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Nimrod
Paragraph in FullNimrod was a machine displayed at the Exhibition of Science during the Festival of Britiain that opened on the 3rd of May 1951. It was a machine designed to be able to play the game Nim based on an old chinese game 'Jianshizi'. The thing that took most people by surprise is that the majority of the time it would be able to beat humans. Luckily films like Terminator or War Games weren't out at this point but it may be what inspired them... Continued in link. <a href='http://tommyterrygreencollege -
Galaxy Game
Paragraph in FullAlthough Nimrod was very important and I am one of those who woulf strongly argue its place in the history of arcade cabinets, you cannot ignore the significance of Galaxy Game, the famed first ever coin-operated video game, something that is commonplace and expected in the modern arcade. It came out just two short months before Computer Space did and both were based off of an exsiting computer game called Spacewar which is one of the earliest computer games... Continued in the link... -
Computer Space
Paragraph in FullNot far behind the release of Galaxy Game, Computer Space too shared an adaptation of one of the first video games of all time, Spacewar. Although it originally seemed that Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (the creators and later co-founders of Atari) were too late to the mark with the release of Computer Space, it actually turns out that what they released two months later was, frankly a lot better. The machine they had created was... continued in above link... -
Pong
Paragraph in FullPong is probably the first easily recognisable game on this timeline main attributed to the fact that it is often considered the first ever video game- but obviously that isn't true. It is however the first mianstream and popular arcade game especially when it became available at home. Things like that tend to have a certain gravity to them that simply make everyone want to own it or play it just because everyone else has or does, even if it is just a simple table... continued in link... -
Tank
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Space Invaders
As the years go on we approach the more popular names, the games that have stayed in popular culture even today and are considered 'Retro'. That is certainly an achievement worth documenting on this timeline. -
Asteroids
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Pacman
The reason Pac-Man is so important is because he is possibly one of the most famous characters of many, many generations. He was the first every real character in a video game that became a house hold name. Even today when billions of people play some sort of game or another on a daily basis there isn't one character that everyone really knows except pac-man, non 'gamers' included. But it wasn't just the success of this game that makes it so important. It's the legacy he started. -
Donkey Kong
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Ms. Pacman
...That legacy I mentioned previously is Ms. Pac-Man, one of the most famous sequels of all time. It truly is up their with the media greats like Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather Part II. Not only was it a huge success financially but it laid the groundwork for generations as finally a game made a sequel, perhaps triggering the same idea in the mind of many bold and brilliant game developers in the years to come. -
Dig-Dug
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Tron
This game didn't exactly break grounds technically, I mean yes it was a good game but nothing too new and exciting; well except that it was a game based on a movie based on the same game. (that's much less complicated than it sounds if you have seen the movie). It is one of the first ever games based on a movie and no matter how much they are loathed by gamers and film fans alike today, they are still around and I think they always will be. Perhaps they owe thanks to Diney's Tron. -
Dragon's Lair
Dragon's Lair is the sort of game that tricks you. You think you're playing a game with revolutionary graphics but really you're watching a series of disney style cartoons (thanks to one of disneys artists) with a decision to be made here and there, It was very clever and very bold and new but that's not what made it so important, it's that it was the first ever game to be on laser disk. Something that is done with most games to this very day. -
Mario Bros.
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Tetris
Tetris is hugely popular and addictive and hoolds the record for the most remade video game of all time. -
Pac-Land
Again, Pac-Land didn't break any records or boundaries, it's just testimant to how awe struck people must have been to what can now be considered a franchise of games thanks to this third 'Pac-title'. -
Paperboy
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Gauntlet
Gauntlet (a personal favourite of mine) was a fantastic game. It felt fresh, innovative and any other positve supperlatives you could possibly think to associate. But what makes it stand out and giving it it's rightly earnt place in history is it being the first game to feature the ability for more than one or two players to play without having to take turns. It allowed for four-player co-op, something still considered a treat in this day and age. -
Time Crisis
Time Crisis was really one of the last good arcade games to survive. It is one of the only good and still popular games to remain in the dying world of arcades even now, 18 years later. -
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution was a huge leap in gameplay, it allowed players to get active and actually really simulate dancing rather than just hitting a series of buttons... well hitting them converntionally anyway. It allowed you to use your fit instead, a mechanic that may have triggured Nintendo's jump into the motion world with the Wii (One of the top selling consoles ever) to get people using their bodies and to get people active while playing games. -
Temple Run
Temple Run is really interesting to me because it actually started as a very popular iPhone app, which is fastly becoming the most popular gaming platform. It then made the transition to the arcade which seems like a bold and interesting choice to invest so muhc into a dying franchise and gaming platform. Maybe there is still hope for the arcade yet.