The Video Game Crash of 1983: Crash Course Games #6

So the 1980s was the golden age of arcade games. Games like Donkey Kong, Pac- Man, Space Invaders, and Centipede had become a cultural phenomenon. These games had expanded the gamer demographic and even encouraged the rise of competitive gaming. There were also many innovations in the home console and computer market with deeper and longer games like Pitfall and Castle Wolfenstein. Suddenly, you could play a game for much longer than your single quarter could get you on an arcade machine. So the video game industry was booming, but it had also become a sort of Wild West and everyone from Purina to Quaker wanted to get into the action. With these new creators came a glut of choices, and to remain competitive Atari began rushing games to market resulting in some truly terrible games. Gamers started to lose confidence in the industry and then in 1983 the gaming industry in the United States crashed. Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up athttp://www.patreon.com/crashcourse Thanks to the following Patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever: Alyssa Nolden, Mark, SR Foxley, Kristina Lavoie, Sandra Aft, Eric Kitchen, Simun Niclasen, Eric Knight, Ian Dundore, Brian Thomas Gossett, Nicholas Bury, Daniel Baulig, Jessica Wode, Moritz Schmidt, Caleb Weeks, Tim Curwick, Alex S, Brian Roberds, Mayumi Maeda, Jeffrey Thompson, Montather, Noora Althani, Steve Marshall, Kathy & Tim philip, Robert Kunz, Jason A Saslow, Jirat, Jacob Ash, Christy Huddleston, and Chris Peters. Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet? Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashC... Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheCrashCourse Tumblr - http://thecrashcourse.tumblr.com Support Crash Course on Patreon: http://patreon.com/crashcourse CC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids

Comments

1. i liked the part where you make a strange sound....ahhaha
2. Despite innovating games,these have not prevented the crash
3. Now theres gonna be another Video Game Crash because of so much hackers ruining the fun on our Playstation/Xbox/PC/Nintendo consoles. And I'm being Laughed at by my friends (Who are also Hackers) for still Playing 2nd-6th Generation Video Game Consoles.
4. Jubilee from Xmen!
5. I saw that nod to polybius you little shits
6. 1984. Not '83. The effects were NOT felt until Spring '84.
7. I would like to offer an edit. Howard Scott Warshaw, the designer of ET game and other Atari hit Yars' Revenge, was given 5 weeks to make the game so it could be released in time for Christmas. To a game designer, even back then, the fact he turned out a game that big that fast was amazing. The game even had Spielberg's approval.
8. It was more like triassic extinction, beacuse some huge companies started to rule gaming very soon.
9. Did you know that the original name for Pac-Man was Puck-Man? You'd think it was because he looks like a hockey puck but it actually comes from the Japanese phrase 'Paku-Paku,' which means to flap one's mouth open and closed. They changed it because they thought Puck-Man would be too easy to vandalize, you know, like people could just scratch off the P and turn it into an F or whatever.
10. Lol polybius arcade
11. ♫♪Lets all laugh at an industry that never learns anything tee hee hee....♫♪
12. Honestly I feel bad for Nintendo, they basically saved the gaming industry and now the majority of the young gaming community calls Kirby, link and Mario, and I quote "gay asses, only people who play them are nostalgic- tards"!
13. At like 4:50 , is that meant to be Jubilee from the Xmen
14. This is the moment that I realize that I'm watching this series while I play a videogame (Spider-man Unlimited on a Tablet)
15. i love crash course
16. i have e.t
17. That Commodore is so much cleaner than mine. :(
18. Activision? I never knew they were this ancient.
19. 3:28 , Aero Fighters came out in the arcades in 1992. This game would not be in an arcade in the 80's...
20. So Nintendo was in fact the saving grace of video games. Wow so not even the poorest of people, and all the sheep that follow didn't buy video games during the crash. I think another one is on its way since indie is taking over, and we've already gotten one disappointment so far which is NMS.