By 1983 gaming consumers were drowning in a flooded console market with mostly sub-par game offerings. Suddenly one of the fastest growing and most profitable industries crashes. Most of the industry players move out of the gaming market or close their doors completely. Two years later the industry is reborn into a third age, with an all new set of players…and of course, Atari.
1991 - Arcade and Console Gaming
- Historic Arcade Game Releases
- Street Fighter II – The game that popularizes the beat-em-up genre.
- Nintendo releases the Super Nintendo (SNES), their first 16-bit console system, and packages it with Super Mario World. The SNES is a success and competes neck and neck with the Sega Genesis.
- Sega ships the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. The title is so popular that it increases sales of the Sega Genesis and Sonic is quickly made into Sega icon. Without Sonic it is doubtful the Sega Genesis could compete with the Super Nintendo.
- The Game Genie, a cartridge add-on that allows players to unlock cheats on NES, SNES and Genesis games, hits the market.
1991 - Online Gaming
- Discworld MUD game opens, based upon the Terry Pratchett novels. It becomes the most elaborate online multi-player game of the time.
- America Online launches the first graphics based online multiplayer game, Neverwinter Nights. Developed by Stormfront Studios, Neverwinter Nights is one of the first MMOGs made available to the public.
- The ImagiNation Network (aka Sierra Network) goes live with the first online multiplayer network. For a fee casual gamers can now go online and play with other members of the community in games ranging from chess and poker to sports and RPGs.
