1983 in video games
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1983 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games and several new titles such as Mario Bros., Pole Position II and Spy Hunter.
Events
- January, Life magazine runs a two-page spread on arcade game world record holders: "Video Game VIPs."
- January, Electronic Games labels Donkey Kong, Space Panic, and other games with ladders as "climbing games."[1]
- At the first Golden Joystick Awards ceremony (held in 1984), Jetpac takes Game of the Year.
- The fourth Arcade Awards are held, for games released during 1981-1982, with Tron winning best arcade game, Demon Attack best console game, David's Midnight Magic best computer game, and Galaxian best standalone game.
- A major shakeout of the North American video game industry ("the crash of 1983") begins. By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$3.2 billion to US$0.1 billion.[2]
Business
- In the United States, arcade game revenues are worth $2.9 billion[3] (equivalent to $8.87 billion in 2024).
- In the United States, home video game sales are worth $3.2 billion, according to Nintendo[2] (equivalent to $9.79 billion in 2024).
- In Japan, home video game sales approach ¥400 billion[4] (equivalent to $5.69 billion in 2024).
- MCA Universal files suit against Nintendo, claiming that the latter company's video arcade hit Donkey Kong violated Universal's copyright on King Kong. After a brief trial, the judge determined that the rights to the original Kong had passed into the public domain. The case was dismissed, and MCA Universal paid $1.8 million USD in damages to Nintendo.,[5]
- Atari files suit against Coleco, claiming violation of Atari's patents on the Atari 2600 video game console. The previous year, Coleco released a peripheral device that made it possible for Atari 2600 game cartridges to be run on the ColecoVision console.[6]
- Amusement Developing Section 8 (later known as Sega-AM2), a research and development department of Sega, is established under the supervision of Yu Suzuki in Tokyo, Japan.[7]
- Milton Bradley takes over distribution of the Vectrex console after purchasing General Consumer Electronics.
- New companies: Aackosoft, Alligata, Beyond, Graftgold, Infogrames,[8] Origin Systems,[9] Interplay,[10] Navarre,[11] Mastertronic, Spectrum HoloByte, Tynesoft
- Defunct companies: Games by Apollo, US Games, Xonox, Starpath.
Notable releases
Games
Arcade
- March, Namco releases Mappy.
- May, Sega releases Astron Belt in the Japanese market, the second laserdisc video game. It uses pre-rendered, computer-animated film footage as backdrops, overlaid with sprite graphics.
- May, Atari releases Star Wars, a color vector graphics game based on the popular film franchise.[12]
- Konami releases Gyruss in Japan. Centuri distributes the game in North America.[13]
- June 14, Nintendo releases Mario Bros., which features the first appearance of Mario's brother, Luigi.
- June 19, Cinematronics releases Advanced Microcomputer Systems's Dragon's Lair,[14] the third laserdisc video game, and the first in the American market.
- June, Data East releases Bega's Battle, a laserdisc video game.[15] It uses anime FMV cut scenes to develop a story between the game's shooting stages, which would later become the standard approach to video game storytelling.[16]
- July, Namco releases Pac & Pal exclusively in Japan.
- August, Sega releases Astron Belt in Europe, as the first laserdisc game in the region.[17]
- August, Namco releases Phozon exclusively in Japan.
- October, Namco releases Libble Rabble.
- November, Sega releases Astron Belt in the United States.[18]
- December, Namco releases Pole Position II, adding three additional tracks.
- Atari releases the trackball-controlled Crystal Castles.
- Bally/Midway releases Spy Hunter.[19] They also release Jr. Pac-Man and quiz game Professor Pac-Man without Namco's authorization, and the latter is an immediate flop.
- Nintendo releases Punch-Out!! in Japan.
- Williams releases Blaster, which was originally programmed on an Atari 8-bit computer.
Personal computer
- June, Yuji Horii releases The Portopia Serial Murder Case for the NEC PC-6001 in Japan. It is an influential adventure game that lays the foundations for the visual novel genre.[20]
- July 8, Infocom releases Planetfall, which becomes one of their top sellers.
- August 23, Origin Systems publishes Ultima III: Exodus, one of the first role-playing video games to use tactical, turn-based combat. It is released for the Apple II, Atari 800, Commodore 64, and IBM PC.[9]
- ASCII releases Bokosuka Wars for the Sharp X1 in Japan. It is a precursor to the tactical role-playing game[21] and real-time strategy[22] genres.
- Koei releases Nobunaga's Ambition for Japanese computers. Its combination of role-playing, turn-based grand strategy and management simulation elements sets a standard for the historical simulation and strategy RPG genres.[23]
- Electronic Arts publishes its first five titles: Hard Hat Mack, Pinball Construction Set, Archon: The Light and the Dark, M.U.L.E., and Worms?.[24]
- Bug-Byte releases Matthew Smith's Manic Miner, a platform game, for the ZX Spectrum.[25]
- Ultimate Play the Game, later known as Rare, releases its first video games, Jetpac and Atic Atac, for the ZX Spectrum.[26]
- Hudson Soft releases Bomberman for the MSX and FM-7.
- Psion releases Chequered Flag, the first driving game published for the ZX Spectrum,[27] one of the first computer car simulators, and the first driving game with selectable cars.[28]
- The 4-player simultaneous Dandy is released for the Atari 8-bit family. It directly inspires 1985's Gauntlet arcade game.
