80s Aracde Games

[cirzlee]

I gotta do this research paper over aracde games in the 80s. I want to tell how the industry was doing great but then it fell because of consoles. Basically my paper consists of game summaries of the popular games like Computer Space, Space Invaders, Asteroids, etc.

So far I've summarized up to Pac-Man and how well arcades are doing. I need help on what game should I use to note a transition from Arcade popularity to console popularity.

 

The Rise and Fall of Aracde Games

There was a time when the arcade was the “in” place to be, the greatest hangout ever. This time was in the 1980s. Starting from humble roots, arcade games catapulted the video game industry into dynamic feats and accomplishments, only to be reduced down to dust in the end. Although arcade games are still surviving today, they have been run over by better technology. The history itself of arcade games reveals the steep climb it had made and its fall.

The video game industry owes its beginnings to a young engineer named Nolan Bushnell. He was the first to recognize that a primitive computer game such as Spacewar! could be introduced as a form of entertainment, later called Computer Space, at bars and arcades. After he sold this concept to a small California coin-op company called Nutting Associates, the game went on to ship fewer than 1,500 machines. Why the low distribution? The low distribution was because people were confused and frightened by Computer Space’s futuristic fiberglass cabinet and awkward controls. In the release of its two-player, head-to-head version, the game improved slightly because of its introduction of the joystick and with the idea that was more fun blasting your friend instead of a slow moving flying saucer. Yet still, Computer Space only appealed to the programmers. A year later in 1972, Bushnell founded Atari, and released Pong. For this, he became known as “The Father of the Video Game Industry.”

Every story has a beginning and it started with the incredibly addicting Pong, released in 1972 by Atari. Pong had simple instructions: “1) insert a quarter” and “2) avoid missing ball for high score.” The object of the game was to put the paddle in the path of a moving white dot more often then the other opponent did. By the end of 1972, Atari had successfully launched the game to rake in the money. In 1975, Atari invaded homes with their small-screen Pong system, making it possible to play virtual table tennis on the television.

In 1978, Midway released its masterpiece Space Invaders. The shot that exploded the video game industry started with this space shooter. Space Invaders was created by a Japanese company called Taito; it was a smash hit in Japan. Licensee Midway had similar success in the United States as well. The best achievement of Space Invaders was that it gave the player a nerve-wracking experience, armed with only a white laser cannon, the player scrolled across the bottom of the screen shooting at the space aliens that would slowly come down the screen. The closer the aliens got to the bottom they would move faster, and once they reached the ground it would be game over.

Another space shooter was released by Atari in 1979 called Asteroids. The game supported black and white vector graphics, and unlike Space Invaders, the player was not stuck on the ground. The ship, that the player controlled, was a simple triangle, which could move about anywhere on the screen. The objective of Asteroids was to pilot the triangular ship around an overcrowded asteroid field and shoot anything that moves. Atari manufactured over 70,000 Asteroids machines, earning a place as the company’s most successful game and the industry’s third best-selling title of all time.

In 1980, the star of Midway’s release Pac-Man became the video-game industry’s mascot. Using only a joystick with a red knob, the player controlled a fast-moving yellow creature to move through a maze eating dots while avoiding the ghosts. Compared with the space games that were so popular in the late 1970s, Pac-Man was the first game to appeal to everyone with its colorful characters and sounds. Pac-man was easily the most successful arcade game of all time, selling 99,000 units. Players were also hooked onto this game because it was challenging. The game was such a hit that at one point in 1981, four books about mastering Pac-Man was charted on the New York Times bestseller list.

[iNSERT GAMES THAT MARKED TRANSITION HERE]

Right around the year 1986, technology got more powerful and more affordable with the release of the Nintendo NES. Arcade titles could be closely replicated in the privacy of consumer homes, something that was not available in the Atari 2600 days. Basically people could comfortably sit on their couches and force game manufacturers to come to them. The last half of the 1980s went out with a bang at arcades, with only a handful of worthy titles. For the first time in history of man, kids actually wanted to stay at home, where they could flip goofy Tetris shapes and save the princess in the hundreds of games where you had to save the princess.

