This article contains a timeline of notable events in the history of arcade gaming:

1971

• Computer Space, the first ever coin-operated arcade video game, is released by Nutting Associates.

Computer Space is a computer arcade game released in 1971 by Nutting Associates. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Nutting Associates was the company that created Computer Space (1971), the first coin operated arcade game. ...

1972

• Atari launches Pong, the first commercially successful video game.

For the concept Atari (当たり) in the board game of Go, see Atari (go term). ... Pong helped bring computerized video games into everyday life. ...

1975

• Midway releases Gun Fight, the first arcade video game to use a microprocessor - a game whose original incarnation was released in Japan by Taito and did not use a microprocessor.

Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher known for such game series as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and Spy Hunter. ... Gun Fight was an arcade game released by Midway in 1975. ... Microprocessors, including an Intel 80486DX2 and an Intel 80386. ... Taitos current logo The Taito Corporation (タイトー株式会社, taitō kabushikigaisha) TYO: 9646 is a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware. ...

1976

• Atari releases Night Driver, the earliest example of a first-person perspective racing game.

Night Driver is a 1976 arcade game by Atari. ... A racing game is any [game or games] that involve(s) competing in races through a surrogate playing piece or vehicle, either getting it from one point to another or completing a number of circuits in the shortest time. ...

1978

• Taito releases Space Invaders, the game that started the Golden Age of Arcade Games.

Taitos current logo The Taito Corporation (タイトー株式会社, taitō kabushikigaisha) TYO: 9646 is a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware. ... Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Toshihiro Nishikado in 1978. ... In Space Invaders, the player controls the firing and horizontal position of the green cannon at the bottom, fending off constant attack by echelons of eponymous enemies. ...

1979

• Namco releases Galaxian, the first true colour arcade game.

Galaxian is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1979. ...

1980

• Namco releases Pac-Man, which is their biggest-selling game of all time. They also release King and Balloon, which is the first game to feature synthesized voices.
• DECO releases DECO Cassette System, the first standardized arcade platform, for which many games were made.

Pac-Man is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution by Midway Games in 1979. ... King and Balloon is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. ... Data East (データイースト dēta īsuto) was a Japanese video game company, also known as DECO (Data East Corporation, データイースト株式会社 dēta īsuto kabushikigaisha). ... The System Startup Screen The DECO cassette system was introduced in 1980 by Data East and was the first standardised arcade system that allowed arcade owners to change games. ...

1981

• Nintendo releases Donkey Kong, which was the first platform game. It was also the game that introduced Mario to the video game world.

Nintendo Company, Limited (Japanese: 任天堂, ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY.pk, TYO: 7974 ) is a multinational corporation founded on November 6,[citation needed] 1889 in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards, for use in a Japanese playing card game of the same name. ... Donkey Kong promotional art for Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. ... Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by the character having to climb up and down, or jump from and to, platforms and ledges, while fighting enemies and collecting objects required to complete the game. ... For other uses of this name, see Mario (disambiguation). ...

1982

• Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom is released by Sega with the first use of scaling sprite 3D effects.

• Moon Patrol was created by Irem and released in the U.S. by Williams, the first game to use parallax scrolling.

• Namco releases Pole Position, one of the most popular racing games of all time.

Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ... In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene. ... The rewrite of this article is being devised at Talk:3D computer graphics/Temp. ... Moon Patrol is a classic arcade game by Irem that was first released in 1982. ... Irem (アイレム) is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. ... Williams is a long-standing electronic gaming and amusement company based in Chicago, Illinois. ... Parallax (Greek: παραλλαγή (parallagé) = alteration) is the change of angular position of two stationary points relative to each other as seen by an observer, due to the motion of an observer. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

1983

• I, Robot, the first commercially produced 3D-polygonal game is released.

• Bally Midway releases Journey, the first game with digitized sprites.

I, Robot is an arcade game that was programmed by Dave Theurer for production by Atari, released in 1983. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher known for such game series as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and Spy Hunter. ... In 1983, the release of the frontiers album brought Steve Perry and Journey to the forefront of 1980s rock music. ...

1984

• 16-bit processors are used in arcade machines for the first time, resulting in much more detailed and faster graphics:
  Marble Madness and Paperboy are released by Atari Games.

