Games · 1975
The Dawn of Microprocessors and Home Arcades
In 1975, video games invaded living rooms through home Pong while arcades took a giant technological leap with microprocessors. Mainframe computers birthed the very first electronic role-playing games, setting the stage for an explosive new industry.
- 1975 | Dedicated Console | Atari / Sears
Home Pong
Atari miniaturizes its hit arcade table into a sleek Sears-branded home console, bringing line-and-ball table tennis directly to family television sets.
- 1975 | Arcade | Midway
Gun Fight
Midway re-engineers Taito's wild west shooter using an Intel 8080 chip, making it the first arcade game powered by a microprocessor.
- 1975 | PLATO Mainframe | RPG
dnd
Created for the PLATO system, this pioneering mainframe title introduces electronic dungeon crawling, stats, and boss monsters inspired by Dungeons & Dragons.
- 1975 | PDP-10 Mainframe | RPG
Dungeon
Written by Don Daglow, this sophisticated mainframe RPG offers detailed line-of-sight mapping and tactical combat inside a simulated fantasy cavern.
- 1975 | Dedicated Console | Magnavox
Magnavox Odyssey 200
Magnavox responds to market competition with an updated dedicated console featuring onscreen scoring and support for up to four players.
- 1975 | Arcade | Atari
Indy 800
Atari builds a massive full-color arcade cabinet allowing eight players to race simultaneously around an overhead oval track.
- 1975 | Arcade | Horror Games / Atari
Shark Jaws
Atari secretly releases an arcade game under a pseudonym to cash in on Spielberg's summer blockbuster, challenging players to hunt a man-eating shark.
- 1975 | Arcade | Taito
Western Gun
Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, this dual-joystick arcade game introduces tactical gun duels between two cowboys using discrete logic hardware.
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