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Several VCS programmers leave Atari in a dispute over game credits and form Activision, the first "third -party developer" and now a rival VCS software house. While Atari doesn't give individual programmers credit for their work, Activision recognizes individual game developers by including their names on the game packaging and in the marketing efforts.
US Army Plays Games
Atari coin-op designer Ed Rottberg creates Battlezone, the first three-dimensional first-person game. Rolling around in a tank on a virtual battlefield, you take out targets in a warlike scenario. The US government later commissions an enhanced version of Battlezone for military training purposes.
 |  Pac-Man arcade marquee. |
Namco releases Pac-Man, the most popular arcade game of all time. Over 300,000 units are sold worldwide (counterfeit machines are not included in this figure, but their number nearly matches the number of legitimate Pac-Man machines). More than 100,000 units are sold in the United States alone. Originally named Puck Man, the game is renamed after executives see the potential for vandals to scratch out part of the letter P on the game's marquee, which might discourage parents from letting their children play. Pac-Man becomes the first video game to be popular with both males and females.
Sega Licenses Atari Game
Sega obtains the rights to manufacture and release a Japanese version of Atari's Missile Command.
Nintendo of America Opens for Business
Minoru Arakawa, son-in-law of Nintendo's Japanese chief Hiroshi Yamauchi, opens Nintendo of America in New York City, then moves the company to Seattle, Washington. Unsuccessful at selling a number of mediocre electronic games following Computer Othello, the small American subsidiary has a decidedly uncertain future.
Bally Sells Off Console
Bally sells its Professional Arcade system to Astrovision, which renames it Astrocade.
Virtual World
Williams, a Chicago-based manufacturer of pinball machines, releases Defender, its first video game. Designed by Eugene Jarvis, Defender is a side-scrolling shooter that features the industry's first virtual world. Because the monitor can only display a portion of the action, a "radar" at the top of the screen shows the overall picture of events that are occurring outside the boundaries of the screen. Defender becomes an immediate hit.
1981
|  Donkey Kong. |
Given an opportunity to convert a large number of unsuccessful Nintendo video arcade games into something that will earn money, Nintendo artist Shigeru Miyamoto creates Donkey Kong. The hero, originally called Jumpman, is a squat carpenter racing to save his girlfriend Pauline from a crazed monkey. Jumpman is later named Mario by Nintendo of America's staff, in honor of his resemblance to their landlord Mario Segali.
Atari and Intellivision Programmers Unite
More Atari programmers defect, along with several Intellivision programmers, to start Imagic, a software company that promises to release games for both the VCS and Intellivision systems.
Atari Licensing Coup
Atari negotiates the rights to release more hit arcade titles, such as Pac-Man, for the VCS.
Color Vector
Atari releases Tempest, a color-vector arcade game based on still-unstable graphics technology that is prone to early failure. The machine attracts crowds of devoted players.
Death by Video Game
A man dies of a heart attack while playing Berserk--video gaming's only known fatality.
Arcades Rule
US arcades reach their highest revenues--$5 billion. Americans spend more than 75,000 man-hours playing video games.
First Video Game Magazine
Electronic Games is founded by Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel and is the first magazine entirely devoted to video games.
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