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1979 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Space Invaders Part II and Super Speed Race , along with new titles such as Asteroids , Football , Galaxian , Head On , Heiankyo Alien , Monaco GP , Sheriff and Warrior . For the second year in a row, the highest-grossing video game was Taito's arcade game Space Invaders and the best-selling home system was the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS).
Space Invaders was the top-grossing video game worldwide in 1979, [1] having become the arcade game industry's all-time best-seller by 1979. [2] The following table lists the year's top-grossing arcade game in Japan, the United Kingdom, United States, and worldwide.
Market | Title | Cabinet sales | Developer | Distributor | Genre | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | Space Invaders | 300,000 [1] [3] | Taito | Taito | Shoot 'em up | [4] [5] |
United Kingdom | Space Invaders | Unknown [lower-alpha 1] | Taito | Midway Manufacturing | Shoot 'em up | [1] |
United States | Space Invaders | 55,000 | Taito | Midway Manufacturing | Shoot 'em up | [6] [7] |
Worldwide | Space Invaders | 355,000+ | Taito | Shoot 'em up | [1] |
In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1979, according to the annual Game Machine chart. Taito's Space Invaders was the highest-grossing arcade game for a second year in a row. [4] [5]
Rank [4] | Title | Points | Developer | Distributor | Genre | Cabinet sales | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | #2 | #3 | Total | ||||||
1 | Space Invaders | 40 | 4 | 3 | 131 | Taito | Taito | Shoot 'em up | 300,000 [1] [3] |
2 | Galaxian | 9 | 13 | 9 | 62 | Namco | Namco | Shoot 'em up | Unknown |
3 | Monaco GP | 9 | 11 | 8 | 57 | Sega | Sega | Racing | |
4 | Head On | 0 | 11 | 2 | 24 | Sega/Gremlin | Sega | Maze | |
5 | Super Speed Race V | 2 | 5 | 1 | 17 | Taito | Taito | Racing | |
6 | Speed Race CL-5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | Taito | Taito | Racing | |
Space Chaser | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Taito | Taito | Maze | ||
Special Dual | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Sega/Gremlin | Sega | Compilation | ||
Space Stranger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | Taito | Hoei Sangyo | Shoot 'em up | ||
10 | Heiankyo Alien (Digger) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | Theoretical Science Group | Denki Onkyō | Maze | |
Sheriff (Bandido) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | Shoot 'em up |
The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade video games of 1979 in the United States, according to Cash Box , Play Meter and RePlay magazines.
Rank | Cash Box [8] | Play Meter [9] | RePlay [6] | Cabinet sales |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Space Invaders | 55,000 [7] | ||
2 | — | Football | < 10,405 [10] | |
3 | — | Star Fire | Sprint 2 | Unknown |
4 | — | Space Wars | Head On | |
5 | — | Head On | Star Hawk | |
6 | — | Sprint 2 | Space Wars | |
7 | — | Crash | Star Fire | |
8 | — | Super Breakout | ||
9 | — | Star Hawk | Crash | |
10 | — | Video Pinball |
Rank | System(s) | Manufacturer(s) | Type | Generation | Sales | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) | Atari, Inc. | Console | Second | 1,000,000 | [11] |
2 | Personal computer (PC) | Various | Computer | — | 580,000 | [12] |
3 | TRS-80 | Tandy Corporation | Computer | 8-bit | 200,000 | [12] |
4 | NEC PC-8001 | NEC | Computer | 8-bit | 150,000 | [13] |
5 | Atari 400 / Atari 800 | Atari, Inc. | Computer | 8-bit | 100,000 | [12] |
6 | Commodore PET | Commodore International | Computer | 8-bit | 45,000 | [12] |
7 | Apple II | Apple Inc. | Computer | 8-bit | 35,000 | [12] |
Electronic Games magazine hosted the first Arkie Awards in 1980, for games in 1979. [14] [15]
Award | Winner | Platform(s) |
---|---|---|
Game of the Year | Space Invaders | Arcade |
Best Pong Variant | Video Olympics | Atari VCS |
Best Sports Game | Football | Bally Professional Arcade |
Best Target Game | Air-Sea Battle | Atari VCS |
Best S.F. Game | Cosmic Conflict | Odyssey² |
Best Solitaire Game | Golf | Odyssey² |
Most Innovative Game | Basketball | Atari VCS |
Best Audio and Visual Effects | Bally | Arcade / Bally |
Zaxxon is a scrolling shooter developed and released by Sega as an arcade video game in 1982. The player pilots a ship through heavily defended space fortresses. Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki was also involved in the game's development.
Namco Limited was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, and Shanghai Namco in mainland China.
Frogger is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and published by Sega. In North America, it was distributed by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct five frogs to their homes by dodging traffic on a busy road, then crossing a river by jumping on floating logs and alligators.
1983 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Mario Bros. and Pole Position II, along with new titles such as Astron Belt, Champion Baseball, Dragon's Lair, Elevator Action, Spy Hunter and Track & Field. Major events include the video game crash of 1983 in North America, and the third generation of video game consoles beginning with the launch of Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) and Sega's SG-1000 in Japan. The year's highest-grossing video game was Namco's arcade game Pole Position, while the year's best-selling home system was Nintendo's Game & Watch for the third time since 1980.
