Video Games

Encouraged by the success of Atari, other companies tried dipping their joysticks into the home videogame market in 1976.

Coleco introduced Telstar Pong, while the Fairchild Camera and Instrument Company weighed in with the Fairchild Channel F; the first programmable home game console, it came with large cartridges that could be inserted in order to play different games.

The Atari 2600 (which included such games as Tank, Pong, Centipede, Galaxian, Breakout and Pole Position) totally dominated the home videogame market upon its release in 1977. (Atari also opened the first Chuck E Cheese restaurant - a nightmarish "fun for the whole family" eatery featuring robotic animals and electronic games). Atari continued it's domination of the home market with the 1978 release of Atari Football.

As the 80s dawned, the videogame industry continued to thrive, with Atari still leading the pack. When the company released a home version of Space Invaders, Atari 2600 sales hit their highest level to date.

Atari's first serious challenger was Mattel, who introduced a home videogame system of its own called Intellivision, which included games such as baseball, poker and blackjack. It was more expensive than Atari but boasted better graphics. Atari's success continued with the release of a home version of Asteroids, while Sega released an American version of Frogger.

The Nintendo Entertainment Systems was launched in the US in 1985, and by the end of the decade Nintendo had 80% of the US video games market, with its profits exceeding those of Nippon Steel Corporation and Hitachi, Japan's two industrial giants.