1980s in video games

[5] Other consoles released in the decade included the Intellivision, ColecoVision, TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) and Sega Genesis (Mega Drive).

Notable games of the 1980s included Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Metroid, Elite, Tetris, SimCity, Galaga, Contra, Pitfall!, Frogger, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!

!, Defender, Missile Command, Mega Man 2, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Super Mario Bros. 2, Bubble Bobble, Double Dragon, Final Fight, Ninja Gaiden, Adventure, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Arkanoid, Populous, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, R-Type, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Super Mario Bros. 3, Prince of Persia, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Gauntlet, Strider, Tron, Dragon's Lair, Golden Axe, Ms. Pac-Man, Out Run, Dungeon Master, Final Fantasy, Altered Beast, Shinobi, Tempest, Lode Runner, Super Mario Land, Battlezone, Dragon Quest, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, Pole Position, and Marble Madness.

The fourth generation also was the first time compact discs were considered a viable port for video game retail sales with the CD-i.

By 1983, the video game bubble created during the golden age had burst and several major companies that produced computers and consoles had gone into bankruptcy.

Home computer gaming continued to thrive in this time period, especially with lower-cost machines such as the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.

Some computer companies adopted aggressive advertising strategies to compete with gaming consoles and to promote their educational appeal to parents as well.

[23][24] Home computers also allowed motivated users to develop their own games, and many notable titles were created this way, such as Jordan Mechner's Karateka, which he wrote on an Apple II while in college.

Nintendo also took measures to prevent another crash by requiring third-party developers to adhere to regulations and standards, something that has existed on major consoles since then.

Note that video game sales numbers were not as widely reported during the 1980s, with the exception of titles published by Nintendo and Atari, Inc.