Line #144 MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames


1	The period from the appearance of ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders'' in 1978 through MediaNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 is often known as the Golden Age of UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s, [[note]]In Japan, this time period, give or take a few years, was known as the ''Invader Boom,''[[/note]] when 8-bit Arcade VideoGames emerged to rule popular culture, coin-operated {{Video Arcade}}s appeared in every shopping mall, and soon the Platform/Atari2600 and its competitors popularized home video gaming by capitalizing on arcade ports.
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3	Back then, the titans of the arcade were longtime {{Pinball}} manufacturing veterans such as Creator/{{Bally}}, Creator/WilliamsElectronics, and Creator/{{Gottlieb}}; Creator/{{Sega}} was known for making UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s (including {{Vector Game}}s) rather than consoles; and Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] had never stomped on a Goomba. Creativity reigned, and a single visionary designer could still see an entire game through from concept to finished product, unlike the enormous Hollywood-style teams needed for today's AAA game franchises.[[note]]However, recent advances in digital distribution and the like have spurred an "indie" renaissance, once again allowing for very small teams to make games for profit by filling niches missed by bigger developers.[[/note]] {{Shoot Em Up}}s were especially popular, as outer space and stylized spacecraft were easy to render on the crude hardware of the day.
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5	Your mileage may vary about considering this era as a true "golden age", considering the fondness for games from later periods. Still, it was the first time video games hit the big time, and in terms of industry revenues, this period was one of the highest peaks the North American video game industry has ever reached to this day (and the highest overall when adjusted for inflation), so it qualifies to ''some'' extent. However, while the 1980s was the golden age for arcade games, some consider the 1990s to be the Golden Age for home video games (i.e. consoles and computers).
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8	[[index]]
9	!!Consoles from this period:
10	* Platform/Atari2600 (1977–1992)
11	* Platform/Atari5200 (1982–1984)
12	* Platform/ColecoVision (1982–1985)
13	* Platform/{{Intellivision}} (1979–1990)
14	* Platform/Odyssey2 (1978–1984)
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16	!!Games from the period included:
17	* ''VideoGame/{{Adventure}}''
18	* ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfRobbyRoto''
19	* ''VideoGame/AdventuresOfTRON''
20	* ''VideoGame/AirSeaBattle''
21	* ''VideoGame/{{Atlantis}}''
22	* ''VideoGame/{{Amidar}}''
23	* ''VideoGame/ArmorBattle''
24	* ''VideoGame/ArtilleryDuel''
25	* ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}''
26	** ''VideoGame/AsteroidsDeluxe''
27	** ''VideoGame/SpaceDuel''
28	* ''VideoGame/AstroBlaster''
29	* ''VideoGame/{{Astrosmash}}''
30	* ''VideoGame/{{Battlezone\|1980}}''
31	* ''VideoGame/BCsQuestForTires''
32	* ''VideoGame/{{Berzerk}}''
33	* ''VideoGame/BluePrint''
34	* ''VideoGame/{{Bosconian}}''
35	* ''VideoGame/{{Breakout}}''
36	* ''VideoGame/BuckRogersPlanetOfZoom''
37	* ''VideoGame/BumpNJump''
38	* ''VideoGame/BurgerTime''
39	* ''VideoGame/{{Carnival}}''
40	* ''VideoGame/{{Centipede}}''
41	** ''VideoGame/{{Millipede}}''
42	* ''VideoGame/ChuckNorrisSuperkicks''
43	* ''VideoGame/{{Circus}}''
44	* ''VideoGame/{{Combat\|Atari2600}}''
45	* ''VideoGame/CongoBongo''
46	* ''VideoGame/CosmicAvenger''
47	* ''VideoGame/CrazyClimber''
48	* ''VideoGame/{{Defender}}''
49	* ''VideoGame/DemonAttack''
50	* ''VideoGame/DigDug''
51	* ''VideoGame/{{Dishaster}}''
52	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''
53	* ''VideoGame/DragonsLair''
54	* ''VideoGame/{{Dragonstomper}}''
55	* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromTheMindmaster''
