The Golden Age of Arcade Video Games

The golden age of arcade video games was a very exciting time for those who experienced it along with companies and professionals developing the video games and arcade machines. During this time games that have become favourites to many young and old gamers were released including Space Invaders and Galaxian, Asteroids, Pac-Man, Frogger and Centipede.

By the time the golden age of arcade games started, video games had been played on computers for a while, but the technology had been lacking and not advanced to the point where arcade games could be commercially produced.

In order for this to happen there would need to be much more innovation and thinking outside the box. For example Space Invaders while using a black and white screen used coloured overlays giving the impression of depth and realism. This was a time when arcade video games were in their infant stages and quite expensive. Galaxian and Asteroids were two of the first memorable black and white video games. The switch to colour was a significant step forward that brought in a lot more people.

Early titles to transition to colour were Frogger and Centipede who took advantage and stood out from the regular black and white offerings at the time. This period also saw the establishment of many popular video game genres, including space-themed shooter games such as Defender and Galaga, maze chase games which followed the design established by Pac-Man, driving and racing games which more frequently used 3D perspectives such as Turbo and Pole Position, and character action games such as Super Mario Bros.

Defender was was one of those titles that stood out and got peoples attention at the arcade parlour due to its vibrance sound and overall addictive and fast gameplay experience. Defender was ported to many personal computers including the C64.

The golden age of arcade video games was a time of great technological advancement and cultural influence. It is still remembered as an important period in the history of video games, and many classic old school video games from this era remain popular today.

EVERYONE LOVES SPACE INVADERS

Looking back Space Invaders is seen as the arcade machine that started the Golden Age of arcade video games. It was created by Tomohiro Nishikado for Taito, and distributed by Midway USA. Space Invaders was Nishikado’s first major project. He developed the game in just three months and it was released in Japan in 1978, and became an instant hit with players. The game was so popular that it spawned several imitators, and it continues to be one of the most popular arcade games of all time. It is also frequently played on retro gaming platforms such as the Raspberry Pi.

Space Invaders is a classic shoot-’em-up arcade game that is still enjoyed by millions of people around the world. The player controls a spaceship and must shoot down waves of alien invaders, who come down from space to attack Earth. The game is immensely addictive, and it is not uncommon for players to spend hours playing this game at a time.

Tomohiro Nishikado has been part of a number of successful video game releases, however he is mostly known for his Space Invaders creation where he developed the game and hardware. The game has had widespread success on numerous consoles and media coverage over the decades. It is regarded as one of the classic arcade games of all time and part of the hall of fame.

How did the Space Invaders arcade take over the world in the late 70’s, there more to this story not covered here.

PAC MAN

Three words sum this up oom nom nom!

A game that attracted an even broader age and demographic first appeared in 1980. By Bandai Namco Japan, eating dots and fruit while chasing and being chased by ghosts was never so much fun!

Pac-Man has surpassed the legendary Space Invaders as one of the most well-known video game characters ever. Since the 1980 debut of the first Pac Man arcade game, Pac Man has appeared in more than 30 video games. Pac-Man is renowned for his recognisable yellow and green pellet trails and his extraordinary sense of direction. More recently Pac-Man has made an appearance on video game consoles including the Nintendo 64 where you explore various 2 dimensional levels.

Apart from a yellow Pac Man and dotted maze, Pac Man would not be what it is without the Ghosts Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde seen chasing and teasing him throughout each level and challenge. Irrespective of how many dots Pac-Man eats he is always fast and hungry for more dots, ghosts and treats.

Creator Toru Iwatani came up with the Pac Man concept after seeing a picture of a pizza with a slice cut out. He was also inspired as he felt something was missing from the Midway title Q*bert which was successful.

MS PAC MAN

While considering a likely follow-up to the immensely popular Pac Man, Midway’s creators pitched a concept referred to as Super Pac-Man, which eventually was developed and resulted in the 1982 launch of Ms. Pacman.

By introducing the first widely recognized female video game character, Ms Pac-Man represented a turn in the cultural conversation and created more broad appeal and more coins for arcade operators.

Ms Pac-Man was so successful that More than 40 years after blazing a trail for female video game characters, Ms Pac-Man was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

In an era filled with forward thinking and evolution, the Paperboy arcade machine was also a stand out. Developed jointly by Midway and Atari, published in 1984, it consisted of free-roaming game play and included story telling. The arcade machine itself also stood out with its big BMX bike handles used to steer the bike through suburbia while crating chaos dropping newspapers and dodging obstacles.

Thirty plus years down the track Google created a Pac-Man doodle you could play at the top of their search results.

THE FIGHTING GENRE

Street Fighter II introduced versus mode and new attack moves, was the next big thing when it came out in the late 80s. The combat genre was well untruly in town and established! Several fighting games followed, notably Mortal Kombat, which elevated the attraction and impact with Fatalities. As people went to the arcades to play and witness what had never been seen before, MK generated a good amount of buzz and controversy. 40 or so years down the track Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat continue to release new versions and remain relevant in the gaming scene.

RETRO GAMING LIVES ON

Since the 70s, arcade games have been a source of amusement for many. The good news is that many of these classics are either maintained by collectors or being played on modern retro arcade consoles

Without a doubt, retro gaming lives on and will continue to bring joy to both young and old for a long time to come.