Golden age of arcade video games. The golden age of arcade video games was the era of greatest popularity and technological innovation for arcade video games. The exact time period is disputed, but key moments include the release of Space Invaders in 1. The golden age lasted until the 1. NES were introduced. Relevant time period[edit]Although the exact years differ, all timelines overlap in the early 1. Technology journalist Jason Whittaker, in The Cyberspace Handbook, places the beginning of the golden age in 1.
Space Invaders.[1] Video game journalist Steven L. Kent, in his book The Ultimate History of Video Games, places it at 1. The book pointed out that 1. Space Invaders[3] – which he credits for ushering in the golden age[4] – was gaining considerable popularity in the United States,[3] and the year that saw the advent of vector display technology which in turn spawned many of the popular early arcade games. However, 1. 98. 3 was the period that began "a fairly steady decline" in the coin- operated video game business and when many arcades started disappearing.[2]The History of Computing Project places the golden age of video games between 1. Pong filed a pivotal patent regarding video game technology, and it was the release of the first arcade video game machine, Computer Space.[6]Sean Newton, 3.
D arcade model builder and author of the book Bits, Sticks, and Buttons states that the defining transitional point which finally ended the first era of arcade gaming (known as the "Black and White Age") and subsequently ushered in the Golden Age was with the North American release of Midway's Space Invaders. The game brought forth with it the power of the microprocessor, as well as a cult phenomenon impact which had only been felt up to that point by Atari's Pong. Following Space Invaders, Atari's Asteroids and Namco's Pac- Man further solidified the strength of the Golden Age.[citation needed]Other opinions place this period's beginning in the late 1. The golden age of arcade games largely coincided with, and partly fueled, the second generation of game consoles and the microcomputer revolution. Business[edit]The golden age was a time of great technical and design creativity in arcade games. The era saw the rapid spread of video arcades across North America, Europe, and Asia. The number of video game arcades in North America, for example, more than doubled between 1.
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Beginning with Space Invaders, video arcade games also started to appear in supermarkets, restaurants, liquor stores, gas stations and many other retail establishments looking for extra income.[1. Video game arcades at the time became as common as convenience stores, while arcade games like Pac- Man and Space Invaders would appear in most locations across the United States, including even funeral homes.[1. The sales of arcade video game machines increased significantly during this period, from $5. United States at prices ranging as high as $3.
By 1. 98. 2, there were 2. North America.[1. The market was very competitive; the average life span of an arcade game was four to six months. Some games like Robby Roto failed because they were too complex to learn quickly, and others like Star Fire because they were too unfamiliar to the audience. Qix was briefly very popular but, Taito's Keith Egging later said, "too mystifying for gamers ..
At around this time, the home video game industry (second- generationvideo game consoles and early home computer games) emerged as "an outgrowth of the widespread success of video arcades" at the time.[1. In 1. 98. 0, the U. S. arcade video game industry's revenue generated from quarters tripled to $2. By 1. 98. 1, the arcade video game industry in the United States was generating an annual revenue of over $5 billion[1][1. U. S. that year, which would be three times the amount spent on movie tickets in 1. The total revenue for the U. S. arcade video game industry in 1.
By 1. 98. 2, video games accounted for 8. United States.[2. In 1. 98. 2, the arcade video game industry's revenue in quarters was estimated at $8 billion[2. Hollywood films ($3 billion) combined that year.[2.
It also exceeded the revenues of all major sports combined at the time,[2. Major League Baseball, basketball, and American football, as well as earning twice as much as all the casinos in Nevada combined.[2. This was also more than twice as much revenue as the $3.
U. S. video game industry in 1. In comparison, the U. S. video game industry in 2.
Prior to the golden age, pinball machines were more popular than video games. The pinball industry reached a peak of 2. In comparison, the best- selling arcade games of the golden age, Space Invaders and Pac- Man, had each sold over 3. Pac- Man's case).[2. In addition, Space Invaders had grossed $2 billion in quarters by 1. Pac- Man had grossed over $1 billion by 1. In 1. 98. 2, Space Invaders was considered the highest- grossing entertainment product of its time, with comparisons made to the then highest- grossing film.
Star Wars,[2. 2][3. Pac- Man is today considered the highest- grossing arcade game of all time.[3. Many other arcade games during the golden age also had hardware unit sales at least in the tens of thousands, including Ms.
Pac- Man with over 1. Asteroids with 7. Donkey Kong with over 6. Defender with 5. 5,0.
Galaxian with 4. 0,0. Donkey Kong Junior with 3. Mr. Do! with 3. 0,0. Tempest with 2. 9,0. A number of arcade games also generated revenues (from quarters) in the hundreds of millions, including Defender with more than $1. Dragon's Lair with $4. Space Ace with $1.
