A look back: Gaming adverts in the 1980s

When we look back at the history of gaming, one aspect of gaming culture remains under the radar. Other than the few random displays of Intellivision commericals posted for laughs, gaming commercials are seldom the topic of serious discussion. If you think about it though, this is how the gaming world communicates to the non-gamer. Nobody can help that their marathon run of sitcom-watching, or their stint of pseudo-intellectualism watching the nightly news gets interrupted by the latest and greatest of the gaming world. This is a topic that should be analyzed, not just by the likes of me, but by gaming analysts across the net, as it is another way we can get to the heart of how gaming fits in with the rest of the world of media.

This is part 1 of 3. The second part will cover the early to mid nineties, and part 3 will detail some ad goodness from the late 90s to today.

Atari VCS: Super Breakout!



Now that I mention it, there's something very similar between many of the Atari commercials from the early 80s and the Wii commercials we see every once in a while these days: they both emphasize family, all-ages, and easy fun. If you think about it, the Atari 2600 is probably the easiest console to play, other than the Wii, so it had the same appeal to non-gamers as the Wii does now. The one thing that puzzles me is that at a time when gaming wasn't as rampant through out society as it is now, the commercial makes an assumption about those watching it with this line in particular: "If you like Breakout!, you'll love Super Breakout!" The assumption is that those watching the ad will have played Breakout! before. But the core aspect of the commercial is that it caters more to adults or parents than it does to kids. Parents will see this and think, "Awww, that's sweet. It's just a nice family playing together and having fun."
This idea of family fun, I think is the core of the ad. Gameplay is showcased fairly well, with the announcer stating how cool Super Breakout! is, and graphics aren't mentioned at all. This, I believe is drastically different from nearly all advertisements after this time period, because there was always a nod or a slap to the competition. The Atari VCS went virtually unchallenged until the Intellivision, so, in a way, this is a gaming ad in its purest form. There's no hint of belittling another company, there's no overhype on graphics.

Intellivision: AD&D



As we can see with this ad, the Intellivision comes onto the market, and becomes the biggest threat to Atari's VCS. This time period is reflected in the advertisement very well. Rather than the ad focusing on family fun, it appeals to kids directly, especially by hiring Henry Thomas. This slight shift in ad appeal just boosts the 'gimmie factor', the power kids have over their parents to empty their wallets at the slightest wimper. And, as the Intellivision itself did very well, the ad is just a minor step up from Atari's own commercials in complexity and overall difference. There's still the family hanging out in front of the screen, there's still those more unlikely to play the games actually playing them in the ads (i.e. the mom and dad, and the sister, vs. the boy) and both stress overall fun, and conclude with the console's logo. The commercial still appeals to parents though, despite the shift in focus, because it's still 'cutesy'.

NES: The Legend of Zelda



After the home gaming crash in the early 80s, Nintendo picked up the slack that Atari left. Basically, Nintendo had to prove that gaming at home was still fun to an audience that was pretty much fed up by then. So, as we see in this ad, Nintendo promotes three different products; The Legend of Zelda, their 'Newsletter' and the NES. Which is a lot to trust to a company that's trying to sell a video gaming machine to consumers that thought they had been screwed so badly by Atari. I also noticed that the focus on the parents, (which was present up until this advert) was completely gone. In fact, as an adult, at this moment, I even find this commercial to be extremely off-putting. The focus is entirely on the kids this time around, a trend we will see until gaming 'grows up'. Also, this is one of the first examples I've found of a company promoting the games' graphics in an ad.

Sega Master System: Thunder Blade/Phantasy Star



As Nintendo's leading competitor during this era, Sega attempts to copy much of the feeling of Nintendo's commercials. One thing that I find completely different from this commercial to the last is that Sega is promoting two games at once. Contrasting the three different Nintendo products that are being promoted, Sega's display of Super Thunder Blade and Phantasy Star reveals that Sega was strained during this period. The ad space was bought, and they needed to fill it with previews for a new game, fill it with a current game, show gameplay footage, show how much the kids dug it, and promote a system that wasn't selling. Quite a tall order to be filled with one advert, and Sega does it seamlessly, much as Nintendo does, and it still maintains the look and feel of advertisements from the period.

Sega Genesis Launch Promo



Sega wanted a head start on Nintendo for the 16-bit era, and they seemed to pull it off quite well, considering the market failure that was the Master System. They begin by assuming that the arcade crash never happened, and that everyone was dying to play Altered Beast on their TVs. It's easy to write this aspect of 16-bit gaming off, since the arcades are all but extinct these days, but for the 16- and 8-bit gamer of the late 80s, the arcades were the place to find excellent graphics, interesting and innovative gameplay, and upcoming titles for their consoles. So, we find Sega asserting, very early on in the game, that their hardware can handle all the kids' favorite arcade hits, and do it on your TV. This, Sega knew, would drive initial console sales, as rehashes are a lot easier to pump out than innovative, new titles, and people would go crazy to play Ghouls 'N Ghosts at home. This definitely gave Sega leverage against the NES, and propelled its user base through the impending launch of the SNES. This ad also minimizes the amount of time the player is in the picture, much less his parents, and that follows an overall trend in promotion, and is evident in the ads we see these days.

Well, there goes the 80s. I missed quite a bit in the process, but as all blogs must be, this is a short and sweet look into advertisements in a large period of gaming. Stick around for a few to see part 2, the '90s.