[NovaXpress]

There were almost no hit arcade games between the crash and the comeback (Street Fighter 2).

 

One exception, one post-crash arcade game did get widely distributed and was even layed by the few casual gamers left over. It was more complex, graphically-interesting and had more depth than what gamers were used to. The game was called Super Mario Bros. Now after seeing how Space Invaders started the 2600 boom, how could you possibly use Super Mario Bros to lead into a disucssion about the comeback of home gaming?

 

The only other significant hit of the time period was Double Dragon.

[xmetalhedx]

This is what I expected when you posted in the AA forums:

 

" Along time ago, in a galaxy far far away, there were people who didnt have video games. Then they made space invaders and pac-man and asteroids, but they all suxxored. Then God said unto [Dev]Abraxas, make a suprememly cool game with no pistols, and [Dev]Abraxas made America's Army, and it was good."

[chrisbid]

what about gauntlet, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Smash TV, Outrun and others? while not smash hits like PacMan and Street Fighter II, to say there were no hits during those years is a stretch

[NovaXpress]

I'd say you pretty much covered the whole potential list there Chrisbid. The mid-80s was the "lead age" for arcade games.

 

During that time period, I didn't personally know anyone other than myself who frequented arcades. There were only two games that my fellow high schoolers all seemed to know about: Super Mario Bros and Double Dragon. No other game made a fraction of the impact that these two did.

 

I mark Street Fighter as the start of the Second Golden Age of arcades. And Pac-Man was obviously made before the crash.

[Dones]

As a transition, you could talk about the home computers that were sold for "educational purposes" but kids used for playing games. The story about the Darling brothers and their accomplishments with the Spectrum home computer, how they got recruited by Codemasters is an interesting one.

 

Well that would be too much. Maybe just talk about their hit game, Dizzy. Explaining why Dizzy was a success should serve as the transition point you are looking for.

[NovaXpress]

In America, Dizzy was just some weird egg character on an independent NES game that no one bought.

 

He was important in the UK, but completely insignificant to US gamers.

[Dones]

There you have it, the history of videogames according to NovaXpress doesn't include Dizzy.... LOL Flamed eggs anyone?

[DanBoris]

A while back I did this graph of the number of arcade titles released year based on KLOV:

 

http://www.geocities.com/danlb_2000/graph.htm

 

It clearly shows the rise of the industry, but instead of a decline at the time of the crash there is just a leveling out and it doesn't start to drop off dramatically until the early 90's.

 

Dan

[Dones]

That's pretty good! Let's put it here for everyone to see.

 

It would be interesting to compare that graph against the number of console games released. It would probably prove how consoles contributed to the decline of the arcades.

[tyranthraxus]

There were almost no hit arcade games between the crash and the comeback (Street Fighter 2).

 

One exception, one post-crash arcade game did get widely distributed and was even layed by the few casual gamers left over.  It was more complex, graphically-interesting and had more depth than what gamers were used to.  The game was called Super Mario Bros.  Now after seeing how Space Invaders started the 2600 boom, how could you possibly use Super Mario Bros to lead into a disucssion about the comeback of home gaming?

 

The only other significant hit of the time period was Double Dragon.

 

SMB wasn't an arcade game first AFAIK, it got an arcade game later that

was just the NES version in a cabinet. The fact it was so large and

complex was what made people buy the NES and stay home from

arcades.

 

I can see what you mean about mega hits like Double Dragon but the

arcade was still pretty vibrant IMHO but the audience had changed.

Arcades were no longer quite so seedy and played by older guys. It

had more family orientation.

 

Ikari Warriors I recall as being very popular at the time, Rampage was

too but DD was definatly quite huge. I remember lining up to play DD2

when it first came out.