The most successful arcade game companies of this era included Taito (which ushered in the golden age with the shooter game. Space Invaders[4] and produced other successful arcade action games such as Gun Fight and Jungle King), Namco (the Japanese company that created Galaxian, Pac- Man, Pole Position and Dig Dug) and Atari (the company that introduced video games into arcades with Computer Space and Pong, and later produced Asteroids).
Other companies such as Sega (who later entered the home console market against its former arch rival, Nintendo), Nintendo (whose mascot, Mario, was introduced in 1. Donkey Kong), Bally Midway Manufacturing Company (which was later purchased by Williams), Cinematronics, Konami, Centuri, Williams and SNK also gained popularity around this era. Technology[edit]Arcades catering to video games began to gain momentum in the late 1. Space Invaders (1. Asteroids (1. 97. Galaxian (1. 97. 9), and became widespread in 1.
Pac- Man, Missile Command, Berzerk, Defender, and others. The central processing unit in these games allowed for more complexity than earlier discrete circuitry games such as Atari's Pong (1. The arcade boom that began in the late 1. PC to become a technological and economic reality.[3. While color monitors had been used by several racing video games before (such as Indy 8. Speed Race Twin[4. RGB color graphics became widespread, following the release of Galaxian in 1.
Namco's Rally- X in 1. Sega's Space Tactics that year was a space combat game allowing multi- directional scrolling from a first- person perspective.[4. The following year, Namco's Bosconian allowed the player's ship to freely move across open space that scrolls in all directions.[4. By the early 1. 98. D graphics on later fifth- generation consoles.[4. The Golden Age also saw developers experimenting with vector displays, which produced crisp lines that couldn't be duplicated by raster displays. A few of these vector games became great hits, such as 1.
Asteroids, 1. 98. Battlezone and Tempest and 1.
Star Wars from Atari, as well as 1. Star Trek from Sega. However, vector technology fell out of favor with arcade game companies due to the high cost of repairing vector displays. Several developers at the time were also experimenting with pseudo- 3. D and stereoscopic 3.
D using 2. D sprites on raster displays.
Kings Island - Wikipedia. Kings Island is a 3. Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1. Taft Broadcasting Company in an effort to move and expand Coney Island, a popular resort destination along the banks of the Ohio River that was prone to frequent flooding.
After more than $2. Throughout its history, Kings Island has appeared in popular sitcoms and received widespread recognition for its record- breaking attractions and events. One of the park's most well- known attractions, The Racer, is often credited with reviving worldwide interest in roller coasters during the 1. Others, such as The Beast and Banshee, have set several world records some of which are still standing. The park has also suffered through times of negative publicity, particularly surrounding the early demise of roller coasters The Bat and Son of Beast.
Kings Island is divided into several themed sections. The seasonal amusement park is open from early spring until Labor Day in September, and then reopens for several weekends in the fall for Halloween- themed events.
In 2. 01. 6, Kings Island was the second- most visited seasonal amusement park in the United States behind Cedar Point, with an estimated 3. It was third overall for seasonal attendance in North America, which was led by Canada's Wonderland. In addition, Kings Island has won Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for having the "Best Kids' Area" in the world for sixteen consecutive years (2. History[edit]Kings Island was conceived as early as 1. Coney Island, a popular amusement park 1. Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River, suffered from a major flood that submerged the area in over 1.
Although occasional flooding was common at the successful park, the flood in 1. Faced with already- limited space for expansion and parking, the event triggered discussions within the organization about relocating the park.[3][4]Leading the way was Gary Wachs, son of Coney Island president Ralph Wachs, who with friends and family owned a majority of stock. He decided it was time to relocate the park to stay competitive. After years of research and traveling abroad, he presented ideas for a new theme park to the company's board of directors.
Some board members opposed relocating, including significant stockholder Charles Sawyer. It wasn't taken seriously until 1. Fess Parker announced plans to build a theme park in Northern Kentucky – well within Coney Island's primary market that extended as far south as Louisville. The announcement highlighted the need for change and gave Wachs' proposal credibility within the organization.[3][4]Gary met with the president of Taft Broadcasting Company, a business interested in promoting its recently acquired Hanna- Barbera division, to discuss a possible merger. After receiving support, Fess Parker's efforts to secure financing fell apart along with his plans to build a competing theme park.[3] In July 1.
Taft Broadcasting Company purchased Coney Island for $6. Warren County, Ohio, for $3. Kings Island still owns 7. The site is located between I- 7. Little Miami River in what was then a part of Deerfield Township.[6]Taft Broadcasting and KECO (1.
