As the name suggests, the “golden age of arcade games” refers to a period in which arcade games were considered to be at their peak, with hit after hit releasing to critical acclaim and commercial success. The exact years that the golden age took place are disputed, though the general belief is that it was between 1978 and 1983. The latter year, 1983, is an infamous year for gaming, asit is when the video game industry crashed.
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Since the gaming industry recovered from its 1983 crash, it has skyrocketed to the point where gaming is a pillar of the entertainment industry and pop culture. Consequently, eye-watering sums of money are being poured into new video games today, resulting inincredible feats of technical achievementthat eclipse arcade games from the late ’80s and early ’90s in terms of visuals, scope, sound design, and more.
Despite this, many arcade games from the golden age are still an absolute blast to play today. To give players interested inretro gamingan idea of what to play first, here are some of the most famous releases from the golden age, ranked by how well they hold up today.
8Mario Bros.
Mario Bros.is an important release in gaming history, as it was the first game to have Mario’s name in the title.Mario Bros.offers vastly different gameplay to the NES’Super Mario Bros.franchise, as the game simply tasks players with defeating a series of enemies in New York sewers.
Like many games from the era, the main goal is to accumulate the highest score, a mechanic intended to be addictive and encourage players to spend more coins to beat their friends' scores.
7Donkey Kong
WhereasMario Bros.was the first game to have Mario in the title,Donkey Kongwas the first game to feature Mario, period. Donkey Kong may be aheroic charactertoday, but he was playing the role of a villain back in 1981 after kidnapping Pauline, who players must save as Mario.
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AlthoughDonkey Kongis predominantly remembered for introducing players to two of gaming’s most famous characters, it’s also fondly remembered for being an early example of the platforming genre.
6Q*bert
Q*Bertwas first released in arcades back in 1982 beforearriving on a plethora of other consoles over the years, including the Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Color, and even more modern consoles like the PlayStation 4, which is a testament to the game’s staying power.
Q*berttasks players with lighting every cube in a pyramid while avoiding various hazardous enemies.This may sound simple enough, but the game is deceivingly difficult, which makes it a fun way to kill ten minutes today.
5Asteroids
Asteroidsimmediately grabbed the attention of arcade-goers in 1979 with its multidirectional controls. The game was only the second-ever multidirectional shooter - with 1962’sSpacewar!being the first - and influenced many of the shooting games that followed in the ’80s.
Interestingly, the game was also influential in increasing playtesting during development, as players found an exploit. The “lurking exploit” could keep players alive almost indefinitely, which damaged the game’s profitability in arcades and game centers.
4Frogger
Froggerhit arcades in 1981 andstood out with its unique themeof tasking players with guiding a frog to its lilypad home. This may sound easy enough, though between the frog and its home are numerous hazards, such as speeding cars, sinking turtles, and aggressive crocodiles.
One of the keys toFrogger’s success was that the player could see the lilypads at all times, which made the game appear easier than it actually was. This encouraged players to keep feeding the machine coins in hopes of beating their high score.
3Space Invaders
The reason why the “golden age of arcade games” is considered to have started in 1978 is becauseSpace Invaderswas released during that year, which is a testament to how ground-breaking the game was at the time.
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Space Invaders' influence can be found in tower defense titles likePlants vs. Zombiesand games with horde modes that task players with taking down waves of enemies.
2Defender
Defenderis a side-scrolling shooter that was first released in 1981. Side-scrolling shooters are uncommon today outside of mobile releases, though side-scrolling shooter sections do appear in many modern2D platformers.
It’s hard to deny thatDefender’svisuals have aged very poorly, though the game deserves its high spot on this list for having gameplay that is surprisingly close to what many side-scrolling shooters and 2D platformers offer today.
1Pac-Man
Pac-Manis a game that needs no introduction, as, before theSuper Mario Bros.series, the arcade phenomenon held the crown as gaming’s mostprominent mascot character.
The maze game grabbed the attention of arcade goers with its visuals that were bursting with colors and its addictive gameplay that had players scrambling to get the highest score amongst their friends.Pac-Manis still a joy to play today, which is a testament to how well-designed the gameplay was back in 1980.
