1970s Video Games: History, Pictures & Consoles

Please raise your hand if you weened your video game playing skills at the arcade in the 1970s?

Thought so. In the early 1970s, you had to go to the arcade for the good games. Home video games were far behind.

Grab your quarters, hop on your bike and waste a few hours having the time of your life bouncing a square “ball” that is a few pixels off a rectangle that you control.

Now that’s real gaming.

I’m not going to act like you should play these games all day because you are a video game purist or something.

Compared to games in the ’80s, these games are very basic and child-like.

But the fun wasn’t confined to the arcade. There was a revolution going on in the household as well. Suddenly, people had a whole new option when it came to home entertainment.

People of all ages and pay grades were getting in on the fun. Game systems weren’t overly expensive. The average console was about $100 ($400 in today’s money), so the average middle class family could afford it.

Many folks thought it would be a fad, that video games would pass because, honestly, they weren’t that much fun to play. Few could have predicted that it was a start of something that would change everything.

Top Ten 1970s Arcade Games

1. Space Invaders
2. Pong
3. Galaxian
4. Asteroids Breakout
5. Tank
6. Computer Space
7. Anti-Aircraft
8. Death Race
9. Lunar Lander
10. Star Raiders

List of 1970s Video Games

1971 — Galaxy Game, Computer Space, Empire, Star Trek, The Oregon Trail, Baseball
1972 — Pong, Hunt the Wumpus, Star Trek ; launch of Magnavox Odyssey
1973 — Gotcha, Space Race; BASIC Computer Games book
1974 — Tank, Maze War, Spasim, Gran Trak 10, Speed Race
1975 — Colossal Cave Adventure, Gun Fight, Indy 800, dnd, pedit5; launch of Magnavox Odyssey Series
1976 — Artillery, Breakout, Blockade, Death Race, Sea Wolf, Night Driver, Sprint 2, Microchess; launch of Coleco Telstar and Fairchild Channel F
1977 — Empire, Combat, Space Wars, Super Bug, Zork; launch of Apple II, Atari 2600, Bally Astrocade, Color TV Game, Commodore PET, Compucolor II, and TRS-80 Model I
1978 — Space Invaders, Atari Football, Beneath Apple Manor, MUD1; launch of Magnavox Odyssey and Exidy Sorcerer
1979 — Galaxian, Asteroids, Head On, Adventure, Star Raiders, FS1 Flight Simulator, Temple of Apshai, Lemonade Stand; launch of Atari 400/800, Intellivision, and Microvision

1970s Video Game Consoles

• Telstar (Telstar, Classic, Deluxe, Ranger, Alpha, Colormatic, Regent, Sportsman)
• Odyssey (300,2000,3000)
• Radio Shack TV Scoreboard
• Unisonic Sportsman/Tournament
• Philips Tele-Spiel ES2203 and ES2204
• Zanussi/Seleco Play-O-Tronic
• Videomaster (Strika, Strika 2,ColourScore 2, SuperScore)
• APF TV Fun (Model 401)
• BSS 01
• Telstar Colortron
• Telstar Marksman
• Telstar Galaxy
• Odyssey 4000
• Philips Tele-Spiel ES2218
• Videomaster Sportsworld
• Philco/Ford Telejogo II
• Philips Tele-Spiel ES2208
• Telstar Combat!
• Telstar Gemini
• Telstar Arcade
• Commodore TV Game 2000K/3000H and Colorsport VIII
• National Adversary
• Philips Odyssey 2001
• Videomaster (ColourScore, VisionScore, ColourShot)
• Philco/Ford Telejogo
• Philips N30
• Philips Odyssey 2100
• Indy 500 system (Video Action 4)
• Sears/Atari Speedway e Speedway IV
• Interton Video 2800
• MBO Tele-Ball VIII
• Tele-Match 3300R
• Ricochet Super Pro (modello MT-4A)
• Venture Electronics Video Sports VS-5
• Atari PONG
• Atari PONG Doubles
• Sears PONG IV
• Atari/Sears Super PONG
• Atari Super PONG Ten
• Atari Video Pinball
• Color TV Game 6
• Color TV Game 15

1970s Video Game Videos

Rare 1972 Magnavox Odyssey Promo Video

1978 Atari Commercial w/ Pete Rose, Pele & Don Knotts

1970s Video Games Print Ads