Video Games Through Technology 1983-92

By: Cortney Norton

The gaming industry has further advanced right along side technologies of the time. The constant advancing in technology sets the standard for what is to be expected in the video gaming industries as far as graphics and interactions throughout each time period. Between the years 1983-1992 the video game industry was at it’s own stage of development, just beginning to break away from the overall development of technology as a whole.

Video games currently progress, as their own form of technology; a technology that has become its own art form. As new advances in programing and rendering have been made available to create these works of art. The same method of evolution that occurred through out the history of technology, as well as art history is reoccurring through the evolution of the gaming industry. When humans create/discover a new media, generally, after all of the practical uses have been discovered, the devolvement of a new form of art and entertainment follows. “The real motive force behind the advance of the world has always been provided by ideas.”¹ Throughout many influences came our technology, as did the video game industry. For example: “Our modern world is largely an intellectual product of the Renaissance and a physical product of the industrial revolution.” ¹ From of which video games are possible, yet they are also a product influenced by many cultural and technological influences.

Video game consoles were being introduced left and right at this time. Before the major video game manufactures we know today became mainstream, many other companies were joining the race in game development, some lesser known developers helped set the stage for companies as we know them no.  In 1983 the first video game to use laser-disc technology was established by Rick Dyer. Namco’s PV-1000 was introduced in Japan in 1983 with only 15 games to choose, Dig-Dug being the most notorious of which.² Dig-Doug remains a classic even to this day. A lesser-known Nintendo also released the NES in Japan, yet due to Atari’s current domination of the American video game industries it was not released in the U.S. until 1985. Other popular console released during this time include: The Colecovision, Intellvision, Commodore 64, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and the Super Nintendo.

The games being released for these consoles ranged from four different game types including: Target, Adventure, Action, and Tactics.² In games that were target based, the players main objective was to hit a direct sometimes moving target. These games were mainly point-shoot games where the player was the armsman. In the adventure based games the player took on the roll of a specific character, and had many tasks and quests to accomplish to complete each goal. The more tasks the player completed the higher the difficulty advanced moving on to the next one. The player had accomplish many achievements and defeat many obstacles and bosses in order to win the over all game. Tactics games were strategy based games where the player usually versed a computer mode, and the players decisions throughout the game affect the overall outcome. Nintendo was the main produser of these games between 1986 and 1988.² These years were some of the strongest years for Nintendo. Some of the most notorious action and adventure games were introduced by Nintendo for the NES. The games that strongly influenced the current industry and some franchises that Nintendo continues to build on to this day. A few of these games were: Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man 2, and Metroid.

¹ Anon. “JSTOR: Leonardo, Vol. 17, No. 4 (1984), Pp. 277-287.” www.jstor.org.library.scad.edu/stable/1575105?&Search=yes&searchText=game&searchText=evolution&searchText=video&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dvideo%2Bgame%2Bevolution%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=24&ttl=2768&returnArticleService=showFullText.

² Chris Melissinos, Patrick O’Rourke, Mike Mika, Elizabeth Broun. The Art Of Video Games: From Pac Man to Mass Effect.(New York: Welcom Books 2012)