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Events[]
- Golden age of arcade video games begins.
- In the Japanese arcade game market, Taito has earned $600 million (equivalent to $2.18 billion in 2021) from 100,000 Space Invaders machines.[1]
- The US arcade game market's revenues increase to $1 billion in 1978[2] (equivalent to $3.63 billion in 2021).
Notable Releases[]
- June - Taito releases Space Invaders, the first blockbuster arcade video game,[3] responsible for starting the golden age of arcade video games. It also sets the template for the shoot 'em up genre,[4] and influences nearly every shooter game released since then.[5] It introduced the concept of a difficulty curve, with the aliens moving faster as the player kills more of them, making the game more difficult as it progresses.[6] It also popularized the concept of achieving a high score,[7][8] by saving the player's score.[9][9] Targets could also fire back at the player,[10] and it featured multiple lives,[11] taking cover using destructible barriers,[12] and a dynamic background soundtrack.[13]
- June - SEGA releases Space Ship,[14] an early vector graphics space combat game.[15]
- July - Taito America gives Space Invaders a limited release in the United States.[16]
- August - SEGA releases Secret Base,[17][18] featuring two-player co-operative gameplay.[19]
- Atari popularizes the trak-ball controller (inspired by its use in a Taito football/soccer arcade sports game) with the arcade game Football.
References[]
- ↑ http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_winter81.pdf#page=31
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20071222225649/http://www.replaymag.com/history.htm
- ↑ Chris Kohler (2005). Power-up: how Japanese video games gave the world an extra life. BradyGames. p. 18. ISBN 0-7440-0424-1. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=auMTAQAAIAAJ. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ↑ Essential 50: Space Invaders. 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-26
- ↑ Edwards, Benj. Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Space Invaders. 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-11
- ↑ http://www.cracked.com/article_19262_6-glitches-that-accidentally-invented-modern-gaming.html
- ↑ Kevin Bowen. The Gamespy Hall of Fame: Space Invaders. GameSpy. Retrieved on January 27, 2010
- ↑ Craig Glenday, ed (March 11, 2008). "Record Breaking Games: Shooting Games Roundup". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Geddes, Ryan (December 10, 2007). IGN's Top 10 Most Influential Games. IGN. Retrieved on July 11, 2008
- ↑ "Players Guide To Electronic Science Fiction Games". Electronic Games 1 (2): 34–45 [44]. March 1982. http://www.archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1982-03/Electronic_Games_Issue_02_Vol_01_02_1982_Mar#page/n42/mode/1up. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ↑ Brian Ashcraft & Jean Snow (2008). Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers. Kodansha International. ISBN 4-7700-3078-9. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wX8kAQAAIAAJ. Retrieved May 1, 2011. "Space Invaders offered a novelty: players had three lives. Those who got good at the game could play for as long as they could keep from being blown to bits."
- ↑ Brian Ashcraft (January 20, 2010). How Cover Shaped Gaming's Last Decade. Kotaku. Retrieved on March 26, 2011
- ↑ Karen Collins (2008). From Pac-Man to pop music: interactive audio in games and new media. Ashgate. p. 2. ISBN 0-7546-6200-4. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lFEYAQAAIAAJ. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
- ↑ Space Ship at the Gaming-History database
- ↑ Space Ship at Museum of the Game
- ↑ Space Invaders (Taito America) at the Gaming-History database
- ↑ Secret Base at the Gaming-History database
- ↑ 1978 in video gaming at Allgame via the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Secret Base at Museum of the Game
