Original Video Arcade Games of the Beginning of 1980-ies

Below you can see the list of some original video arcade games of the beginning of 1980-ies, which became the new word in arcade game industry. These games were created by arcade game developers that didn’t want to create clones of existed games, but wanted to define new genres and work with new concepts. In result, the video arcade games with original and interesting gameplay were created.


Donkey Kong from Nintendo, 1981

Earlier games had a gameplay where you just had to shoot as fast as possible. In the case of this video arcade game, skill and timing are the point.



Qix from Taito, 1981

The same as Donkey Kong, it is a representative of new type of arcade games where skill and timing are on the first place.




Venture from Exidy, 1981

Gameplay of this game represented an exploration of dungeon and treasure-gathering, which is, again, more interesting than simple shooting.

Q*Bert from Gottlieb, 1982

This game played upon the gamers’ sense of depth perception to deliver a novel experience.



Phozon from Namco, 1983

The gameplay of this video arcade game represented the duplication of the shape that is shown on the screen.



Paperboy from Atari, 1984

The goal of this video arcade game is in the successful delivering of newspapers to the customers.

Video Games of Different Times

Here is a wonderful video that shows different games starting from such classic video arcade games as Space Invaders (1980) and Donkey Kong (1982), and ending with such famous games of our times as World of Warcraft (2005) and Final Fantasy XII (2006). The newest shown game is MotorStorm (2007), while the oldest one is Pong (1972).

First half of the video is especially nice. This is so nostalgically to see the favorite games from the childhood. Pac-Man (1981), Super Mario Bros. (1985), Tetris (1989) – these video games are true legends. A wish to play video arcade games of those times appears again and again. Even though more than 20 years have passed, these video arcade games are still popular.

You can watch the video about the history of video games below. You can also watch it and view a full list of shown video games here.

Beginning of the Video Arcade Games

As the virtual entertainment is brought to new levels by the technological advances and constant developments in the world of gaming, let’s take a look back at the legacy of the craft.

The 1920s are the years when the first arcade games appeared. They were seen in the amusement parks, such as Coney Island in New York. The earliest forms of the pastime were shooting galleries and ball-toss games. Some time later they progressed to include coin-op machines, which played a mechanical music, or gave a fortune reading.

The first pinball machine was created in the 1930s. It worked on a set of springs and magnets. They were replaced by the electric pinball machines in the early 1970s.

First incarnation of the electronic coin-op game was invented in 1971 by students of American university. Not long time after, the Atari was established. Thanks to it, the video arcade games were brought to cinemas, bars, and shopping centers all over the US and UK. The popular arcade games of those times that became legends are Donkey Kong, Pacman, and Space Invaders.