Bis zum Jahr 1979 waren die Hersteller der Konsolenhardware immer auch
gleichzeitig die einzigen Produzenten für entsprechende Software. Dies änderte
sich dramatisch, als sich in diesem Jahr vier frustrierte Programmierer von Atari abspalteten
und den ersten unabhängigen Hersteller von Computerspielen, Activision, gründeten.
Von diesem Zeitpunkt an entwickelte sich eine Spieleindustrie gewaltigen Ausmaßes, die
sich heute in ihren Umsätzen mit der Filmindustrie messen kann.
Um einen kleinen Überblick über die tausenden Spiele und deren Entwicklung geben zu
können, wird in der nachstehenden Tabelle (ohne Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit) die
Entwicklung der Spiele-Genres anhand ihrer maßgeblichsten (nicht unbedingt kommerziell
erfolgreichsten) Vertretern präsentiert.
Geschicklichkeit | >Pong | PacMan | Frogger | >Cat | Boulder
Dash |
| 1972 | 1980 | 1981 | 1984 | 1984 |
| Atari | Namco | Konami /
Sega | IBM | ??? |
| >Bubble Bobble | Tetris | Lemmings | Bomberman | Incredible
Machine |
| 1984 | 1985 | 1990 | 1990 | 1993 |
| Taito | Various | Psygnosis | Hudson
Soft | Sierra |
| |
| |
| |
2D-Ballerei | >Space Invaders | Asteroids | Defender | Gradius | Uridium |
| 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1985 | 1986 |
| Taito | Atari | Williams | Konami | Graftgold |
| >R-Type | >Last Resort | >Parodius | Super Aleste | >R-Type 3 |
| 1987 | 1992 | 1992 | 1993 | 1995 |
| Irem | SNK | Konami | Compile | Irem |
| |
| |
| |
Jump´n Run | Donkey Kong | Pitfall | >Super Mario Bros. | >Sonic the Hedgehog | Super Mario 3 |
| 1981 | 1982 | 1985 | 1990 | 1990 |
| Nintendo | Atari | Nintendo | Sega | Nintendo |
| Super Mario World | >Donkey Kong Country | Earthworm Jim | Rayman | Super Mario 64 |
| 1991 | 1994 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Nintendo | Rare / Nintendo | Shiny | Ubi Soft | Nintendo |
| |
| |
| |
3D-Action | Space Harrier | Micronaut One | Rebel Assault | Descent | Forsaken |
| 1986 | 1987 | 1994 | 1995 | 1998 |
| Sega | ??? | LucasArts | Interplay | Acclaim |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| |
| |
| |
Racing | Death Race | Pit Stop 2 | Grand Prix Circuit | Lotus Esprit | F1 Grand Prix |
| 1976 | 1985 | 1987 | 1990 | 1991 |
| Exidy | Epyx | Accolade | Gremlin | Microprose |
| Super Mario Kart | Indy Car Racing | Ridge Racer | Grand Prix 2 | WipEout |
| 1992 | 1993 | 1993 | 1996 | 1996 |
| Nintendo | Papyrus | Namco | Microprose | Psygnosis |
| Grand Prix Legends |
| 1997 |
| Papyrus |
TextAdventure | Hunt the Wumpus | Advent | Zork | Hitchhiker´s Guide to the Galaxy | Spellcasting |
| 1971 | 1972 | 1976 | 1982 | 1992 |
| Universität ??? | ??? | Infocom | Infocom | D.Meretzky |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| |
| |
| |
FlightSim | Flight Simulator | Flight Simulator
2 | Rescue on
Fractulus | Chuck Yeager´s
AFS | F15 Strike Eagle |
| 1980 | 1983 | 1985 | 1986 | 1986 |
| SubLogic | SubLogic | LucasArts | Electronic Arts | Microprose |
| Gunship 2000 | Pilotwings | Strike Commander | | |
| 1990 | 1991 | 1993 | | |
| Microprose | Nintendo | Origin | | |
