What is Digg?80 Comments
- TDTech, on 08/14/2008, -2/+41The Video Game Crash of 1983 also known as The Video Game Crash of 1984. What?
- chubbybubba, on 08/14/2008, -4/+29Personally I miss the Video Game Arcade era. They would have rows of Street Fighter IIs, mortal kombat and such. That was REAL multiplayer gaming. When a twelve year old talked trash it was because he could back it up and not just because he could hide behind an internet connection. The good old days.
- naughtyboy, on 08/13/2008, -1/+26"E.T. is seen as marking the beginning of Atari's downfall and is often viewed as one of the biggest commercial failures in video gaming history, as well as the worst video game ever made."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terres ... - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -4/+24That was an awesome video!
- nakile, on 08/14/2008, -5/+19This reminds me of tons of others things that Japan has taken over. Same thing happens every time.
1. America creates something but doesn't improve it over the years because people keep buying it. Why make something new when what you have is still selling?
2. Japan comes over and introduces a similar product that they've been constantly improving and doing tons of R&D on over the years to make it better and better.
3. Everybody buys the Japanese stuff. It's way better. - raptordrew, on 08/14/2008, -5/+16Hey, I loved my E.T video game as a kid... true, it bothered me that I didn't know how to play it then, and I still don't know how the ***** I'm supposed to play/beat it (if that's possible), but it was E.T.! That was good enough for me thru the first 6 years or so of my life.
- beefchi, on 08/14/2008, -3/+14i love my colecovision
- deweyhewson, on 08/14/2008, -2/+11Not a bad video, but if this guy plans to keep making them he should invest in a decent microphone. My speakers sounded like they were scratching themselves to pieces.
- modelchick8806, on 08/14/2008, -3/+10Let's hope there's never another crash. *Cough* Stop making movie games *Cough*
- chkdg8, on 08/14/2008, -1/+7This was absolutely awesome. This is a good example of non biased gaming journalism if you ask me. I've recently purchased an NES system on ebay to add to my massive gaming collection that's been with me since 1980. Wow, I remember those ugly days of the gaming industry. It's a great time to be a gamer now!
- nickert0n, on 08/14/2008, -1/+7It also did that.
- alpine75, on 08/14/2008, -5/+11That guy looked like a dweeb. His microphone was awful!
Anyway, as to the point of this video. I remember in '83 and '84 when there were bins full of Atari games for $5. The crash had a definite impact.
It was the Nintendo entertainment system that saved video games. If not for the success of the NES, things could have went much differently when it came to gaming. - alpine75, on 08/14/2008, -2/+7How do you figure? The NES was wildly popular and the gameboy didn't come around until years later.
- GoatMonkey2112, on 08/14/2008, -2/+7It all started with this guy, an American:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming
He convinced the Japanese to follow a strategy of constant incremental improvements during reconstruction of Japan after WWII. His ideas were ignored and laughed at by American companies.
Deming's 14 points of effective management:
1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive and stay in business, and to provide jobs.
2. Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, must learn their responsibilities, and take on leadership for change.
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move towards a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease cost.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Institute leadership (see Point 12 and Ch. 8 of "Out of the Crisis"). The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better job. Supervision of management is in need of overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
8. Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company. (See Ch. 3 of "Out of the Crisis")
9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team, to foresee problems of production and in use that may be encountered with the product or service.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.
11. a. Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute leadership.
b. Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals. Substitute leadership.
12. a. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.
b. Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride of workmanship. This means, inter alia, abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objective (See CH. 3 of "Out of the Crisis").
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's work. - amauldin71, on 08/14/2008, -2/+6If you look back at far games have come in the last 25 years, it makes you wonder how crappy the top of the line games of today will appear 25 years from now.
- DmtriPutin, on 08/14/2008, -0/+4Video games have come along way in my 27 years on Earth. And I'm damn glad I got to experience them at each step of the way! From playing D&D on colecovision to playing the first R&3K on NES, to the first Maddens that came out for PC (with only 2 teams if I recall - the red and the blue) to FF3(6) for SNES. There have been so many great games every step of the way, its a shame that whole generations are being raised with limited knowledge of their video game heritage
- sinembarg0, on 08/14/2008, -1/+5Interesting fact (I think): The American NES was designed to feel as little like a game console, because Americans were still not very receptive to in-home video games during that period. That's why it has a VCR/Betamax style method of putting in the cartridge. The Famicom, the Japanese version of the NES, is just a regular top slot console because the Japanese did not have this problem during that time.
- steveketchen, on 08/14/2008, -1/+5I was initially dreading the boredom that comes as a result of most low-budget youtube videos, but this guy knew his stuff.
More importantly, he knew his stuff that I didn't know. This is stuff I can talk to my friends about. Kudos. - shazbotter, on 08/14/2008, -2/+6If I remember correctly, the video game crash of 1983 was partially responsible for the growth of gaming on PCs. And for that I am extremely thankful.
- conversekid, on 08/14/2008, -1/+5And then Nintendo saves the ***** day!
- inactive, on 08/14/2008, -0/+4Dugg for screenshot of Impossible Mission.
Loved that game on my C64. - nickert0n, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3I had one too!!!!
- crowbarred, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3I dont know how to say this ... a crappy video that was actually really really good ... well done son
- dafragsta, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3OK, while there WERE better games on the 2600, the bar wasn't THAT much higher. I remember actually enjoying BOTH ET and Pac-Man. Granted, Ms. Pac-Man was what Pac-Man should've been. These games were WAAAY better than what most kids had before, which was one of the many Pong clone systems that had no variety. I don't think any of the 2600 games were ever more than $10 and the third party games which were generally far superior in graphic quality than first party games were even cheaper.
