1970s in video games explained

1970s in video games . 1980s
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The 1970s was the first decade in the history of the video game industry. The 1970s saw the development of some of the earliest video games, chiefly in the arcade game industry, but also several for the earliest video game consoles and personal computers.

Notable games released in the 1970s included Computer Space, The Oregon Trail, Pong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Galaxian, Combat, Breakout, Lunar Lander, Sea Wolf, and Zork.

Arcade history

See also: History of arcade video games.

Notable early arcade video games of the early-to-mid-1970s include Computer Space (1971), Pong (1972), Space Race (1973), Gotcha (1973), Speed Race (1974), Gun Fight (1975), Heavyweight Champ (1976), Fonz (1976), Night Driver (1976), Breakout (1976), Death Race (1976), Sea Wolf (1976), and Space Wars (1977).

Golden age of arcade video games (1978–1979)

See main article: Golden age of arcade video games.

Classic arcade games of the late 1970s include Space Invaders (1978), Galaxian (1979), Asteroids (1979), Barrier (1979), Speed Freak (1979), Warrior (1979), Tail Gunner (1979), and Lunar Lander (1979).

Consoles of the 1970s

First-generation consoles (1972–1979)

See main article: First generation of video game consoles. The first generation of consoles were on sale between 1972 and 1980 and included the Magnavox Odyssey, Telstar, Home Pong, and Color TV-Game.

Typical characteristics of the first generation of consoles:

Second-generation consoles (1976–1983)

See main article: Second generation of video game consoles. The second generation of consoles, on sale between 1976 and 1988, made several leaps forward technologically. Consoles first available in the late 1970s included the Fairchild Channel F, Atari 2600, Bally Astrocade, and Magnavox Odyssey². The first handheld console, the Microvision, was released in 1979.

Typical characteristics of the second generation of consoles:

Notable video game franchises established in the 1970s

Home computers and console

Notes:

Financial performance

Best-selling arcade games of the decade

The following titles were the best-selling arcade games of each year in the 1970s.

YearRegion(s)TypeTitleCabinet salesRevenueInflationDeveloperManufacturer(s)Genre
1979WorldwideSpace Invaders750,000$1,000,000,000++TaitoTaito / MidwayShoot 'em up[1] [2]
1978
1977JapanElectro-mechanicalF-1NamcoNamcoRacing[3] [4]
Medal gameEVR RaceNintendoNintendo
Video gameSpeed Race DXTaitoTaito
USSea Wolf10,000Dave Nutting AssociatesMidwayShooter[5] [6]
1976US
JapanElectro-mechanicalF-1NamcoNamcoRacing[7]
Medal gameEVR RaceNintendoNintendo
Video gameBall Park (Tornado Baseball)Midway ManufacturingTaitoSports
1975USVideo gameWheels / Wheels II (Speed Race)10,000TaitoMidwayRacing[8]
1974USVideo gameTank10,000Kee GamesKee Games / AtariMaze
1973USVideo gamePong8,000$11,000,000Atari, Inc.Atari, Inc.Sports[9]
1972USVideo gameComputer Space200Syzygy EngineeringNutting AssociatesSpace combat

Best-selling home systems of the decade

RankSystemReleaseManufacturerTypeGenerationSalesAs of
1Nintendo Color TV Game1977NintendoConsoleFirst2,000,0001979[10]
2Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS)1977Atari, Inc.ConsoleSecond1,550,0001979[11]
3Coleco Telstar1976ColecoConsoleFirst1,000,0001976[12]
4TRS-801977Texas InstrumentsComputer8-bit450,0001979[13]
5Magnavox Odyssey1972MagnavoxConsoleFirst367,0001975[14]
6Fairchild Channel F1976Fairchild Camera and InstrumentConsoleSecond350,0001979[15]
7Epoch TV Baseball1978Epoch Co.ConsoleFirst230,0001979[16]
8Epoch TV Game System 101977Epoch Co.ConsoleFirst200,0001979
9Home Pong1975Atari, Inc.ConsoleFirst150,0001975[17]
NEC PC-80011979NECComputer8-bit150,0001979[18]

Hardware timeline

The following gallery highlights hardware used to predominantly play games throughout the 1970s.