[NovaXpress]

The NES wasn't widely known until late86-early 87. By that time SMB machines were already in arcades and grocery stores. As far as hit games, I'm talking ones known to the mainstream kids. Like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. The mid-80s were lacking. Not in number of games, but in ones which made an impact on pop culture. Thinking of it now, I'm not sure even SMB or DD qualifies.

 

There you have it, the history of videogames according to NovaXpress doesn't include Dizzy....  LOL Flamed eggs anyone?

Let me repeat, Dizzy is completely insignificant to AMERICAN gamers.

[Dones]

I can see what you mean about mega hits like Double Dragon but the arcade was still pretty vibrant IMHO but the audience had changed. Arcades were no longer quite so seedy and played by older guys. It had more family orientation.

Arcades have changed a lot too. They have gotten smaller and game machines have gotten bigger trying to offer something you can't have at home. For example, you can play DDR on a mat at home, but nothing beats dancing on a mini metal stage in front of others...or hopping on a race cabinet for a driving game...or playing a light gun game on a big screen monitor. You get the idea.

[tyranthraxus]

Okay NovaXpress I think I finally understand what you are saying. Yeah,

Double Dragon, while popular, was no Pac-man. Of the last half the 1980s

I would say that Super Mario Bros reached that level of pop influence,

but as a NES game not an arcade rehash. SMB had a movie, cartoon,

toys, etc. Tetris I would say also reached that critical mass, it didn't

have the merchandising. But the game was everywhere and so many

clones quickly followed. But I'm not sure if its arrival in North American

was first in the arcades or at home. It seemed to just suddenly arrive

in all formats (probably due to its murky legal history). Mortal Kombat

arguable also reached that level but I think a lot of that was its

notoriety for violence and not the game itself.

[NovaXpress]

And MK showed up after Street Figher 2 became a monster hit.

 

Tetris was definitely a game with massive impact. You're right about SMB not peaking until it hit home as well. So really the arcades meant little to nothing for the mainstream gamers between Dragon's Lair and SF2.

[DeV0]

Imho atari had some fill ins that where very poular at the time, Marble madness, 720, paperboy etc. This was after the crash? but kept the industry fresh

[NovaXpress]

Like we're saying, some games have an reach that goes beyond regular game players and those are the games which have the lasting impact. PacMan, Space Invaders, Final Fantasy, Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto, Pokemon. None of those Atari titles even come close to qualifying.

 

And really how could any arcade game have a big impact in the mid-to-late 80s? The mainstream had abandoned the arcades by then.

[sku_u]

And really how could any arcade game have a big impact in the mid-to-late 80s?  The mainstream had abandoned the arcades by then.

 

Not all companies/consumers abandoned the Arcades during this period. There was one game that was immensely popular, at least at all the arcades by me: Out Run. Out Run came out in 1986. At the time, my local Nathan's Arcade had 30 machines going at the same time and there was still a wait to play this one. Out Run paved the way for the Daytona, Virtua and Cruisin' series of racing games and helped revamp a genre that had been lacking for several years. Sega had some real gems during the 84-88 years.

[DeV0]

Like we're saying, some games have an reach that goes beyond regular game players and those are the games which have the lasting impact. PacMan, Space Invaders, Final Fantasy, Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto, Pokemon. None of those Atari titles even come close to qualifying.

 

Yes they do, here in Aus anyway. Also outrun, rolling thunder, narc, Anything with a 1 of a kind dedicated cabinet kept the arcades alive after the crash regardless of the gameplay. Hence an impact,, I can say without these and to a much lesser degree smb, that the arcades would have been abandoned. No-one cared about pacman or space invaders anymore, Pacmania anyone? no impact, paperboy? Big impact. Super space invader? these sequels where not good.

 

GTA only made an impact once GTA3 was released,,

[BigFairy321]

double dragon was REALLY big for me and the games between 86 - 90.

 

i really hated street fighter. It speeled the end of arcades for me.......