The History of Video Games: 11 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know: Page 6 of 11

A journey through the ages!
A journey through the ages!


6. 1983 – 1985:

The 1983 Video Game Crash, the Coming of Gaming’s Savior: Nintendo

While 1983 to 1985 would end up becoming the most infamous years in the medium’s history, they would also lead to a glorious new era of video gaming.

1983 was the year the arcade classic Dragon’s Lair became the first game to make use of laser-disc technology. Dragon’s Lair was an interactive animated movie, in which you, a bumbling knight, was tasked with saving a princess.

1983 was also the year the computer game M.U.L.E. took multiplayer to a whole new level. M.U.L.E. allowed competition between four players, who were tasked with managing the economy of their colonies.

In 1983, the 8-bit computer game console, Commodore 64, was released. It was the cheapest and most powerful home console to date. It was extremely successful, selling over a dozen million units in North America. It was inducted into The Guinness Book of World Records as history’s best-selling gaming computer.

Over in Japan, Nintendo launched the hallowed 8-bit home video game system, Family Computer, or Famicom, in 1983. The Famicon would usher in the age of 8-bit consoles, also known as the third generation of home consoles. It cost $199.99.

Despite these leaps and bounds, 1983 would prove the North American game industry’s most notorious year, thanks to what is known as the video game crash of 1983. This was when several video game companies went bankrupt, and the industry was almost destroyed. The crash was caused by several factors, one of them being the release of far too many competing home consoles, and games of inferior quality, such as 1982’s infamous E.T.: The Extraterrestrial for the Atari 2600.

Other reasons for the crash included stiff competition from personal computers as gaming systems; publishers losing control over their game developers, which led to an overabundance of games being released – many of which were shoddy clones of popular titles; and inflation. It would take two years for the game industry to recover.

In 1983, the first Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) was created. It was called Bokosuka Wars, which incorporated role-playing and real-time strategy elements. It would inspire the genre that would later be known as the tactical RPG. It would also inspire the action RPG genre.

Japan would create more JRPGs for personal computers between 1983 and 1984, such as Panorama Toh, and Dragon Slayer. Dragon Slayer was a dungeon crawling game where the hack and slash action occurred in real-time. As the first ever action RPG, it would go on to inspire an entire subgenre that would one day give birth to Diablo.

1983’s Reach for the Stars was the first 4X grand strategy game.

Alexey Pajitnov, a mathematician from the USSR, created the esteemed puzzle game, Tetris, in 1984. It was the first time the USSR exported entertainment software to the US. It was played on the IBM PC and Commodore 64.

Adventure games for personal computers were improving visually and story-wise. 1984 saw the launch of King’s Quest, which would proceed to spawn numerous successful sequels, not to mention clones.

The 1984 arcade game Karate Champ began to popularize the fighting game genre.

1984’s award-winning The Lords of Midnight combined strategy, war gaming, and adventure elements.

In 1985, the Famicom finally found its way to the U.S. It was renamed the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and helped revitalize the dying North American game industry. Its Deluxe Set, which came with two controllers, a light gun, and the games Duck Hunt and Gyromite, cost $299.

That same year, Super Mario Bros. was released for the NES. It revolutionized the side-scrolling platformer and made a cultural icon of its protagonist, Mario. Mario would go on to become the most recognizable and beloved video game mascots in history. Countless cloned would also be eventually created in an attempt to unseat Mario from his throne, but so far, none have succeeded to do so. With over 40 million copies sold, Super Mario Bros. would also become the fifth best-selling game in history.



Writer, Gamer, Dreamer
Gamer Since: 1986
Favorite Genre: RPG
Currently Playing: Bloodborne, Mortal Kombat X, Tera Online
Top 3 Favorite Games:Dark Souls II, Bioshock Infinite, Dragon Age: Inquisition


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