Space Invaders is one of the first mega-hit arcade games. Released in 1978, its a shoot em’ up style game where you must protect your bases from invading alien forces. Almost everyone alive has played Space Invaders at some point in their lives.

Space Invaders Fun Fact Video

Space Invaders played a significant role in the popularization of video games. Created by Tomohiro Nishikado, it was one of the earliest shooting games and the very first game to incorporate a high-score system.

The Aliens Speed Up as you Blast Them

What made it particularly unique and cool at the time was its iconic pixelated alien invaders that descended in a rhythmic pattern, gradually speeding up as more were eliminated.

But did you know that wasn’t how the game was designed? The hardware and software teams maybe didn’t work together closely enough on the design. When the software was finished, it was discovered that the game would not run fast enough on the hardware that had been specified. This led the development team to make a rather difficult choice. Leave the game as is and the aliens would just get faster as they were killed off, or use more expensive hardware.

In the end, the team decided to just turn the bug into a feature of the game!

Space Invaders Legacy

The game went on to massive success in arcades. It success was so immense that it caused a shortage of 100-yen coins in Japan, leading to the government minting more to meet the demand!

Space Invaders became a cultural phenomenon and is considered a pioneer in the gaming industry. Its simple yet addictive gameplay laid the foundation for future video game developments and contributed to the growth of the arcade culture in the late 1970s and early 1980s.