A number of video game classics from the 70s and 80s have been made available to play online free of charge by the Internet Archive.
Launched with titles from several early home consoles, the collection includes characters and scenarios made famous by hardware like 1982’s ColecoVision and the Atari 2600 from 1977.
At present, the games can only be played without sound, but that looks set to change. Archivist Jason Scott confirmed that, in the months to come, the software available will expand considerably.
Further, he said that making the classics easily available to the world allows for commentary, education and enjoyment.
Other gaming machines represented in the collection include the Astrocade, the Atari 7800 and the Philips Videopac G7000, which was known as the Magnavox Odyssey outside Europe.
Some of the more famous games available to play include Pac-Man and Frogger. Space Invaders, which was initially released in 1978, is also part of the collection.
The minds behind the Archive hope that older players will be reminded of the timeless nature of these bestsellers, while younger generations may be appreciative of their minimalism and playability.
As a rising industry, video gaming in all its forms is reaching a growing audience. Titles like Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga, for instance, looked beyond the market limits and engaged users who would not normally have played computer games. For small and medium-sized businesses with an internet presence, introducing a game – such as a quiz – can be a smart move to make from a website marketing perspective.
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