Global Information1980s in video games information
| 1970s . 1980s in video games . 1990s |
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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 business with giants like Atari still dominating the American market since the late-1970s. Another, the rising influence of the home computer, and a lack of quality in the games themselves led to an implosion of the video game market that nearly destroyed the industry in North America.[1] It took home consoles years to recover from the crash, but Nintendo filled in the void with its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES, Famicom), reviving interest in consoles.[2] Up until this point, most investors believed video games to be a fad that has since passed.[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 the more advanced graphics of the PC,[4] and Nintendo released the Game Boy, which would become the best-selling handheld gaming device for the next two-decades.[5] Other consoles releases in the decade included the Intellivision, TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) and Sega Genesis (Mega Drive). Notable games of the 1980s included Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Metroid, Elite, SimCity, Galaga, Pitfall!, Frogger, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Defender, Mega Man 2, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Super Mario Bros. 2, Bubble Bobble, Double Dragon, Final Fight, Ninja Gaiden, Tetris, Adventure, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Arkanoid, Populous, R-Type, Contra, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Super Mario Bros. 3, Prince of Persia, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Gauntlet, Dragon's Lair, Golden Axe, Ms. Pac-Man, Out Run, Dungeon Master, Final Fantasy, Altered Beast, Shinobi, Lode Runner, Battlezone, Dragon Quest, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, and Marble Madness.
- ^ "The Video Game Crash of 1983".
- ^ "A 20-Year Old Legend".
- ^ "Top 10 Embarrassing Moments in Video Game History".
- ^ "Ten Facts about the Great Video Game Crash of '83". Archived from the original on 2012-01-21. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
- ^ "Nintendo's DS family becomes best selling gaming handheld in history".