Construction began on June 1. Later that year, a public contest was held to name the new park.
Kings Island" emerged the most popular for its recognition of the Kings Mills area as well as its predecessor Coney Island. Most of the former park's rides were relocated, while the rest were demolished. Coney Island's popular Sunlite Pool attraction remained open, however, and the original park was partially restored in later years.[4][5][6]. View from The Racer in the mid- 1. Zodiac (1. 97. 5–1. Less than two years after breaking ground, Kings Island opened its gates to the public on April 2. It was the first of several preview events.
The grand opening was held the following month on May 2. Arguably, the most crowd- pleasing attraction featured at the park in its early days was The Racer, a wooden roller coaster consisting of two trains that race side- by- side on identical tracks. Designed by legendary designer John C. Allen, The Racer was an integral part of the roller coaster renaissance of the 1. Years later, it would be awarded the Roller Coaster Landmark plaque from American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) for its achievement. Other roller coasters present on opening day in 1.
Bavarian Beetle, a small steel coaster brought over from Coney Island, and a new junior wooden coaster in the Happy Land of Hanna- Barbera originally named Scooby- Doo.[7][8]Kings Island was nationally promoted in two well- known sitcoms on ABC. Each filmed an episode on location at the park: The Partridge Family in 1. The Brady Bunch in 1. The Brady Bunch was produced by Paramount Television, a large Taft Broadcasting shareholder.[1. In later years, Kings Island changed ownership several times. Taft sold its theme park division in 1. Kings Entertainment Company (KECO), a company formed by senior executives and general managers of Taft Attractions Group.[1.
Three parks – Kings Island, Kings Dominion and Carowinds – were involved in the sale.[1. Taft invested in KECO to retain one- third interest.[1. Three years later in 1.
American Financial Corporation, led by Carl Lindner, purchased KECO for $1. The deal included a contract with KECO to continue managing park operations.[6][1. In 1. 98. 9, KECO acquired the business assets of Great America, an amusement park it was managing operations for.[5]Paramount's Kings Island (1. The Eiffel Tower and the fountains at night. In 1. 99. 2, Paramount Communications Inc. Gulf+Western) purchased Kings Island and the rest of KECO's parks for $4. Paramount formed a new division known as Paramount Parks.[1.
They bought out the remaining 8. Canada's Wonderland in 1. That same year, Paramount Parks began incorporating themes from its movies into the park.[5]Viacom entered the picture after acquiring Paramount in 1. Nickelodeon themes. First was Nickelodeon Splat City, followed by Nickelodeon Central and eventually Nickelodeon Universe.[1. In 1. 99. 7, a year after leaving Deerfield Township, the city of Mason annexed most of Kings Island.[1. A temporary measure allowed for some land to remain in Deerfield in an attempt to appease park officials and reduce the impact on the township.[2.
The rest would be annexed in 1. On June 1. 4, 2. 00.
Viacom announced intentions to split into two companies (Viacom and CBS Corporation) with CBS inheriting Paramount Parks.[2. Seven months later, on January 2. CBS announced that the theme parks were for sale.[2. Cedar Fair era (2. On June 3. 0, 2. 00. Cedar Fair Entertainment Company purchased Kings Island and the rest of Paramount Parks for approximately $1.
With this acquisition, Cedar Fair owned all three major amusement parks in Ohio: Kings Island, Cedar Point and Geauga Lake (purchased from Six Flags in 2. Kings Island kept the Paramount branding through the end of the 2. Thereafter, Face/Off became Invertigo, The Italian Job Stunt Track became Backlot Stunt Coaster, Tomb Raider: The Ride became The Crypt and Top Gun became Flight Deck, which later became The Bat. Nickelodeon's presence remained in the park through 2.
Cedar Fair changed the kids' area to a Peanuts theme.[2. In late 2. 00. 9, the Mason City Council decided to put a measure on its 2. Kings Island and The Beach waterpark. Council member Tony Bradburn argued that it was necessary for the city to help pay for infrastructure improvements, as well as cover police and fire expenses.[2.
This proposed tax hike was the center of debate for several months. Watch Half Baked Tube Free. Kings Island actively encouraged the public to write, email and call Mason City Council representatives to express opposition.[2. On February 8, 2. Mason City Council voted 5–1 against the measure.[2. Areas and attractions[edit]Action Zone[edit]Action Zone opened in 1. Lion Country Safari, a 1.
This was part of a network of other safari- style zoos also called Lion Country Safari. It was later renamed Wild Animal Safari in 1.