1980s in video games

The 1980s was the second decade in the industry's history. It was a decade of highs and lows for video games. The decade began amidst a boom in the arcade business with giants like Atari still dominating the American market since the late-1970s. Another, the rising influence of the home computer, and a lack of quality in the games themselves led to an implosion of the video game market that nearly destroyed the industry in North America. It took home consoles years to recover from the crash, but Nintendo filled in the void with its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES, Famicom), reviving interest in consoles. Up until this point, most investors believed video games to be a fad that has since passed. In the remaining years of the decade, Sega ignites a console war with Nintendo, developers that had been affected by the crash experimented with the more advanced graphics of the PC, and Nintendo released the Game Boy, which would become the best-selling handheld gaming device for the next two-decades. Other consoles releases in the decade included the Intellivision, TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) and Sega Genesis (Mega Drive). Notable games of the 1980s included Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Metroid, Elite, SimCity, Galaga, Pitfall!, Frogger, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Defender, Mega Man 2, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Super Mario Bros. 2, Bubble Bobble, Double Dragon, Final Fight, Ninja Gaiden, Tetris, Adventure, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Arkanoid, Populous, R-Type, Contra, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Super Mario Bros. 3, Prince of Persia, Gauntlet, Dragon's Lair, Golden Axe, Ms. Pac-Man, Out Run, Final Fantasy, Altered Beast, Shinobi, Lode Runner, Battlezone, Dragon Quest, and Marble Madness.