In the 80s, there was a spate of arcade games that were popular among children and kids. A huge number of these games have taken place in a time period called the “Golden Age” of arcade gaming, which ran from the early 70s to the mid 80s. The top ten list below includes some of these top arcade hits.
Pac-Man
This game was created by Toru Iwatani and was released in the US in 1980. It is the best selling arcade game of all time and has been in continuous production since its release. The original Japanese version was named Puck Man, and later had to be changed due to worries that it would incite vandalisms to change the “P” to an “F,” which would form a vulgar word.
Donkey Kong
This game was created by Shigeru Miyamoto, who also created Mario and The Legend of Zelda. The game was released in the arcades in 1981. This game is considered one of the most important video games ever made, and led to the spin-off Mario franchise, of which the titular character also became the mascot of the company.
Frogger
This game was created by the game developing company Konami and released in 1981. You have one objective: To guide the frog to one of the empty frog homes at the top of the screen. A session of this game features three, five, or seven frogs, depending on the setting that the operator chooses. When you lose all the players, you end the game.
Galaga
This game was created by Namco, who also created Bosconian (1981) and Dig Dug (1982). Released in arcades in 1981, this game has been described as having an addictive nature and longevity. It is considered one of the best shooting games ever made and inspired many other shoot ‘em up games, such as Raiden.
Super Mario Bros.
This game was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and released in the US in 1983. Super Mario Bros. is a video game that people often cite as one of the greatest video games ever made, and people praise it for its precise controls and game design. It has sold over 50 million copies worldwide and is commonly said to be one of the reasons that the arcade gaming industry survived past the 1983 crash. Currently, a movie based on this game is currently in production, with Chris Pratt rumored to be the starring role.
Centipede
This game was created by Atari and released in 1981. At one time, Centipede was the most popular arcade video game of all time. It is considered a classic because of its addictive nature and because of its unique art style.
Galaxian
This game was created by Namco and released in 1979. It is regarded as one of the best shoot ‘em up games (also known as fixed shooter games) ever made. It is also one of the arcade games to first feature RGB color graphics as well as a tile-based hardware system.