Console
- December 12, Nintendo publishes Donkey Kong Jr. Math, for the Famicom.
- Mattel Electronics publishes World Series Baseball for the Intellivision, one of the first video games to use multiple camera angles.[29]
- Activision's final big year of Atari 2600 releases includes Enduro, Decathlon, Keystone Kapers, Robot Tank, and Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space.
Hardware
Arcade
- May, Sega Laserdisc hardware releases, as the first laserdisc video game hardware.
- July, Sega System 1 releases, with Star Jacker game.[30] Its graphics chips are later used in the Sega System 16 and Sega Space Harrier boards.
- December, Namco Libble Rabble (System 16 Universal) releases, as Namco's second arcade system board to use a 16-bit microprocessor.
Console
- July 15, Sega releases the SG-1000 console in Japan,[31] on the same day as the Famicom.
- July 15, Nintendo releases the Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. Shortly after its release, complaints begin to surface about rampant system instability, prompting Nintendo to issue a product recall and to rerelease the machine with a new motherboard.[2] It would later be released worldwide as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
- October, Casio ships the Casio PV-1000 in Japan. It does not remain on the market for long.
- GameLine, a combination modem and dialup game distribution service for the Atari 2600, is announced but never ships.
Personal computer
- January, Apple Computer releases the Apple IIe, which becomes their most popular 8-bit machine.
- June 16, Microsoft Japan releases MSX, an early standardized home computer architecture.
- March, Atari releases the poorly received 1200XL computer. Late in the year it and the rest of the Atari 8-bit family are replaced by the 600XL and 800XL.
- June, Mattel Electronics releases the Aquarius home computer, originally designed by Radofin Electronics Far East.[32]
- October. Coleco releases the Adam home computer.[33] It is only on the market for 15 months.
- October, Mattel discontinues the Aquarius.
- Acorn Computers release the Acorn Electron, a cut down version of their BBC Micro to compete in the under £200 home computer market. Problems in manufacture see only 1 in 8 presales being delivered for the Christmas market.
- Sega releases the SC-3000, a personal computer version of the SG-1000 console, in Japan.[31]
References
- ^ "The Player's Guide to Climbing Games". Electronic Games. 1 (11): 49. January 1983.
- ^ a b c Liedholm, Marcus and Mattias. "The Famicom rules the world! – (1983–89)". Nintendo Land. Archived from the original on January 1, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ Video Game Myth Busters - Did the "Crash" of 1983/84 Affect Arcades?, The Golden Age Arcade Historian (December 27, 2013)
- ^ http://www.gbrc.jp/content/old/PDF/GameCase.PDF#page=43
- ^ "25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming / Universal Goes Ape". GameSpy.com. 2003. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Atari and Coleco". New York Times. February 8, 1983. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ "SEGA-AM2 Co., LTD". MobyGames. Archived from the original on February 14, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Atari – 1972–2004". Atari – Official Corporate Site. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ a b GameSpot Staff (2000). "15 Most Influential Games of All Time / Ultima III: Exodus". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Ackerman, Kyle (2002). "The Saga Behind the Sagas: Interplay and the Business of Gaming". Frictionless Insight. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ "Star Wars". KLOV.com. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ "Gyruss". KLOV.com. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ "Dragon's Lair". KLOV.com. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ "Bega's Battle arcade video game by Data East USA, Inc. (1983)". www.arcade-history.com.
- ^ Travis Fahs (March 3, 2008). "The Lives and Deaths of the Interactive Movie". IGN. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
- ^ "Astron Belt arcade game review". www.solvalou.com.
- ^ "Astron Belt arcade video game by Bally Midway Mfg. (1983)". www.arcade-history.com.
- ^ "Spy Hunter". KLOV.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ John Szczepaniak (February 2011). "Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken". Retro Gamer. Retrieved March 16, 2011. (Reprinted at John Szczepaniak. "Retro Gamer 85". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved March 16, 2011.)
- ^ "VC ボコスカウォーズ". www.nintendo.co.jp.
- ^ "Dru Hill: The Chronicle of Druaga". 1up.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2005.
- ^ Vestal 1998a, p. "Other NES RPGs"
- ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (March 21, 2013). "30 years ago Electronic Arts shipped its first batch of five games". Polygon.
- ^ Broad, Andrew (2006). "Manic Miner/Jet Set Willy". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)Additional archives: October 21, 2009. - ^ "GAMES / timeline". Welcome to Rare. Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
- ^ "The Complete YS Guide to Driving Games". Your Sinclair (59): 77. November 1990.
- ^ "Road Racers". CRASH (16): 45. May 1985.
- ^ "Classic Gaming Expo – Don Daglow". Classic Gaming Expo. 2005. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
- ^ "Star Jacker arcade video game by SEGA Enterprises (1983)". www.arcade-history.com.
- ^ a b "Sega SC-3000 / SG-1000". Obscure Pixels. Archived from the original on February 6, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Player 3 Stage 3: Contender to the Throne". The Dot Eaters. Archived from the original on November 9, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Klein, Eric S. "Coleco Adam". Eric Klein's Vintage Computers. Archived from the original on January 31, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2006.
{{cite web}}
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