Marble Madness is a game by Atari Games released in 1984. ... A paperboy is the general name for a person (traditionally a preteen delivery boy) employed by a newspaper, a news agent or even an official postal service to deliver papers to subscribers as assigned by streets and routes, often on a bicycle. ... Atari Games was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari Inc. ...

1985

• Gauntlet is released by Atari Games

• Nemesis (Gradius in some countries) is released by Konami

• Space Harrier is released by Sega

Look up gauntlet and gantlet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Atari Games was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari Inc. ... Look up nemesis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gradius ) is a horizontally-scrolling shoot em up released by Konami in 1985 for video arcades. ... Konami Corporation (コナミ) TYO: 9766 (NYSE: KNM) (SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling computer and video games. ... Space Harrier is a forward scrolling shooter game, released by Sega in 1985. ... Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ...

1986

• Sega releases Out Run.

Out Run sit-down cabinet Out Run (also spelled OutRun and Outrun) is a 1986 racing game designed by Yu Suzuki and Sega-AM2 for the video arcade market. ...

1987

• Namco releases Yokai Douchuuki. It was the first game to use 16-bit graphics.

Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... Yokai Douchuuki is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1987. ...

1988

• NARC, by Midway is released.

• Reikai Doushi, by Home Data is released, the first digitized fighting game and the first claymation fighting game.#

• Namco releases Ordyne, which was allegedly the first game to make use of sprite scaling and massive sprite rotation. They also release Splatterhouse, which was the first game to get a parental advisory disclaimer.

NARC is a 1988 arcade game by Williams Electronics. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher known for such game series as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and Spy Hunter. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... Ordyne is a side-scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game that was released by Namco in 1988. ... Splatterhouse is a sidescrolling beat em up arcade game, released by Namco in 1988. ...

1989

• Namco releases Blast Off, which is the game that features one of the most popular and well-known Engrish phrases ever created: "To push start only 1 player button".

• Exterminator, the first game with fully digitized graphics, is released. It will have the highest quality digitized graphics until the release of Mortal Kombat II.

Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... Blast Off is a vertically-scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game that was released by Namco in 1989. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... To push start only 1 player button is an Engrish phrase that is visible on the title screen of Namcos 1989 arcade game, Blast Off. ... Mortal Kombat II is an arcade game and the second title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. ...

1991

• Capcom releases Street Fighter II, revolutionizing competitive play in the arcade setting.

Capcom (カプコン in Japanese) TYO: 9697 is a leading Japanese developer and publisher of computer and video games. ... Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991) was a highly popular and immensely successful fighting game created by Capcom. ...

1992

• Mortal Kombat is realeased, it featured blood and fatality

Mortal Kombat was the first entry in the famous Mortal Kombat fighting game series by Midway, released in arcades in 1992. ... Sub-Zero performing a Head Rip fatality in Mortal Kombat 1 In the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, a Fatality is a special finishing move that can be used against ones opponent at the end of the final match. ...

1993

• Mortal Kombat II is released, featuring high quality digitized graphics, and the most advanced sound system in arcades at the time, the DCS sound system which allowed for MP3 style compression to all sounds.

Mortal Kombat II is an arcade game and the second title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. ... DCS is an acronym and can mean: a Digital Cellular System (DCS 1800 or GSM-1800), a mobile communications-based PCS network used outside of the U.S. a digital cross connect system a type of telecom equipment a Distributed Control System (Industrial Automation) an illness related to pressure changes... MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a popular digital audio encoding and lossy compression format, designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent audio, yet still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to most listeners. ...

1994

• Killer Instinct is released, the first arcade game with a hard disk, up to that point the game with the highest quality graphics pre-rendered by a rendering program, featuring to this day the highest quality use of the movie background technique.

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ...

1998

• Konami releases Dance Dance Revolution, an arcade game with four arrow pads that the players used to "dance." This game would create many sequels and spin-offs.

The main gameplay screen of Dance Dance Revolution. ...

1999

• Rush 2049 is released, the last arcade game to bear the Atari Games logo. Atari Games in Milpitas is renamed Midway Games West, and closes it's coin-op product development division.