Pong (1972) The Spark That Lit the Fuse
Before the cutscenes, triple A graphics, and open worlds, there was Pong: two paddles, one bouncing dot, and pure competition. Released in 1972 by Atari, Pong wasn’t just a game it was the ignition point for the video game industry as we know it. It was one of the first video games to achieve commercial success, and that mattered. People paid to play this thing. It proved games could pull people in, keep them playing, and turn a profit.
At its core, Pong was the earliest blueprint for head to head gameplay. No story. No weapons. Just timing, reflexes, and bragging rights. This minimalist design influenced an entire lineage from sports simulators like FIFA and NBA 2K to mobile games that rely on tight feedback loops and visual clarity.
Game designers keep coming back to Pong’s fundamentals: keep it simple, make it responsive, and don’t skimp on replayability. When every interaction feels sharp, players come back not because they have to, but because they want to beat themselves or someone else.
For creators looking to understand that kind of design clarity, take a look at these game design tutorials.
Space Invaders (1978) Birth of the Shooter Genre
Space Invaders didn’t invent video game combat, but it flipped the switch that lit up decades of shooters. It introduced a mechanic that’s now everywhere: the better you do, the harder the game pushes back. As the alien horde thinned, their march sped up. That simple escalation loop was genius: players pushed for high scores, but the threat grew sharper with every kill.
This rhythm of rising danger became the skeleton for bullet hell games, wave based survival modes, and even FPS challenge scaling. You’ll find its DNA in Halo’s Flood waves, the relentless pacing of Call of Duty Zombie rounds, and mobile survival games that punish hesitation. What Space Invaders showed and what modern designers still use is that controlled chaos keeps players locked in.
Pacing, pressure, reward. Space Invaders locked that triangle into place and future games have been riffing on it ever since.
Donkey Kong (1981) First Steps Towards Storytelling in Games
Before Mario was Mario, he was Jumpman dodging barrels and climbing girders to rescue a damsel in distress. Donkey Kong wasn’t just another arcade game; it marked the start of character driven gameplay. It gave players a goal beyond ‘get the high score.’ There was a name, a narrative, a setting and that changed everything.
With it came a shift in design philosophy. Clear objectives: reach the top. Varied levels: construction sites, elevators, conveyor belts. Each obstacle wasn’t just a hazard it had personality. Donkey Kong gave game worlds a face and a story, pushing beyond challenge into experience.
Whether you’re diving into the rich worlds of Super Mario Bros., exploring loneliness in Celeste, or navigating gravity in indie platformers, you can trace the DNA straight back to Donkey Kong. It built the blueprint: simple controls, layered mechanics, and real stakes making players care about more than just winning.
Pac Man (1980) Casual Gaming’s Cultural Explosion
When Pac Man hit arcades in 1980, it didn’t just capture quarters it captured everyone. Unlike the space shooters and war games that came before, Pac Man attracted a broader, more casual crowd. It wasn’t about reflexes alone. It was about pattern recognition, risk management, and oddly enough personality.
The ghosts weren’t random. Each had its own programmed behavior. Blinky chased. Pinky set traps. Inky worked off your position. Clyde? Wild card. This kind of intentional enemy AI was ahead of its time and laid the groundwork for future stealth games and AI logic in everything from Metal Gear to Five Nights at Freddy’s. You weren’t just reacting you were predicting, adapting.
Pac Man’s legacy shows up all over the place today. You’ve got maze chasers on mobile, indie devs replicating that high risk, high reward loop, even educational games riffing on the core mechanics. The DNA still matters because the rules were clear, the stakes got higher, and there was always one more level.
If you want to dig into how that ghost logic still influences modern design, there’s a detailed breakdown in these game design tutorials.
Street Fighter II (1991) Competitive Balance and Esports Roots
Street Fighter II didn’t just launch a franchise it built the blueprint. With its combo system, varied roster, and tight control mechanics, this game defined what a fighting game could be. Street Fighter II introduced the idea that every frame, every input mattered. There was no room for fluff just pure, skill based competition.
What made it iconic wasn’t just the fireballs or uppercuts. It was the balance. Each fighter had strengths, weaknesses, and potential for mastery. The game demanded timing, spacing, and sharp muscle memory. It introduced a core loop that rewarded knowledge and practice win or lose, skill was king.
That DNA still runs through modern hits. Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Guilty Gear all stand on Street Fighter II’s shoulders. Even esports events today mirror the structure: mirrored brackets, 1v1 standoffs, best of setups. The emphasis on symmetrical design and responsive controls? Pure Street Fighter influence. It’s not just nostalgia it’s a design lineage that still leads the genre.
Where the Past Meets the Future
Some things just don’t go out of style and in game design, that includes the mechanics and principles laid down by the classics. Games like Pac Man, Pong, and Street Fighter II didn’t just entertain they built the blueprint. Tight loops, clear feedback, interesting challenge ramps. These fundamentals still echo in the DNA of today’s biggest hits.
Why do these old school titles still matter? Because great design solves problems simply. They teach constraints, pacing, and clarity. They remind designers that the harder task isn’t adding features it’s knowing what to leave out. That’s the difference between a clever novelty and a game that sticks.
Anyone who wants to get serious about designing games in 2024 should spend time with these originals. Break them down. Reverse engineer their logic. Then apply what works and throw away what doesn’t to build something that feels both fresh and timeless. That’s how progress happens: by respecting the craft that came before it.