The Golden Age of Game Hall Games

The golden age of arcades is generally dated from around 1978, when Space Invaders appeared, to around 1983, when Nintendo launched the Famicom in Japan. This short period brought an unmatched level of technical and creative innovation, before home consoles gradually overtook arcades during the 1980s.

Many characters that emerge during this time are also part of the pop-cultural memory for people who have nothing to do with video games: the form of space invaders, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Mario (at that time called Jumpman), to name but a few.

Arcade games have a direct impact on the market for home consoles – allowing the quality and atmosphere of an arcade even in the home living room is a measure of everything for manufacturers and players for years to come.