Defender is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released as an arcade video game in 1981. The game is set on either an unnamed planet or city where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis's first video game project and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Defender was demonstrated in late 1980 and was released in March 1981. It was distributed in Japan by Taito.
Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them.
The golden age of arcade video games was the period of rapid growth, technological development, and cultural influence of arcade video games from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The release of Space Invaders in 1978 led to a wave of shoot-'em-up games such as Galaxian and the vector graphics-based Asteroids in 1979, made possible by new computing technology that had greater power and lower costs. Arcade video games switched from black-and-white to color, with titles such as Frogger and Centipede taking advantage of the visual opportunities of bright palettes.
The following article is a broad timeline of arcade video games.
1993 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden, Mortal Kombat II, Secret of Mana, and Super Street Fighter II, alongside new titles such as Star Fox, FIFA International Soccer, Doom, Gunstar Heroes, Myst, Samurai Shodown, Ridge Racer, NBA Jam, Disney's Aladdin, and Virtua Fighter.
1986 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario Bros. 2, along with new titles such as Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Dragon Quest, Ikari Warriors, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Out Run and R.B.I. Baseball. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Hang-On in Japan, Hang-On and Gauntlet in the United States, and Nemesis (Gradius) in London. The year's best‑selling home system was the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) for the third year in a row, while the year's best-selling home video games in Western markets were Super Mario Bros. in the United States and Yie Ar Kung-Fu in the United Kingdom.
1985 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario Bros. and Kung Fu, along with new titles such as Commando, Duck Hunt, Gauntlet, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Gradius, Hang-On, Space Harrier, Tetris and The Way of the Exploding Fist. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Hang-On and Karate Champ in the United States, and Commando in the United Kingdom. The year's best‑selling home system was the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) for a consecutive year, while the year's best‑selling home video game was Super Mario Bros.
1984 saw many sequels and prequels along with new titles such as 1942, Boulder Dash, Cobra Command, Jet Set Willy, Karate Champ, Kung-Fu Master, Yie Ar Kung-Fu and Punch-Out!! The year's highest-grossing arcade games were Pole Position in the United States, for the second year in a row, and Track & Field in the United Kingdom. The year's best-selling home system was Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom), which was only sold in Japan at the time.
1982 was the peak year for the golden age of arcade video games as well as the second generation of video game consoles. Many games were released that would spawn franchises, or at least sequels, including Dig Dug, Pole Position, Mr. Do!, Zaxxon, Q*bert, Time Pilot and Pitfall! The year's highest-grossing video game was Namco's arcade game Pac-Man, for the third year in a row, while the year's best-selling home system was the Atari 2600. Additional video game consoles added to a crowded market, notably the ColecoVision and Atari 5200. Troubles at Atari late in the year triggered the video game crash of 1983.
Fueled by the previous year's release of the colorful and appealing Pac-Man, the audience for arcade video games in 1981 became much wider. Pac-Man influenced maze games began appearing in arcades and on home systems. Pac-Man was the highest grossing video game for the second year in a row. Nintendo's Donkey Kong defined the platform game genre, while Konami's Scramble established scrolling shooters. The lesser known Jump Bug combined the two concepts into both the first scrolling platform game and the first platform shooter. Other arcade hits released in 1981 include Defender, Frogger, and the Galaxian sequel Galaga.
1980 saw the release of a number of games with influential concepts, including Pac-Man, Battlezone, Crazy Climber, Mystery House, Missile Command, Phoenix, Rally-X, Space Panic, Stratovox, Zork, Adventure, and Olympic Decathlon. The year's highest-grossing video game was Namco's arcade game Pac-Man, while the best-selling home system was Nintendo's Game & Watch. The Atari VCS also grew in popularity with a port of Space Invaders and support from new third-party developer Activision.
1978 saw the release of new video games such as Space Invaders. The year is considered the beginning of the golden age of arcade video games. The year's highest-grossing video game was Taito's arcade game Space Invaders, while the best-selling home system was the Atari Video Computer System.
In video gaming parlance, a conversion is the production of a game on one computer or console that was originally written for another system. Over the years, video game conversion has taken form in a number of different ways, both in their style and the method in which they were converted.
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. Most investors believed video games to be a fad that had since passed, up until Nintendo's success with its Nintendo Entertainment System revived interest in game consoles and led to a recovery of the home video game industry. 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, and Nintendo released the Game Boy, which would become the best-selling handheld gaming device for the next two decades. Other consoles released in the decade included the Intellivision, ColecoVision, TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis.
The 1970s was the first decade in the history of the video game industry. The 1970s saw the development of some of the earliest video games, chiefly in the arcade game industry, but also several for the earliest video game consoles and personal computers.
An arcade video game is an arcade game where the player's inputs from the game's controllers are processed through electronic or computerized components and displayed to a video device, typically a monitor, all contained within an enclosed arcade cabinet. Arcade video games are often installed alongside other arcade games such as pinball and redemption games at amusement arcades. Up until the late 1990s, arcade video games were the largest and most technologically advanced sector of the video game industry.