they spent in Las Vegas casinos and movie theatres combined."
29. ^ Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader. Simon and Schuster. November 2012. p. 348\. ISBN 978-1-60710-670-8. "In 1982 alone, Americans pumped $6 billion in quarters into Pac-Man's mouth—more than they spent in Las Vegas casinos and movie theatres combined."
30. ^ "Racing Games Roundup: Facts". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition. Little Brown Books. 2008. p. 154.
31. ^ a b "Commando: Soldier of Fortune". Your Sinclair. No. 1\. January 1986. p. 54.
32. ^ "Michael Jackson Sweeps AMOA Awards; 'Pole Position' Wins In Games Division" (PDF). Cash Box. November 10, 1984. pp. 31, 33.
33. ^ "Top Hits of Last 5 Years". RePlay. March 1987.
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History of video games

* v
* t
* e

Chronology of video games

Early history|

* 1947–1972

1970s|

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

2000s|

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

2010s|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025
* In development

* v
* t
* e

Video game history by platform

By platform|

* Early mainframe games
* History of arcade video games
* Golden age
* Timeline
* History of video game consoles
* Crash of 1983
* Console war
* History of mobile games

By console generation|

* First (1972–1980)
* Second (1976–1992)
* Third (1983–2003)
* Fourth (1987–2003)
* Fifth (1993–2005)
* Sixth (1998–2013)
* Seventh (2005–2017)
* Eighth (2012–)
* Ninth (2020–)

* v
* t
* e

Video game genres

* List of video game genres

Action|

| Platformer|

* Endless runner
* Platform fighter

|

Shooter|

* Arena
* First-person
* Hero
* Light gun
* Shoot 'em up
* Bullet hell
* Rail
* Twin-stick
* Tactical
* Third-person

Survival|

* Battle royale
* Survival horror

Other|

* Beat 'em up
* Hack and slash
* Fighting
* Platform fighter
* Maze
* Pac-Man clone
* Snake
* Stealth

Action-adventure|

* Grand Theft Auto clone
* Metroidvania

Adventure|

* Escape room
* Graphic adventure
* Interactive fiction
* Interactive film
* Visual novel
* Walking sim

Digital tabletop|

* Deck-building
* Roguelike deck-building
* Digital collectible card

Puzzle|

* Hidden object
* Sokoban
* Tile-matching

Role-playing|

* Action role-playing
* Looter shooter
* Soulslike
* Dungeon crawl
* MMORPG
* Monster-taming
* Roguelike
* Roguelike deck-building
* Tactical role-playing
* Turn-based role-playing

Simulation|

| Life|

* Dating
* Farming
* God
* Social
* Virtual pet

|

CMS|

* Business
* City-building
* Government

Sports|

* Fishing
* Racing
* Kart racing
* Sim racing

Vehicle|

* Flight simulation
* Combat
* Lunar Lander
* Space
* Submarine simulator
* Train simulator
* Vehicular combat

Other|

* Falling-sand
* Immersive sim

Strategy|

* 4X
* Auto battler
* MOBA
* Real-time strategy
* Time management
* Real-time tactics
* Tactical role-playing
* Tower defense
* Turn-based strategy
* Turn-based tactics
* Artillery
* Wargame
* Grand strategy

Other genres|

* Cozy
* Fitness
* Horror
* Survival horror
* Incremental
* Music
* Rhythm
* Non-game
* Party
* Photography
* Programming
* Typing

Related concepts|

| Themes|

* Advergame
* Bishōjo
* Christian
* Comedy
* Educational
* Girls
* Licensed
* Otome
* Sexual
* Eroge
* Nonviolent
* Personalized
* Sci-fi
* Serious
* Art
* Climate change
* News

|

Player modes|

* Multiplayer
* Co-op
* PVP
* Single-player

Production|

* AAA
* Indie
* Doujin soft
* Fan game

Design|

* Casual
* Hypercasual
* Emergent gameplay
* FMV
* Gacha
* Kaizo
* Masocore
* Nonlinear gameplay
* Open world
* Sandbox
* Side-scrolling
* Twitch gameplay
* Vertically scrolling

Other|

* Minigame
* Toys-to-life
* Video game clone
* Video game modding
* Video game remake

* v
* t
* e

Video games by country

Africa|

* Ghana
* Kenya
* Nigeria
* South Africa

Americas|

* Latin America
* Brazil
* Colombia
* Canada
* United States

Asia|

* Bangladesh
* China
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Japan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Malaysia
* Philippines
* Russia
* Taiwan
* Thailand
* Turkey

Europe|

* Belgium
* Czech Republic
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Ireland
* Italy
* Lithuania
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Russia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

Portals:

* Video games
* 1980s

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*[No.]: Number
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*[e]: Edit this template