Video games existed before the 1980s, but it was in that decade that the modern conventions really took shape. Home consoles started dominating the market, iconic franchises were born, and prudish parents started hating the interactive art form. Despite the era's importance, a lot of 1980s games are tough to play today. It's not their fault, it is just the nature of the medium. Unlike film and music, which has the potential to stand the test of time, games rarely have the luxury of aging gracefully. Rather than aging like fine wine. They are more like fruits that taste horrid if left out too long.
Regardless of their enjoyment factor today, games from the '80s deserve our respect, especially the ones that pioneered and introduced mechanics years before they were commonplace. To celebrate this era's innovations, the following list has 10 games from that decade that were way ahead of their time. To be included, they don't necessarily have to play well today, but a lot of them still are a blast or are at least worth checking out as a curiosity.
10 Metal Gear
Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear franchise always pushed its consoles to the limit. Each game represented the medium's peak technological capabilities during their respective generations. It's ironic, then, that the idea of a stealth-based action game came from the MSX's technical incapability.
Because the home computer could only show a few sprites on screen, making a game where stealth was the key proved more engaging than a straightforward action experience. It wasn't until Metal Gear Solid that the series skyrocketed in popularity, but the original Metal Gear laid the foundation for the whole franchise. The fundamental gameplay still feels good today, but it is almost impossible to progress without a strategy guide.
9 Wasteland
Before Fallout, there was Wasteland. Interplay's 1988 RPG was really the only place to explore a virtual post-apocalypse until they did it again with the 1997 classic.
Related: 10 Games To Play If You Love Fallout
Like western RPGs that would come after it, players are given a high level of freedom and often face tough moral choices. Wasteland 2 came out in 2014, making it one of the longest gaps between video game sequels ever.
8 SimCity
SimCity put players in the shoes of a mayor in charge of a metropolis, ensuring the citizens have everything they need to function and thrive.
In an age where games were either action-adventure titles or sprawling RPGs, SimCity was neither. Simulations are often boring, but Will Wright's landmark title made the process of city management fun and engaging.
7 Excitebike
The gameplay in this classic NES title is foolishly simple and easy to understand. Games are daunting to newcomers, but a quick look at Excitebike and everything about it makes sense. On top of that, it also had a level editor, a rarity for an NES title.
As a bonus, any fan should also check out Kik-Start on the Commodore 64.
6 E.T.
No, E.T. is not a good game. Heck, it's barely even playable. One can never say that it didn't reach for the stars, however. Many Atari 2600 games were ersatz arcade experiences, but E.T. was an actual adventure where the player had to collect items to complete a goal, instead of going for a high score.
Designer Howard Scott Warshaw wanted to truly evoke the movie's emotional resonance with his game. Unfortunately, he had an unrealistic deadline and the console's limitation to contend with. The end result went down in infamy, but Howard deserves commendation for his effort and ambition.
5 Metroid
Samus Aran's premiere adventure was so unique upon release, it became half the namesake for a whole new genre, Metroidvania. Players start out in the middle of an uncharted map, and slowly unravel each section, discovering new powerups along the way. The sense of exploration and discovery was beautiful, only matched by the game's haunting atmosphere.
Samus's gender reveal also deserves praise. Maybe it wasn't the intention, but in a world where so many bemoan female protagonists, the ending almost says something like "see, you played as a woman the whole time and you're still alive."
4 Pitfall
Pitfall was the first platformer. It's quaint by today's standards, but the sense of adventure and progression was unique to the Atari 2600, where most games were about going for a high score.
A sequel came out in 1984 which kept the core gameplay, but greatly expanded upon the levels, allowing players to explore underground areas with greater enemy variety.
3 Prince Of Persia
Sixty minutes is all the time players have to beat Prince of Persia. Unless one has a strategy guide, they will fail and restart over and over again.
The unique gameplay mechanic would be enough to get it on the list, but it's also here for its breathtaking animation, done with rotoscoping.
2 Legend Of Zelda
What more is there to say about this iconic franchise? The landmark debut immediately establishes the formula the rest of the series would follow and many others would imitate. Players are free to explore any corner of the map and tackle dungeons in any order they see fit, assuming they can find them.
Before the age of way points and easy to access walkthroughs, player ingenuity was necessary to unraveling all the game's mysteries. The Legend of Zelda gave birth to the modern action-adventure game.
1 Akalabeth: World Of Doom
This game is often seen as the first RPG, period. Richard Garriot wanted to bring paper and pencil RPG mechanics to a virtual world. The whole thing was a one-man job, and an impressive one at that. Akalabeth established many conventions the genre still uses today.
Graphics are almost non-existent - the player being nothing more than a white cross on a screen - but it's still recognizable as an RPG to today's gamers.