I often think the video game crash is overanalyzed and it happened because the market couldn't wait it out for 2 ***** years and started clearing house. Like every system that has proceeded it, the developers found ways to make the most of the hardware. Granted, it didn't even have FM synthesis for sound, but the graphics got leaps and bounds better than Pac-Man by 1986 and were definitely closer to arcade games of the time by Ms. Pac-Man came out. For a look at how third parties handled that progressin, look at Pitfall 1 vs Pitfall 2. The second one looks WAY better graphically. - Valyn, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3I don't know about there never being another crash. But i sure don't see it happening anytime soon.
Your right about companies coming and going especially. If not for the Wii, Nintendo may have gone under or retreated to just handhelds. I still don't understand the appeal of the Wii myself, but, I did give in and buy one for mario kart ans smash bros (both games dont use the damn wii-mote thank god). I won't be buying the next nintendo though. At least not until it's been out a while. - themastersb, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3He took a lot of stuff from AVGN such as the example of "What if Sony announced a device that would allow 360 games to be played on the Playstation 3."
- hexer611, on 08/14/2008, -1/+4I blame the ADAM
- ZutroyZuuts, on 08/14/2008, -1/+4That was pretty damn good.
I think we've found the next Robert X. Cringely. - djpray2k, on 08/14/2008, -2/+5I remember playing Mortal Kombat as Sub Zero at an arcade on holiday and was half way in to my one player game some jerk comes in as Scorpian, univited and starts a vs. match against me. Needless to say I kicked his ass and even finished it off with a head ripping fatality. I miss arcades too :-(
- espoandy, on 08/13/2008, -2/+4In the beginning he made it seem like this was going to happen again but then changed his mind later
- dafragsta, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2Those games aren't made with the intent of driving the market like E.T.
- str1fe, on 08/14/2008, -1/+3Agreed and dugg. "The Video Game Crash of 83-84" makes the OP sound a lot less ignorant.
- 0akley, on 08/14/2008, -1/+3what... I loved the original Atari Pacman. All the atrari games looked like that. You can't expect the same graphics as the arcade in 1983!
- SchmuckofNI, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2Very good video even if the guy sounds a little like Ben Stein. :P
- EricG, on 08/14/2008, -2/+4At the rate the industry is going with re-hashes of the same titles and totally lack of innovation (madden 2052 anyone?) .. the crash is coming again my friends, and probably with a vengence.. having lived through the first one when I was in my video game playing prime teen years, let me tell you it sucked then.. and it will suck again..
- vilago, on 08/14/2008, -1/+35. Sell for cheaper
- cruzlee, on 08/14/2008, -4/+6you forgot:
4. Profit - peterredding, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2Damn straight. My local arcade had an age restriction (16 I believe) so you didn't even get any annoying 12 year old kids.
- rexcom, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2The problem with ET was that people expected the same epic experience with the video game version. What they failed to realize, and what we now know all too well, is that with very rare exception most movie games suck. And not just a little, they mostly suck by epic proportions. ET was just the most blaring example of trying to cash in on the success of a great movie, and still remains a good example.
But now, in contrast you have games from movies, i.e. Riddick that I enjoyed way more than the movie. It just shows that you can make a good movie based game as long as you take the time and try not and rush it out. - frepnog, on 08/14/2008, -1/+3No, there will not be another crash like that. the tech is too advanced and there is FAR too much money invested by the three companies competing. You don't like madden? Fine, but millions of other people do. The crap nowadays doesn't sell like it used to, people are more informed, and less likely to by a TERRIBLE game on par with 2600 ET simply because of a known movie property on the box.
- Reviler, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2Kid looks like he was a glint in his Dad's eye in 1983 but has a good narration voice and decent sense of video composition. Will be surprised if he doesn't eventually get a call from G4 within the next year if he keeps it up.
- xchrisxsays, on 08/14/2008, -1/+3Item received promptly!!!!! Great Seller!!! A++++++++!!!
- frepnog, on 08/14/2008, -1/+3had one. god what a piece of *****.
did your BASIC tape get ate by the drive, rendering the machine basically useless as well? - slapded, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2was i the only guy that liked the ET game? i felt like an 8 year old badass for beating it
- nickert0n, on 08/14/2008, -1/+3***** eh.
- bormon, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2Starfox 64 I think. The ending song?
- ThankTheCheese, on 08/14/2008, -1/+2In case anyone else is interested, here is gameplay footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-pzdPLfy9Y - M724, on 08/16/2008, -0/+1I don't miss arcades. I prefer the new system of playing online. If you don't like someone, block them. Easy.
- frepnog, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1you are so very very wrong.
- M724, on 08/16/2008, -0/+1This makes me think.
The video game industry is as far as can be from a crash, but it is in danger of splitting into two loosely connected industries: The hardcore, serious gaming industry, in which Microsoft and Sony battling for the leading position, and the casual gaming industry, in which Nintendo is dominant, and Sony and Microsoft play a minor part.
If this happened, the casual industry will overshadow the hardcore industry, at least for a while. In about a decade or two (however long it takes for gamers to outnumber non-gamers,) the industries will probably re-emerge and the casual industry will be an entry point for children before they grow up into embracing hardcore games. -
Show 51 - 80 of 80 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is