Atari Shock

In Japan, the video game crash is known as Atari Shock – the name suggests that the collapse is not seen as something general and worldwide, but as an event that specifically affects Atari and the Americans.

One reason for this is that video games are virtually no longer existing in the years after the crash in the USA, but continue to gain ground in Japan. This is due to a console released during the crash by Nintendo, the former playing card manufacturer – whose family computer will ensure that the worldwide video game market is dominated by Japanese companies for the next two decades.