| |
| |
| |
Rollenspiel | Akalabeth (D&D) | Ultima | Pool of Radiance (AD&D) | >Final Fantasy 2 | Ultima Underworld |
| 1979 | 1980 | 1988 | 1991 | 1995 |
| Richard Gariott | Richard Gariott | SSI | Square Soft | Origin |
| Diablo | Final Fantasy 7 | | | |
| 1997 | 1997 | | | |
| Blizzard | Square Soft | | | |
| |
| |
| |
Sport | Track & Field | International Soccer | Decathlon | World Games | Ski or Die |
| 1983 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1988 |
| Konami | ??? | Spectrum | Epyx | Electronic Arts |
| Sensible Soccer | FIFA Soccer | | | |
| 1989 | 1994 | | | |
| Sensible Software | Electronic Arts | | | |
| |
| |
| |
Space-Opera | Elite | Wing Commander | Wing Commander 2 | >Frontier: Elite2 | Privateer |
| 1984 | 1990 | 1993 | 1993 | 1994 |
| David Braben | Origin | Origin | David Braben | Origin |
| X-Wing | Descent Freespace | | | |
| 1995 | 1998 | | | |
| LucasArts | Interplay | | | |
| |
| |
| |
3D-Shooter | Wolfenstein 3D | Doom | Duke Nuke´em 3D | Quake | GoldenEye 007 |
| 1992 | 1993 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
| ID Software | ID Software | 3D Realms | ID Software | Rare |
| Half Life | Quake 3 Arena | >Perfect Dark | | |
| 1998 | 2000 | 2000 | | |
| Valve | ID Software | Rare | | |
| |
| |
| |
Echtzeitstrategie | Dune 2 | Command & Conquer | Warcraft | Commandos | Black & White |
| 1993 | 1995 | 1997 | 1998 | 2001 |
| Westwood | Westwood | Blizzard | Core Design | Lionhead |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| |
| |
| |
Adventure | Maniac Mansion | Larry | Monkey Island | Legend of
Kyrandia | Alone in the
Dark |
| 1987 | 1987 | 1990 | 1991 | 1993 |
| LucasArts | Sierra | LucasArts | Westwood | Infogrames |
| Myst | | | | |
| ?? | | | | |
| | | | | |
| |
| |
| |
Strategie | Defender of the Crown | SimCity | Pirates! | Populous | Battle Isle |
| 1986 | 1987 | 1987 | 1989 | 1991 |
| Cinemaware | Maxis | Konami | Bullfrog | Blue Byte |
| Sim City 2000 | History Line | Syndicate | Die Siedler | |
| 1992 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | |
| Maxis | Blue Byte | Bullfrog | Blue Byte | |
| |
| |
| |
Beat´em up | International Karate | Street Fighter | >Street Fighter 2 | Fatal Fury | >Battletoads |
| 1985 | 1987 | 1991 | 1991 | 1992 |
| ??? | Capcom | Capcom | SNK | Rare |
| Mortal Kombat |
>Samurai Shodown |
Tekken | | |
| 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | | |
| Acclaim | SNK | Namco | | |
| |
| |
| |
Action | Impossible Mission | Probotector | >Mega Man | Metroid | Shadow of the Beast |
| 1984 | 1987 | 1987 | 1989 | 1989 |
| Microprose | Konami | Capcom | Nintendo | Psygnosis |
| >Turrican | >Super Probotector | >Metal Slug | | |
| 1990 | 1992 | 1996 | | |
| Factor 5 | Konami | SNK | | |
| |
| |
| |
Action-Adventure | Spy VS Spy | >Legend of Zelda | Dragon´s Lair | Castlevania 2 | Zelda 3 |
| 1985 | 1986 | 1986 | 1990 | 1992 |
| ??? | Nintendo | Ready Soft | Konami | Nintendo |
| Tomb Raider | Resident Evil | >Zelda 64 | Metal Gear | |
| 1996 | 1996 | 1998 | 1998 | |
| Core Design | Capcom | Nintendo | Konami | |
| |
| |
| |
|