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1979 in video gaming
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{{Decadebox | prev = 1978 | next = 1980 }} ===Business=== * New companies: ** [[Activision]] ** [[Capcom]] ** [[Infocom]] ** [[Strategic Simulations]] ** [[Edu-Ware Services]] * The [[Video gaming in the United States|US arcade game market]]'s revenues increase to $1.5 billion in 1979<ref name=replaymag>http://web.archive.org/web/20071222225649/http://www.replaymag.com/history.htm</ref> (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|1500000000|1979|r=0}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}). ==Notable releases== ===Games=== ;Arcade * June: [[Namco]] releases ''[[Bomb Bee]]'', the sequel to ''[[Gee Bee]]''. * October: [[Namco]] releases ''[[Galaxian]]'', the first true color arcade game, in full [[RGB color model|RGB color]].<ref name="klovgalaxian">{{KLOV|7885|Galaxian}}</ref> It also introduces [[level]]s and [[boss]] encounters, and is the first game to have all of its graphics in [[RGB]] colour,<ref name="klovgalaxian"/> popularizing graphics in [[RGB color model|RGB colour]]. It has aliens periodically making [[kamikaze]]-like dives at the player's [[starship|ship]],<ref name="klovgalaxian"/> giving the enemies their own individual personalities.<ref name="joystick1_10">{{Cite journal|title=Arcade Games|journal=Joystick|date=September 1982|volume=1|issue=1|page=10}}</ref> * November, [[Nintendo]] releases ''[[Sheriff]]'', a [[Run & gun video games|run & gun]] [[multi-directional shooter video games|multi-directional shooter]] with [[Dual analog control|dual-stick]] controls (one [[joystick]] for movement and one for aiming) and many enemies shooting many bullets, influencing dual-stick shooters like ''[[Robotron 2084]]'', ''[[Ikari Warriors]]'' and ''[[Geometry Wars]]''.<ref name="1up.com">[http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3181467 Where Were They Then: The First Games of Nintendo, Konami, and More (Nintendo)], [[1UP.com|1UP]]</ref> It was designed by [[Genyo Takeda]], with assistance from [[Shigeru Miyamoto]], his first work on a video game. * November: [[Namco]] releases ''[[Cutie Q]]'', the second sequel to ''Gee Bee''. * November: [[Atari]] releases ''[[Asteroids]]'', a major hit in the [[United States]] and Atari's best selling game of all time.<ref name="atarisite">http://www.atari.com/games/atari_classics</ref> * December: Nintendo releases ''[[Radar Scope]]'', featuring a [[2.5D|pseudo-3D]], [[Third person (video games)|third-person]] perspective, imitated years later by shooters such as [[Konami]]'s ''[[Juno First]]'' and [[Activision]]'s ''[[Beamrider]]''.<ref name="1up.com"/> [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] makes his game design debut with ''[[Radar Scope]]'',<ref>{{ArcadeHistory|2155|Radar Scope}}</ref> which introduces a [[2.5D|three-dimensional]] [[Third person (video games)|third-person perspective]].<ref name="1up.com"/> * [[Konami]] releases ''Space King'', a ''[[Space Invaders]]'' [[Video game clone|clone]] that featured the exact graphics and characters of the original ''Space Invaders''. [[Nintendo]] releases another clone with the exact graphics of the original ''Space Invaders'', called ''[[Space Fever]]''. * [[SEGA]] releases the ''[[Monaco GP]]'' arcade game. * [[Cinematronics]] releases the ''[[Warrior]]'' arcade game. * [[Atari]] releases the ''[[Lunar Lander]]'' and Ed Logg & Lyle Rains' ''[[Asteroids]]'' arcade games. ;Computer * [[Richard Garriott]] creates ''[[Akalabeth]]'', a computer role-playing game for the Apple IIe. It launches Garriott's career and is a precursor to his highly successful [[Ultima (series)|''Ultima'' series]]. * [[Richard Bartle]] and [[Roy Trubshaw]] create what is commonly recognized as the first playable [[MUD]], [[MUD1]]. (Note: Many say that this happened in [[1978 in video gaming|1978]], though Bartle has stated [[1979 in video gaming|1979]].) * October - [[subLOGIC]] releases ''[[Flight Simulator]]'' for the [[Apple II]]. It is later released by [[Microsoft Corporation]] ([[1982 in video gaming|1982]]). ===Hardware=== ;Arcade * October, the [[Namco Galaxian]] [[arcade system board]] is released, supporting [[sprite]]s, [[Tile engine|tilemaps]], and [[scrolling]]. It is widely adopted during the [[golden age of arcade video games]].<ref>https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/galaxian.c</ref> It used specialized [[Graphics card|graphics hardware]] supporting RGB color, multi-colored [[sprite]]s, and [[Tile engine|tilemap]] backgrounds,<ref name=video>https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/video/galaxian.c</ref> distinguishing it from the [[Taito 8080]] [[monochrome]] [[framebuffer]] system of ''[[Space Invaders]]''.<ref>http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oK3D4i5ldKgC&pg=PA173</ref> Namco Galaxian also introduced a sprite [[Framebuffer|line buffer]] system, later adopted by arcade system boards such as the [[Namco Pac-Man]], [[Midway Games|Midway]]'s ''[[Tron]]'' hardware,<ref>http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Writings/VideogameImpact.pdf#page=25</ref> and [[SEGA Z80]]. The Galaxian hardware was widely used by other game companies during the arcade golden age,<ref>https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/galaxian.c</ref> including [[Centuri]], [[Gremlin Industries|Gremlin]], [[Irem]], [[Konami]], [[Midway Games|Midway]], [[Nichibutsu]], [[SEGA]], [[Taito Corporation|Taito]], and bootleg manufacturers.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20140103070737/http://mamedev.org/source/src/mame/drivers/galdrvr.c.html</ref> ;Console * [[Mattel]] test markets the [[Intellivision]] console in Fresno, California. It is released throughout the [[United States]] in [[1980 in video gaming|1980]]. * [[Milton Bradley]] Company releases the [[Microvision]] handheld * [[Texas Instruments]] releases the [[TI-99/4]] home computer * [[Warner Communications]]' Atari creates the [[Cosmos]] handheld, but this was ultimately never released to the public. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Video game releases== {{ReleasesQueryYear|1979}} ==Hardware releases== {{HardwareReleasesQueryYear|1979}} [[Category:Year articles]]
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