- (month unknown)
- Sega/Gremlin introduces the Frogger video game. [89.29] [672.148]
- Stern releases the Berzerk arcade game. [1460.163]
- A man dies of a heart attack while playing Berzerk in a video arcade. This is the first video game-related death. [685.136]
- Namco releases the Galaga arcade video game in the US. [304.148] [672.148]
- Cinematronics releases the Tail Gunner video game to arcades, the first to feature 3D animated objects. [1460.130]
- Atari announces the Cosmos handheld video game system, to use holograms for 3D play. (The unit is never released.) [672.150]
- Indonesia outlaws video games. [1505.96]
- The American Army hires Atari to modify Battle Zone to their specifications. The resulting US$15,000 MK-60 system incorporates line drawings of Soviet and American tanks. [89.125]
- Astrovision releases the Bally Computer System. [12]
- Atari releases the Centipede arcade video game in the US. (50,000 units are sold during its lifetime, second best for Atari.) [672.148]
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^^^ advertisement ^^^
- Centuri releases the Vanguard arcade game in the US. [672.148]
- Arnie Katz, Bill Kinkel, and Joyce Worley begin publishing Electronic Games, first magazine about video games. [1460.xiv]
- Atari releases the Haunted House video game for the Atari 2600 in the US. [683.150]
- Milton Bradley releases the Frogger board game, based on the video game. [786.76]
- Coleco releases the Total Control handheld video game system, with bundled Football cartridge. (Only one other cartridge is released.) [1485.74]
- Koei releases The Battles of Kawanakajima video game in Japan. [1505.155]
- Epoch releases the Cassette Vision video game system in Japan. Included is the game Kikori no Yosuka. [1091.92] [1505.155]
- Nintendo releases the Mickey Mouse video game & Watch handheld video game in Japan. [1391.17] [1444.191]
- Nintendo of America first tests Donkey Kong in the Spot Tavern and Goldies bars in the Seattle area of Washington USA. The game is considered a success. [124.49] [1494.31]
- July
- Nintendo releases the Donkey Kong video game in the USA. Originally designed to be Popeye trying to rescue Olive Oyl from Bluto, became Mario the carpenter, Pauline, and Donkey Kong. Created in Japan by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunopei Yokoi. The first 2000 units are conversions of failed game Radar Scope. The character Mario was originally called Jumpman. (In the first year, 60,000 units are sold for US$180 million.) [44.TD7] [89.29] [672.148] [1343.186] [1460.211,352] [1494.31]
- Atari releases the Asteroids video game cartridge for home video game systems. [93.45]
- Atari files a lawsuit against General Consumer over their unauthorized Missile Command arcade unit modification kits. [1395.48]
- Town council of Irvington, New York, passes an ordinance limiting each establishment to three video game machines. [278.50]
- July 16
- Nintendo unveils the second Widescreen Game & Watch, titled Octopus. [1395.15]
- (month unknown)
- (Summer) General Computer sells about 1000 Missile Command enhancement boards, calling them Super Missile Attack, for $295 each. [1460.168]
- August
- Atari files a lawsuit and restraining order against General Consumer to prevent their shipping Missile Command arcade unit modification kits. [1395.48] [1460.169]
- September 3
- Coleco Industries obtains exclusive use of Midway Manufacturing's trademark on self-contained and portable electronic versions of Midway's coin-operated arcade games. [79.D3]
- (month unknown)
- To date, Atari has sold one million Space Invaders cartridges. [89.xix] [93.45]
- October 10
- At the Citicorp Center in Manhattan, New York, Atari sponsors an open tournament of arcade games. Frank Cretella scores 118,740 in Asteroids, setting a new national record. [93.45]
- October
- Atari and General Computer settle out of court, with Atari agreeing to pay General Computer $50,000 per month for the next two years to develop games, not enhancement kits. [1460.170]
- General Computer Corporation completes the Crazy Otto arcade game. The game is based on Pac-Man, with a two-legged character, moving bonus point fruit, four mazes, and more intelligent ghosts. The company contacts Midway to obtain licensing permission, and they end up renaming it Ms. Pac-Man with a redesigned main character. [1341.98]
- October 28
- At the Exposition Center in Chicago, the Atari Coin-Op $50,000 World Championship is held, over five days. Participation is only 250 players, on expectations of 10-15,000. Eric Ginner wins $12,000 in Open Singles tournament playing Centipede. The check bounces, but Atari pays it to avoid bad publicity. [94.102] [672.150] (held over three days [1460.162]) (150 people participate [1460.162])
- November 10
- Twin Galaxies arcade opens in Ottumwa, Iowa, USA, run by Walter Day. [1482.40]
- November 19
- President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines bans video games in the country, because of parent and teacher complaints regarding youth morality. [96.23] [278.51] [1460.152] [1505.96]
- November
- The first issue of Computer and Video Games magazine is issued, in the UK. [1391.250]
- (month unknown)
- The annual Amusement and Music Operators Association convention is held. Taito America introduces the Qix and Lock 'n' Chase video games. Atari introduces Tempest, Atari's first color vector graphics game, second in the industry to Sega Enterprises's Space Fury. Exidy shows the Mouse Trap video game. Williams Electronics shows the Make Trax video game. Stern shows the Turtles video game. Centuri shows the Round Up video game. Nichibutsu shows the Frisky Tom video game. Nintendo shows the Donkey Kong video game. Sega Enterprises shows the Frogger video game. [89.30,42] [672.148] [1460.163] [1505.372]
- Bally licenses Commodore to manufacture its arcade games into cartridges for the VIC-20 computer. [8.6]
- Steve Juraszek plays arcade game Defender for 16 hours and 34 minutes on one quarter, scoring a world record 15,963,100 points. [278.49] [1460.152]
- Midway releases the Ms. Pac-Man video game. Original game title was Crazy Otto. (Over 119,000 units are sold in its lifetime, making it the most popular arcade game ever.) [304.142] [305] [672.148] [682.77] [1341.98] [1460.173]
- December
- The city council of Oakland, California, votes to ban minors from arcades during school hours and after 10 PM weeknights, 12 PM weekends. [89.122]
- December 31
- Percent of US homes with a cartridge-based video game system: 9%. 80% of them are Atari systems. [89.106]
- Unit sales of Atari VCS game systems to date: 6 million. [89.104]
- Year
- During the year, Bally's Midway Manufacturing Division sells 96,000 machine sales of Pac-Man, for US$200 million profit on revenues of US$1.2 billion. [55.C8] [60.S2.13] [109.D1] [672.148]
- US arcade video game revenue for the year: US$5-5.7 billion. 75,000 man-hours of play on 20 billion quarters. [89.xix,138] [278.49] [672.148] [1405.32] [1460.xiii,152] (US$7 billion [281.39]) (US$8 billion [53.D1])
- Unit sales of video game machines for the year: 4.5 million. Revenue: US$1-1.2 billion. [58.D5] [63.21] [278.49] [287.110] [672.148]
- During the year, Atari ships 50,000 Centipede video game machines. [89.143] [161.S3.19]
- Market share of video game systems in the US for the year: Intellivision 15%. [672.150]
- Unit sales of Mattel Intellivision game systems during the year: 600,000. [278.55]
- Unit sales for the year of Atari VCS game cartridges (by Atari): nearly 20 million. [89.112]
- Sales of Atari game systems and cartridges during the year: US$740 million. [287.78]
- Unit sales of video game cartridges for the year: about 30 million. [49.C17]
- Sales of video game systems and cartridges in the US during the year: about US$1 billion. [58.D1] [89.xix] [167.D23] [288.31]
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