The most important arcade games let us glimpse into the future for only a handful of quarters.
From technological innovators to cultural disruptors, these are some of the most important arcade games ever made.
Computer Space(1971)
Every industry has to start somewhere.
You cant make a classic platformer likeSuper Mario Bros.without someone else making a less impressive platformer first.
Thats whereComputer Spacecomes in.
Computer Spacelaunched in 1971, making it thefirst arcade video game ever commercially released.
Well, thats actually only a half-truth.
Virtually everyone who has ever played a video game knows aboutPong.
Originally released in 1972, this arcade game consisted of two paddles knocking a ball around a black screen.
For all intents and purposes, the video game industry owes its very existence toPong.
TV Basketball(1974)
Graphical fidelity is a major part of modern gaming.
That all changed with the invention of sprites.
In 1974, Taito released the gameBasketball(orTV Basketball).
In this title, two players controlled two on-screen characters each as they jumped and tried to score baskets.
It was actually closer to a digital foosball table.
While the concept was simple,Basketballset numerous precedents all at once.
Also,Basketballwas the first basketball video game developed, hence its simple name.
Most important of all,Basketballset a precedent for licensing video games between Japan and North America.
While Taito developedBasketball, Midway published it in the U.S.
In a way,Basketballpaved the way for some of the greatest arcade games of all time.
Gun Fight(1975)
Theres something magical about watching an old west gunfight.
Some of the best shootouts in cinema history consisted of cowpokes taking potshots at one another with their irons.
Plenty of video games feature Wild West gunfights, but they might never have existed if not forGun Fight.
The goal was simple: shoot your opponent while dodging their bullets.
It figures that Atari would find a way to recycle that concept and turn it into yet another success.
1976sBreakoutwas a simple game that, likePongbefore it, gave players control of a paddle and a ball.
Lightning struck twice for Atari, asBreakoutproved every bit assuccessfuland addictive asPong.
But more importantly,Breakouthelped create one of the computer industrys most successful brands: Apple.
WithoutBreakout, Apple might not be the industry juggernaut it is today.
Taitos 1978 classicSpace Invadersis the quintessential video game.
Still,Space Invaderswas wildly successful, thanks in no small part to its ability tosave players high scores.
Many people associate the game with kickstarting thegolden ageof video games and catalyzing the video game industry in general.
Its hard to disagree with that sentiment.
Video games went through a similar, if expedited, process.
Released in 1979,Galaxianwas designed to be Namcos answer toSpace Invaders.
Or, as Masaya Nakamura, then-President of Namco, put it, it wasa post-Invaders game.
Much like that title,Galaxianis a shoot-em-up where players fend off waves of aliens.
UnlikeSpace Invaders,Galaxianincluded a scrolling background, and the enemy ships could fly in curved lines.
Initiation is the best form of flattery, butGalaxiandemonstrates that iteration is better still.
We have Pac-Man to thank for that.
In 1980, Namco released the seminal maze-crawling, dot-munching classicPac-Man.
Donkey Kong(1981)
Big things have small beginnings.
Almost everyone even slightly familiar withSuper Marioknows the story ofDonkey Kong.
Originally, Yokoi wanted to make a title based onPopeye, but that idea fell through.
Just goes to show you that failure can often eventually lead to success.
Pole Position(1982)
Many modern video games follow certain rules and conventions.
However, an ex-Disney animator demonstrated what developers could achieve if they thought outside the box.
Calling 1983sDragons Lairan arcade game might be a bit of an understatement.
While not the first dungeon crawler to hit arcades,Gauntletwas probably the most important.
Released in 1985, AtarisGauntletshook the arcade world as the industrysfirst multiplayer dungeon crawler.
Each run tasked players with finding the exit to dungeons drowning with enemies.
With only a few quarters, allies could join in at any time to help.
Through that innovation,Gauntletalso helped popularize the four-player arcade multiplayer experience.
You cant iterate on something if nobody is willing to take the first steps.
Street Fighter II(1991)
Capcom tried to revolutionize the fighting genre withStreet Fighter.
The company needed to make a sequel before it produced a winning formula, but boy did Capcom succeed.
Arguably the most influential and important wasMortal Kombat.
What better way to solidify your victory than by ripping out your opponents spine?
What other video games can you think of that essentially created a non-profit regulatory organization?
