Arcade games have accompanied humans for many years now. They are often regarded as “fun games” as people really enjoy them, and many malls worldwide have a variety of arcade games that they offer to the customers. This presence of theirs for so many years till now means that there is something about arcade games that attracts the players and entertains them.
Ever since their launch to the public over 50 years back, arcade games have undergone an evolutionary journey. During this journey, many new arcade games were introduced and as a result, nowadays we have a variety of them worldwide. In today’s world, arcade games can also be seen as nostalgia for the past years when the millions of games online were not a thing.
In the following paragraphs we will explore the history of arcade games from the beginning when they were introduced to the modern-day world. Let’s dive in!
The 1970s – The Beginning of Arcade Games
The very beginning of arcade games can be found in the early 1970s, with the very first arcade game that was introduced: Pong. Pong was definitely a sensation that was produced by Atari which was made public in 1972. The two authors of this game produced under the Atari brand were Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney.
Pong was a simulation of a tennis game. It simply meant you were playing tennis on an arcade game but since it was a new concept, it was rather captivating and widely played. Over 50 years ago, there were a few machines still functioning in the world. However, the game as such, like many others, has moved to online gaming and can be accessible by everyone on the internet.
After seeing the success of Pong, more and more arcade games came to life during the 1970s. Some of the most famous games that came after Pong are Space Invaders which was introduced in 1978 and Asteroids which came a year later, in 1979. The arcade games of the 70s became a cultural phenomenon which kept attracting players worldwide.
The 1980s – The Golden Age of Arcade Games
The 70s were the birth of arcade games, while the 80s were its golden days. After seeing the success of the previous games and the interest of people, game developers took on this industry by storm. In early 1980 one of the most famous arcade games came to life; Pac-Man. This game was created by the video game company called Namco.
Pac-Man became popular worldwide because it was a simple yet challenging game that people just loved. Pac-Man traveled the world during its peak years and later on even had merchandise, TV series and a song produced for the game itself.
Another landmark of arcade games that was launched in the early 80s was Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong introduced the two famous characters of arcade games, namely Donkey Kong and Mario, which was definitely the start of success for the company in the years to come. Donkey Kong introduced the character Mario which is even now part of Nintendo games online.
Similarly, the launch of other arcade games like Galaga and Centipede, both of which came out in 1981 suggested the success of arcade games that was to come. Later on, people were also building spaces full of arcade game machines where you could go, play games and socialize with people.
The 1990s – The Decline and Transformation
After 20 years of being available to the public, arcade games suffered a decline in the 1990s. This period of age called for transformation as people were now used to arcade games and were looking out for new things.
During this time, although arcade games were not in their prime anymore, new games such as Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat brought a fresh breath of air to the industry. Introduced in 1991 and 1992, both these games presented a multiplayer competition which drew the attention of the public.
Shortly after in 1993, games like Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter were also introduced. They were well-known for the use of 3D graphics which had not been seen previously in arcade games.
The Modern Era – 2000s and Beyond
The late 1990s and early 2000s saw the new initiative for the gaming community with the introduction of console games, such as Nintendo. Their biggest advantage was that you could purchase them, take them home and play games from the comfort of your home which you couldn’t do with arcade games.
It is true that from the early 2000s until now traditional arcade games have become less popular, especially with the introduction of online gaming portals. Nevertheless, it could be said that the spirit of arcade games still lives even nowadays as a lot of those online games are based on the arcade construction. Now, even famous old arcade games like Pac-Man or Space Invaders are available online.