Space Invaders
The game that conquered Earth
Taito's 1978 arcade phenomenon created the shooter genre, caused a coin shortage in Japan, and proved games could be cultural events.
Overview
Space Invaders didn’t just succeed—it caused economic disruption. When Taito released Tomohiro Nishikado’s shooter in 1978, Japanese arcades couldn’t get enough cabinets. The 100-yen coin became scarce. The game spread worldwide, reaching home consoles and computers, becoming the first video game to penetrate mainstream consciousness.
Fast facts
- Developer: Taito (Tomohiro Nishikado).
- Release: June 1978 (Japan), 1979 (worldwide).
- Hardware: custom board; Nishikado designed it because existing hardware couldn’t handle his vision.
- Coin shortage: demand in Japan was so high it briefly affected currency circulation.
- Atari 2600 port: first licensed arcade conversion for a home console; sold 2 million, moved hardware.
- Cultural impact: first game to enter mainstream news coverage.
The gameplay
Elegant simplicity:
- 55 aliens: arranged in 11 columns, 5 rows.
- Descending threat: aliens move side to side, dropping lower each pass.
- Four shields: provide temporary cover, erode with hits.
- One ship: three lives, one shot on screen at a time.
- Mystery ship: bonus target crosses the top periodically.
- Increasing speed: fewer aliens = faster movement.
Technical innovation
Nishikado solved hardware problems creatively:
- No existing hardware could handle so many moving objects.
- Custom processor board built from Intel 8080.
- The speed bug: aliens moved faster as numbers decreased because the CPU had less to process—Nishikado kept it as difficulty scaling.
- Bitmap display: each pixel individually addressable, revolutionary for 1978.
The phenomenon
Space Invaders transcended gaming:
- Arcade explosion: dedicated Space Invaders parlours opened in Japan.
- Media coverage: newspapers reported on the “invasion.”
- Merchandise: the aliens appeared on everything.
- Music: electronic artists sampled the sounds.
- Art: the alien design became iconic, recognised worldwide.
Home conversions
The game appeared everywhere:
- Atari 2600 (1980): first licensed arcade-to-console port; system seller.
- Home computers: C64, Spectrum, every platform got a version.
- Official and clones: countless imitators rode the wave.
- Quality varied: but everyone wanted Space Invaders.
Design legacy
Space Invaders established shooter conventions:
- Waves of enemies: clear one screen, face another.
- Escalating difficulty: speed increases with progress.
- High score competition: the ultimate goal when games couldn’t be “won.”
- Sound design: the accelerating heartbeat rhythm created tension.
Cultural legacy
The game proved video games could be cultural phenomena. The alien design—three variations stacked in rows—became shorthand for “video games” itself. When people who’d never played games thought of gaming, they pictured Space Invaders.