Coin, Console, and Chaos: The Wild Rise of 1970s Video Games

The 1970s were the decade when the video game industry began. It was an era of technological shifts that shaped a new form of gaming entertainment. What started as crude lab experiments exploded into a major new gaming industry. This is the story of the wild rise of 1970s video games.

Computer Space Launches Coin-Op Arcades

In 1971, the engineer Nolan Bushnell invented the world’s first commercialized video game in the form of Computer Space, partly inspired by Spacewar. Computer Space was a video game in which players controlled a rocket ship to engage in space dogfights. This was a coin-op arcade game that initially sold about 1,500 units globally. Although not necessarily a huge hit, Computer Space proved that video games had some commercial potential.

The Magnavox Odyssey is Launched

While Bushnell was more focused on arcades, Magnavox released the world’s first video game console in the form of the Odyssey in 1972. That was a very basic console based on a discrete transistors that ran on batteries. To play games, players inserted non-programmable jumper circuit cards into the console. The console had about 28 games, which included titles such as Table Tennis, Ski, Submarine, Tennis & Handball.

The Magnavox Odyssey sold about 350,000 units globally. Although not a huge hit, it was nevertheless a first home video game console, albeit with technical limitations. Magnavox also reaped millions in patent lawsuits against Atari and Nintendo as the company that owned home-console video game technology.

Atari Launches Pong

The Table Tennis game on the Magnavox further inspired Bushnell in the 1970s. In 1972, Bushnell founded Atari and released the Pong arcade game. Pong was a digital ping-pong game that was like a 2D table tennis simulation.

Players immediately fell in love with Pong because of its simplicity and fast-paced gameplay. Pong was one of the most defining 1970s video games that became a cultural phenomenon. This video game was a huge hit, as Atari shipped more than 8,000 Pong arcade units by 1974.

In 1975, Atari released the Home Pong console. That was a dedicated console (no cartridges) that enabled players to play Pong outside arcades. The Home Pong console was another big hit for Atari entirely because of the game it was based on.

The Rise of the Atari 2600

Pong started a 1970s gaming explosion that the Atari 2600 took to an entirely new level. Atari released the Video Computer System (later rebranded as the 2600) in 1977. This was the first game console with interchangeable cartridges that incorporated a microprocessor.

Although the Atari 2600 made a relatively slow start, the console skyrocketed when Atari started porting arcade games to it. Arcade games like Space Invaders, Ms. Pac-Man, Missile Command, and Centipede propelled the Atari 2600. The Atari 2600 sold almost 30 million units worldwide throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The enduring popularity of the Atari 2600 remains. Atari relaunched that console with the Atari 2600+ in 2023. It is one of the most popular retro consoles players can play on modern TVs.

Space Invaders Changes the Gaming Landscape

Although home gaming took off in the late 1970s, arcade gaming remained more popular. The 1978 release of Space Invaders made arcade gaming even more popular. Space Invaders sparked a gaming revolution by introducing competitive high-score gaming. Players flocked to the arcades to rack up higher scores by blowing away lines of alien ships.

Space Invaders became an arcade gaming phenomenon. It remains one of the highest-grossing video games in history, generating billions for Taito. You can play remakes of that game like Space Invaders Forever on the Switch. Alternatively, check out Space Invaders Invincible Collection to play the original 1978 arcade game.

Nintendo Makes its Gaming Debut

With arcade gaming flourishing, Nintendo began releasing coin-op games in the 1970s. Computer Othello, released in 1978, was Nintendo’s first arcade video game. That was a digital adaptation of Reversi, but it wasn’t a global blockbuster comparable to Space Invaders.

Nintendo also released Space Fever in 1979. That was a fixed-shooter arcade game inspired by Space Invaders. Space Fever had a similar gameplay loop to Space Invaders, but Nintendo differentiated it by adding distinct gameplay modes. Although that game had nowhere near the same impact, it was a gaming hit for Nintendo that filled a niche as a Space Invaders clone for arcades that couldn’t get hold of Taito’s game.

Such games established Nintendo within arcades during the 1970s. However, Nintendo became a much bigger developer in the early 1980s with arcade games like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. As more players became familiar with Nintendo games, the big N ported more of them to home consoles like the Atari 2600.

By the end of the decade, 1970s video games were booming. This was mainly thanks to the Atari, Magnavox, and Taito pioneers who turned video games into serious global entertainment. Atari was the biggest gaming company by a considerable distance by the end of the 1970s, but Nintendo and SEGA were rising forces when the 1980s began.