The period from the appearance of ''SpaceInvaders'' in 1978 through TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 [[note]]In Japan, this time period, give or take a few years, was known as the ''Invader Boom''[[/note]], when 8-bit {{Arcade}} VideoGames emerged to rule popular culture, coin-operated {{Video Arcade}}s appeared in every shopping mall, and soon the {{Atari 2600}} and its competitors popularized home video gaming by capitalizing on arcade ports.

Back then, {{Sega}} was known for making {{Arcade}} games (including {{Vector Game}}s) rather than consoles, and Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[SuperMarioBros Mario]] had never stomped on a Goomba. Creativity reigned, and a single visionary designer could still see an entire game through from concept to finished product, unlike the enormous Hollywood-style teams needed for today's high-end game franchises [[hottip:note:however, recent advances in digital distribution and the like have spurred an "indie" renaissance, once again allowing for very small teams to make games for profit by filling niches missed by bigger developers]]. ShootEmUps were especially popular, as outer space and stylized spacecraft were easy to render on the crude hardware of the day.

Your mileage may vary about considering this era as a true "golden age", considering the fondness for games from later periods. Still, it was the first time video games hit the big time, so it qualifies to ''some'' extent. Also, in terms of industry revenues, this period was one of the highest peaks the North American video game industry has ever reached to this day (and the highest overall when adjusted for inflation).

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!!Games from the period included:
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Adventure}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Air-Sea Battle}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Amidar}}''
* ''VideoGame/ArtilleryDuel''
* ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}''
** ''VideoGame/AsteroidsDeluxe''
** ''VideoGame/SpaceDuel''
* ''VideoGame/AstroBlaster''
* ''VideoGame/{{Battlezone|1980}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Berzerk}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Bosconian}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Breakout}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Centipede}}''
** ''VideoGame/{{Millipede}}''
* ''VideoGame/ChuckNorrisSuperkicks''
* ''VideoGame/{{Combat}}''
* ''VideoGame/CrazyClimber''
* ''VideoGame/{{Defender}}''
* ''VideoGame/DigDug''
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''
* ''VideoGame/DragonsLair''
* ''VideoGame/{{Dragonstomper}}''
* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromTheMindmaster''
* ''VideoGame/{{Frogger}}''
* ''VideoGame/FrogsAndFlies''
* ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}''
** ''VideoGame/{{Galaga}}''
* ''VideoGame/GhostManor''
* ''VideoGame/{{Gorf}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Gyruss}}''
* ''VideoGame/HauntedHouse''
* ''[[VideoGame/Atari2600Indy500 Indy 500]]''
* ''VideoGame/{{Joust}}''
* ''VideoGame/JungleHunt''
* ''VideoGame/LunarLander''
* ''VideoGame/{{Mappy}}''
* ''VideoGame/MarioBros''
* ''VideoGame/MissileCommand''
* ''VideoGame/MrDo''
* ''VideoGame/NightDriver''
* ''VideoGame/OmegaRace''
* ''VideoGame/{{Pac-Man}}''
* ''VideoGame/PhaserPatrol''
* ''VideoGame/{{Phoenix}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Pitfall}}''
* ''VideoGame/PolePosition''
* ''VideoGame/QBert''
* ''VideoGame/{{Qix}}''
* ''VideoGame/RallyX''
* ''VideoGame/RedBaron''
* ''VideoGame/RiverRaid''
* ''VideoGame/{{Robotron 2084}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Scramble}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Shamus}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Sinistar}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Snake}}''
* ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders''
* ''VideoGame/SpikesPeak''
* ''VideoGame/SpyHunter''
* ''VideoGame/StarCastle''
* ''VideoGame/StarRaiders''
* ''VideoGame/StarShip''
* ''VideoGame/{{Surround}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Swordquest}}''
* ''VideoGame/TailGunner''
* ''VideoGame/{{Tapper}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Targ}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Tempest}}''
* ''VideoGame/TimePilot''
* ''VideoGame/TrackAndField''
* ''VideoGame/{{Vanguard}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Venture}}''
* ''VideoGame/VideoOlympics''
* ''VideoGame/VideoPinball''
* ''VideoGame/{{Warlords}}''
* ''VideoGame/WizardOfWor''
* ''VideoGame/{{Xevious}}''
* ''VideoGame/YarsRevenge''
* ''VideoGame/{{Zaxxon}}''
* ''VideoGame/ZooKeeper''

There were even some early licensed games, many of which [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames actually didn't suck]]:
* ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'': Unlike others, this one ''did'' suck.
* ''Music/{{Journey}}'', a 1983 Bally arcade game and ''Journey: Escape'', a 1982 Atari 2600 game.
* ''VideoGame/{{Popeye}}''
* ''VideoGame/RaidersOfTheLostArk''
* ''[[VideoGame/Atari2600SpiderMan Spider-Man]]''
* ''Franchise/StarTrek: Strategic Operations Simulator''
* ''Franchise/StarWars: The Arcade Game''
* ''[[VideoGame/Atari2600Superman Superman]]''
* ''{{Film/Tron}}''
[[/index]]
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