How Donkey Kong Started a Revolution in 80s Video Games

The 80s was a pivotal era for the videogame industry, and very few titles had as much influence on 80s video games as Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong was released by Nintendo back in 1981 and quickly became a phenomenon. If it weren’t for the development of Donkey Kong, we wouldn’t have characters like Mario. And, more importantly, we wouldn’t have the platforming genre in 80s video games. Donkey Kong not only helped to define video gaming back in the 80s, but it started an entire revolution in the industry. It laid the foundation for the video gaming industry as we know it today. And, it was the cornerstone of Nintendo’s rise as one of the largest entertainment giants in the world.

The Rise of Donkey Kong and 80s Video Games

The video game industry began to grow fast during the early 80s due to the success of arcade machines. Kids would spend their afternoons and all weekend at the video arcade, dropping quarter after quarter into the machines. And, with the rise of the middle class and an increase in disposable income, the demand for video game consoles grew with leaps and bounds.

It was in this environment that Donkey Kong emerged. At the time, Nintendo was an unknown in the video game industry. Yet, Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to break into the North American market which had already become dominated by games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Luckily for Nintendo, the timing was perfect as arcades were thriving at the time. Donkey Kong stood out not only for its unique gameplay but also for introducing storylines into video games.

How Donkey Kong Became One of the Most Successful 80s Video Games

Without question, Donkey Kong quickly rose in popularity due to its unique genre of gameplay. People were looking for something different, and platforming games provided them with what they were looking for. With the help of storyline games and the growth of the home gaming console industry, Donkey Kong was set to become one of the most successful 80s video games.

The Birth of Platforming Games

One of the most important trends that Donkey Kong helped usher into the 80s video games industry, was the genre of platform gaming. At the time, all arcade and console games were either shooters or mazes. The sole goal of any of these games was either to escape the enemy or kill them all in order to get the highest score. But Donkey Kong changed all this with platform gaming. It forced players to navigate characters through various levels with more complex obstacles. And the further you went into the game, the more difficult it became.

The idea of platform gaming was a novelty at the time. Yet, it gave the game a refreshing and engaging challenge. The design of the levels was divided insists several distinct stages, each with increasing difficulty. This offered people a sense of progression that earlier games simply did not have. In Donkey Kong, the main protagonist wasn’t known simply as Jumpman, but he would eventually get a new name, and his very own video game, Super Mario Bros. Then in 1987 you had Mega Man which also followed on a similar platform-style gaming design.

The Popularization of Characters and Storylines in Games

Up until the release of Donkey Kong, there were no real storylines in any of the arcade or console games. Instead, people were left guessing how the protagonists in the games came to be, and what was the purpose of the game other than trying to achieve the highest scores. Earlier arcade games were focused purely on high scores and very simple objectives. But Donkey Kong introduced players to a narrative. This provided people with a backdrop of why this carpenter was battling a giant ape. It helped to capture the player’s imagination and added real depth to the gameplay experience.

Nintendo revolutionized the focus on character-driven gameplay. Jumpman would eventually become known as Mario and grow to become the company’s mascot. As everyone knows, Mario was one of the most successful franchises in gaming history. But he was not alone. Even Donkey Kong would go on to star in his own series of games. This character-driven gameplay became a cornerstone in 80s video games and was used as a blueprint for developing Sonic the Hedgehog as well as The Legend of Zelda.

The Growth of the Arcade Industry and Early Home Consoles

Of course, you wouldn’t have 80s video games if it weren’t for the arcades of the 70s. Before he made his way into home gaming consoles, donkey Kong played an important role in the growth of arcades. He played a crucial role in the development of earlier game titles that helped to draw massive crowds to arcades across the country. But, donkey Kong wasn’t just found in arcades, as his games were found in bars and restaurants too. This further fueled the video game boom of the early 80s. The extremely addictive and challenging gameplay kept players coming back for more.

But, the influence of Donkey Kong didn’t just stop at the arcade. After the video game crash of 1983, Nintendo would take over the industry, and monopolize it for the latter half of the decade. As a result, donkey Kong became one of the first arcade hits to be ported into a home game console. And, the home version became a must-have game. Everyone wanted to bring that arcade experience into the comfort of their own home. This helped to solidify Nintendo’s place as a dominant force in the video game industry.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo, and 80s Video Games

Donkey Kong would not have been as successful had it not been for Shigeru Miyamoto. At the time, Miyamoto was a young designer at Nintendo, but he would eventually go on to become one of the most influential figures in gaming history. When he envisioned Donkey Kong, he wanted to introduce the world to something more than the simple gameplay of the era. He wanted to create a storyline, and a cast of characters that people could immerse themselves in. It was a groundbreaking approach, and it ended up setting the standard for future titles like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.

With the help of Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo focused on fostering innovation in the gaming industry. And their choice of releasing Donkey Kong to the North American market proved to be a successful one. It effectively cemented Nintendo in the arcade market and laid the foundation for its dominance over home gaming consoles during the 80s.

The Legacy of Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong was one of the first games to ever introduce a character-driven storyline. And, he quickly became one of the longest-lasting cultural icons. The game itself helped to reshape the way that stories were told in video games. And it sparked a series of legal battles over intellectual property rights. In fact, after its release, Universal Studios sued Nintendo asserting that Donkey Kong infringed on their trademark for King Kong. The courts eventually found in favor of Nintendo and helped to set an important precedent for intellectual property rights when it came to 80s video games.

That legacy can still be felt today. Platform gaming is still one of the most popular forms of gameplay in the gaming industry. You can see it in titles like Super Mario Odyssey and Celeste. Likewise, the characters that were featured in the original Donkey Kong arcade cabinet have since become some of the most recognizable figures in pop culture.

Conclusion

In the end, donkey Kong was a cultural milestone that started a revolution in 80s video games. Nintendo managed to change the course of video gaming history during the early 1980s by introducing the concept of platform gaming. They brought memorable and iconic characters to arcades across the country. And, their narrative-driven approach helped to set new standards and what games could actually achieve. These innovations helped to introduce Donkey Kong to the world and eventually laid the groundwork for just about every videogame produced since.