Notes and References

  1. After Pong . . 4 February 1988 . 6 (March 1988) . 29-32 (29) .
  2. Book: Sullivan . George . The First Big Hits . Screen Play: The Story of Video Games . 1983 . . 978-0-7232-6251-0 . 38-47 (40) . https://archive.org/details/ScreenPlaytheStoryofVideoGames/page/n49.
  3. 結果ベスト3. Best 3 Results . Game Machine. 90. Amusement Press, Inc.. 15 February 1978. 2-3. ja.
  4. 調査対象5年間のベスト1. Best 1 of the 5 Years Surveyed. Game Machine. 159. Amusement Press, Inc.. 15 February 1981. 1. ja.
  5. Top Arcade Games . . November 1977.
  6. Profit Chart . RePlay . October 1976.
  7. 本紙アンケー 〜 ト調査の結果. Paper Questionnaire: Results of the Survey . Game Machine. 65. Amusement Press, Inc.. 1 February 1977. 2-3. ja.
  8. Book: Baer . Ralph H. . Ralph H. Baer . Videogames: In the Beginning . 2005 . Rolenta Press . 978-0-9643848-1-1 . 10-3 .
  9. News: Barack. Lauren. In Blast From the Past, Atari Video Games Plan a Return. https://web.archive.org/web/20120512045136/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/334044141.html?dids=334044141:334044141&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+08%2C+2003&author=Lauren+Barack&pub=New+York+Post&desc=IN+BLAST+FROM+THE+PAST%2C+ATARI+VIDEO+GAMES+PLAN+A+RETURN&pqatl=google . 2012-05-12. New York Post. 8 May 2003. 34. Its first hit game, "Pong," launched in 1972, made $11 million in revenue in just one year..
  10. Book: Horowitz, Ken. 2020-07-30. McFarland & Company. 978-1-4766-4176-8. 27. Video Killed the Electromechanical Star. https://books.google.com/books?id=UXD0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA27.
  11. Book: Rubin, Michael. 2006. Triad Publishing Company. 978-0-937404-67-6. 291-314 (293-4). Eighteen: A Hole in the Desert [1982–1983]. https://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051221/Droidmaker.Ch18.pdf#page=9.
  12. Book: Herman, Leonard. Phoenix: the fall & rise of videogames. Rolenta Press. 1997. 0-9643848-2-5. 2nd. Union, NJ. 20. Coleco released Telstar in 1976. Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year.. 16 February 2012.
  13. Web site: Reimer. Jeremy. 2005-12-15. Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures. live. 2021-11-27. Ars Technica. en-us . https://web.archive.org/web/20120607023023/http://arstechnica.com:80/features/2005/12/total-share/ . 2012-06-07.
  14. Book: Smith, Alexander . They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry . 1: 1971 – 1982 . . November 27, 2019 . 978-1-138-38990-8 . 207–9.
  15. Web site: Edwards. Benj. January 22, 2015. The Untold Story Of The Invention Of The Game Cartridge. July 29, 2020. Fast Company.
  16. Web site: 昔(1970年代)のテレビゲームは何台売れた?. How many old (1970s) video games sold?. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140109231757/http://www.ne.jp/asahi/cvs/odyssey/hyperlink/setframe_dataroom_numbers1.html. 2014-01-09. 16 April 2021. Classic Videogame Station Odyssey. ja.
  17. Book: Ellis, David. Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games. Random House. 2004. 0-375-72038-3. 33–36. Dedicated Consoles. https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/33.
  18. Web site: West. Joel. January 1996. Moderators of the Diffusion of Technological Innovation: Growth of the Japanese PC Industry. Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations. University of California, Irvine. 9-10. alternate url