The term “Xennials” refers to a micro-generation of people born between the late ’70s and early ’80s. To this period was a rollercoaster time for the gaming industry would be an understatement, as the golden age of arcades, thevideo game crash of 1983, and the release of the revolutionary NES all took place between these years.
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Although Xennials saw the video game industry at its lowest point, they were also able to experience the release of some of gaming’s most famous and important games of all time. To give Xennilas a burst of nostalgia, we’ve decided to list a handful of games that their generation loved growing up.
7The Oregon Trail
Given that Xennials are often referred to as the “Oregon Trailgeneration,” the classiceducational gameseems like the perfect place to start on this list.
Xennials are referred to as the “Oregon Trailgeneration” as the game was commonly found in school classrooms in the USA at the time, making the game incredibly nostalgic for those who grew up in the ’80s. The real-life Oregon Trail was a large wagon route between the Missouri River and Oregon that people would predominantly use throughout the 1800s. The game isnotorious for its difficulty, as players will often find theircharacters dying from obscure diseases.
6Pac-Man
Before Nintendo revolutionized gaming with theirSuper Mariogames,Pac-Manwas the face of the gaming industry. Namco’s iconic maze game was first released in Japan in May 1980 before releasing all over the world a few months later with booming success.
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The game’s bright colors, fast-paced action, and addictive challenge engrossed players in the ’80s and tantalized them into spending more and more coins to beat their high scores and friends.ThePac-ManIP has had more releases than one might expect, with updated takes on the classic formula, 3D platformers, and even kart racing games released over the decades. None have been able to recapture the magic of the original, though, which is fine because the classic game is still a blast to play today.
5Frogger
The goal ofFroggerinitially seems simple, as players just need to guide some frogs across to their lily pad homes. However, this is far easier said than done, as between the frog and its home are cars, trucks, moving logs, sinking turtles, crocodiles, and more.
LikePac-Man,Froggerperfected the arcade art of constantly tempting players into spending coins for one more turn, as being able to see the end goal at the top of the screen makes the game seem so much easier than it is. Another similarity thatFroggerhas withPac-Manis that the game is still good fun to play today, especially when battling for high scores against a friend.
4Contra
Contrawas developed by Konami and first released in arcades back in 1987 before releasing on a wide range of systems, including ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Commodore 64. The game is one of the most famousrun-and-gun shootersof all time and stood out upon release for its excellent visuals and great range of enemy designs.
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Contrais also fondly remembered for popularizing the use of the Konami Code, a cheat code that first appeared in 1986’sGradiusand would go on to work in many of the company’s later releases. InContra, inputting the code would give players a whopping 30 lives.
3Super Mario Bros.
When the gaming industry crashed in 1983, people thought it would take many years before consumers could start trusting home console gaming again. However, Nintendo managed to get consoles back in western homes with their Famicom, which they branded as the Nintendo Entertainment System in the west and released a ton of accessories to make it seem like more than just a games console. People were still skeptical in the west, though doubts were soon alleviated when people first played the legendary World 1-1 ofSuper Mario Bros.
It’s no exaggeration to say that gaming wouldn’t be as advanced as it is today without the release ofSuper Mario Bros.as the game almost single-handily made western audiences trust home console gaming again and gave the industry a new mascot character to promote and cherish.
2The Legend of Zelda
TheSuper Marioseries isn’t the only iconic franchise that the NES introduced, asThe Legend of Zeldaalso got its start on the classic console.
Although it may not look like much by today’s standards,The Legend of Zeldawas a revolutionary release in 1986 thatintroduced people to open-world game design decades before it would be popularized. There is still fun to be had withThe Legend of Zeldatoday, as the lack of direction and hand-holding from the game is a popular style with players at the moment and has been used to great effect in recent releases likeElden RingandThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
1Tetris
There aren’t many gamers who can honestly say they’ve never played a game ofTetrisbefore. The tile-matching game was designed by Alexey Pajitnov and was first released in the USSR in 1984 before releasing outside of the Soviet Union from 1987 onwards.
Unlike many other games from the ’80s that have tried and failed to reinvent themselves,Tetrishas found success in modern gaming, withtitles likeTetris 99andTetris Effectfinding ways to breathe new life into the serieswithout changing the core gameplay.
