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This article contains a timeline of notable events in the history of video arcade gaming:

1971 - 1979

1971

• The Galaxy Game, the earliest known coin-operated arcade video game, makes its debut on the campus of Stanford University.

• Computer Space, the first commercially sold arcade video game (and the first commercially sold video game of any kind), is released by Nutting Associates.

1972

• Atari Inc. launches Pong, the first commercially successful video game.

1975

• Midway MFG. releases Gun Fight, the first arcade video game to use a microprocessor - a game whose original incarnation was released in Japan by Taito and did not use a microprocessor.

1976

• Atari Inc. releases Night Driver, the earliest example of a first-person perspective racing video game.

1978

• Taito releases Space Invaders, the game that started the Golden Age of Arcade Games.

1979

• Namco releases Galaxian.

1980

• Namco releases Pac-Man, which is its biggest-selling game of all time. It also released King and Balloon, which is the first game to feature synthesized voices.
• DECO releases DECO Cassette System, the first standardized arcade platform, for which many games were made.

1981

• Nintendo releases Donkey Kong, which was one of the first platform games. It was also the game that introduced Mario (named simply "Jumpman" at the time) to the video game world.

1982

• Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom is released by Sega with the first use of scaling sprite 3D effects.

• Moon Patrol was created by Irem and released in the U.S. by Williams, the first game to use parallax scrolling.

• Namco releases Pole Position, one of the most popular racing games of all time.

1983

• I, Robot, the first commercially produced 3D-polygonal game is released.

• Bally Midway releases Journey, the first game with digitized sprites.

• Dragon's Lair, The first video game to use video in a game instead of computer generated graphics

1984

• 16-bit processors are used in arcade machines for the first time, resulting in much more detailed and faster graphics:
  Marble Madness and Paperboy are released by Atari Games.
• Namco releases Pac-Land, which was the first side-scrolling platform game.

1985

• Gauntlet is released by Atari Games

• Gradius (Nemesis in some countries) is released by Konami

• Space Harrier is released by Sega

• Vs. Super Mario Bros., the arcade version of Super Mario Bros. originally on the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan), is released into arcades.

1986

• Sega releases Out Run.
• Chiller, by Exidy is released and is the first game to feature blood and gore.

1987

• Namco releases Yokai Douchuuki. It was Namco's first game to use 16-bit graphics.

1988

• NARC, by Williams is released and is the first game to use a 32-bit processor.

• Reikai Doushi, by Home Data is released, the first digitized fighting game and the first claymation fighting game.#

• Namco releases Assault, which was the first game to make use of sprite scaling and massive sprite rotation. It also released Splatterhouse, which was the first game to get a parental advisory disclaimer.

1989

• Exterminator, the first game with fully digitized graphics, is released. It will have the highest quality digitized graphics until the release of Mortal Kombat II.

1991 - 1999

1991

• Capcom releases Street Fighter II, revolutionizing competitive play in the arcade setting.

1992

• Mortal Kombat is released, it featured blood and fatality

1993

• Mortal Kombat II is released, featuring high quality digitized graphics, and the most advanced sound system in arcades at the time, the DCS sound system which allowed for MP3 style compression to all sounds.
• Sega releases Virtua Fighter, the first 3D fighting game.
• Sega releases Daytona USA,the most successful arcade game to date.

1994

• Killer Instinct is released, the first arcade game with a hard disk, up to that point the game with the highest quality graphics pre-rendered by a rendering program, featuring to this day the highest quality use of the movie background technique.

1998

• Konami releases Dance Dance Revolution, an arcade game with four arrow pads that the players used to "dance." This game would create many sequels and spin-offs.

1999

• Rush 2049 is released, the last arcade game to bear the Atari Games logo. Atari Games in Milpitas is renamed Midway Games West, and closes its coin-op product development division.