#1
S1E2
Comeback Kid
A Japanese playing card company called Nintendo enters gaming and hits it big with Donkey Kong, then later takes over home gaming with the NES.
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The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
#2
S1E6
Level Up
Nintendo goes 3D with Star Fox. Wolfenstein 3D popularizes the first-person shooter format, while Doom ups the ante with networked gaming.
#3
S1E1
Boom & Bust
Space Invaders and Pac-Man lead an arcade craze, while Atari's cartridge system dominates home gaming until a high-profile failure sparks a downfall.
#4
Fight!
S1E5
#5
This is War
S1E4
#6
Role Players
S1E3
Lowlights
Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, adventure and role-playing computer games introduce unprecedented levels of choice and complexity to players.
#5
This is War
S1E4
#4
Fight!
S1E5
#3
Boom & Bust
S1E1
#2
Level Up
S1E6
The Quality Arc
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
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Episode Engagement
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
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