As the first days of Spring creep into Arcade Club towers, I sit here, surrounded by stacks of old gaming magazines and dusty CPU boards, reflecting on the legacy of Nintendo’s arcade output. While the Japanese gaming giant is best known for its home console offerings, it was in the arcade that Nintendo first made a name for themselves. From the early days of Donkey Kong to the classic multiplayer mayhem of Mario Bros, Nintendo's arcade games were everything you’d expect from a company that was primed to take over the world, they just needed a spark of innovation and the games that landed at the arcade did exactly that. 

It was the early 1980s, and the arcade industry was booming. Companies like Atari and Namco were raking in the cash with hits like Space Invaders and Pac-Man. But Nintendo, a relatively small player at the time, had a secret weapon: a young designer by the name of Shigeru Miyamoto. 

Miyamoto had been tasked with creating a new arcade game. Something that could go toe-to-toe with the character appeal of Pac-Man, whilst having the hardcore gaming chops of more nuanced titles like Defender and Asteroids. The result was a 500 pound ape with a penchant for hurling barrels in a little game called Donkey Kong.

Released in 1981, Donkey Kong was an instant hit. Players took on the role of a character named Jumpman (who would later become something of a hit in his own right…) as he attempted to rescue his girlfriend, Pauline, from the clutches of the evil Donkey Kong. The game's colourful graphics, catchy music, and fiendishly difficult gameplay was an overnight success developing a devoted fanbase of players lining up to take their shot at taking down Kong. Its popularity pulled Nintendo out of a pretty precarious financial situation and helped establish them as a force to be reckoned with in the gaming industry. 

Nintendo was about to break out big, and Donkey Kong’s commercial success paved the way for its eventual world domination.

Donkey Kong was followed by a series of other arcade hits, including Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Jr and Popeye. These games introduced new gameplay concepts, such as the ability to jump and attack enemies from below (as was the case in Mario Bros) and the use of multiple screens to create a scrolling playfield (as in Donkey Kong Jr). While these games found success in the arcade, these innovations would be carried over to Nintendo’s game design in the home console market where they would find a place to truly flourish and take the company to new heights.

Donkey Kong – Games Library

It's worth noting that Nintendo's arcade games weren't just successful because of their skilfully executed gameplay mechanics. They were also known for their exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail. The cabinets for games like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros were colourful and inviting, with eye-catching artwork that helped establish the characters in ways that the in-game pixel sprites simply couldn't. Even the sound effects and music were carefully crafted to enhance the player's experience. All these things have become hallmarks of the Nintendo experience. The aesthetics, sounds and presentation of Nintendo were borne out of those early forays into the arcade market.  

As I mentioned earlier, the success of games like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros gave Nintendo the financial stability it needed to take a big swing. Buoyed by the popularity of its fledgling stable of video game characters, it took a risk on a new console; the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The gamble turned out pretty well for them and the NES would go on to become one of the most successful consoles of all time with combined sales of nearly 62 million consoles. 

It turns out that sometimes, a 500 pound barrel hurling ape is exactly what you need...