56	* ''VideoGame/FastEddie''
57	* ''VideoGame/{{Freeway}}''
58	* ''VideoGame/FrogBog''
59	* ''VideoGame/{{Frogger}}''
60	* ''VideoGame/{{Frostbite}}''
61	* ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}''
62	** ''VideoGame/{{Galaga}}''
63	* ''VideoGame/GhostManor''
64	* ''VideoGame/{{Gorf}}''
65	* ''VideoGame/{{Gyruss}}''
66	* ''VideoGame/{{Hamurabi}}''
67	* ''VideoGame/HauntedHouse''
68	* ''VideoGame/{{Indy 500\|Atari 2600}}''
69	* ''VideoGame/{{Joust}}''
70	* ''VideoGame/JungleHunt''
71	* ''VideoGame/{{Kaboom}}''
72	* ''VideoGame/{{Kangaroo}}''
73	* ''VideoGame/KCMunchkin''
74	* ''VideoGame/KeystoneKapers''
75	* ''VideoGame/KickMan''
76	* ''Videogame/KozmikKroozr''
77	* ''VideoGame/LibbleRabble''
78	* ''VideoGame/LockNChase''
79	* ''VideoGame/LostLuggage''
80	* ''VideoGame/LunarLander''
81	* ''VideoGame/{{Mangia}}''
82	* ''VideoGame/{{Mappy}}''
83	* ''VideoGame/MarioBros''
84	* ''VideoGame/{{Miner 2049er}}''
85	* ''VideoGame/MissileCommand''
86	* ''VideoGame/MrDo''
87	* ''VideoGame/MoonPatrol''
88	* ''VideoGame/MountainKing''
89	* ''VideoGame/MouseTrap1981''
90	* ''VideoGame/NightDriver''
91	* ''VideoGame/{{Oink}}''
92	* ''VideoGame/OmegaRace''
93	* ''VideoGame/PacMan''
94	* ''VideoGame/{{Pengo}}''
95	* ''VideoGame/PhaserPatrol''
96	* ''VideoGame/Phoenix1980''
97	* ''VideoGame/{{Phozon}}''
98	* ''VideoGame/{{Pitfall}}''
99	* ''VideoGame/PlaqueAttack''
100	* ''VideoGame/PolePosition''
101	* ''VideoGame/QBert''
102	* ''VideoGame/{{Qix}}''
103	* ''VideoGame/RallyX''
104	* ''VideoGame/RedBaron''
105	* ''VideoGame/RiverRaid''
106	* ''VideoGame/{{Robotron 2084}}''
107	* ''VideoGame/{{Scramble}}''
108	* ''VideoGame/{{Shamus}}''
109	* ''VideoGame/{{Sheriff}}''
110	* ''VideoGame/{{Sinistar}}''
111	* ''VideoGame/SkyKid''
112	* ''VideoGame/SkySkipper''
113	* ''VideoGame/{{Snake}}''
114	* ''VideoGame/SpaceBattle''
115	* ''VideoGame/SpaceFury''
116	* ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders''
117	* ''VideoGame/SpikesPeak''
118	* ''VideoGame/SpyHunter''
119	* ''VideoGame/StarCastle''
120	* ''VideoGame/StarFox1983''
121	* ''VideoGame/StarRaiders''
122	* ''VideoGame/StarShip''
123	* ''VideoGame/SubRoc3D''
124	* ''VideoGame/{{Surround}}''
125	* ''VideoGame/{{Swordquest}}''
126	* ''VideoGame/TailGunner''
127	* ''VideoGame/{{Tapper}}''
128	* ''VideoGame/{{Targ}}''
129	* ''VideoGame/TaxAvoiders''
130	* ''VideoGame/{{Tempest}}''
131	* ''VideoGame/{{Thief\|ArcadeGame}}''
132	* ''VideoGame/TimePilot''
133	* ''VideoGame/TrackAndField''
134	* ''VideoGame/{{Vanguard}}''
135	* ''VideoGame/{{Venture}}''
136	* ''VideoGame/VideoOlympics''
137	* ''VideoGame/VideoPinball''
138	* ''VideoGame/{{Wacko}}''
139	* ''VideoGame/{{Warlords}}''
140	* ''VideoGame/WizardOfWor''
141	* ''VideoGame/{{Xevious}}''
142	* ''VideoGame/YarsRevenge''
143	* ''VideoGame/{{Zaxxon}}''
144	* ''VideoGame/ZooKeeper1983''
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146	There were even some early licensed games, many of which [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames actually didn't suck]]:
147	* ''VideoGame/CabbagePatchKidsAdventuresInThePark''
148	* ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'': has possibly the worst reputation of all video games, ever. (It's not as bad as its reputation suggests, but what could be?)
149	* ''VideoGame/{{Ghostbusters\|1984}}''
150	* [[/index]]''VideoGame/Journey1983''[[index]], a Bally arcade game, and ''VideoGame/JourneyEscape'', a 1982 Atari 2600 game.
151	* ''VideoGame/{{Popeye}}''
152	* ''VideoGame/RaidersOfTheLostArk''
153	* ''VideoGame/SmurfRescueInGargamelsCastle''
154	* ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManAtari2600 Spider-Man]]''
155	* ''VideoGame/StarTrekStrategicOperationsSimulator''
156	* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheArcadeGame''
157	* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBackAtari2600''
158	* ''VideoGame/SupermanAtari2600''
159	* ''{{VideoGame/TRON}}''
160	* ''VideoGame/TronDeadlyDiscs''
161	* ''VideoGame/TronMazeATron''
162	[[/index]]

Context MediaNotes / TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames