Space Invaders

What happened

Released in 1978, the Japanese arcade game Space Invaders, designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, sent rows of descending aliens against the player's laser cannon. It became a global sensation and one of the defining games of the arcade boom.

Why it matters

Space Invaders turned video games into a mass phenomenon and helped establish the arcade as a cultural fixture of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Sources

• The Strong National Museum of Play. Space Invaders · Reputable source