It's more than 60 years since what is believed to be the first video game was invented by physicist William Higinbotham in 1958.
It took until 1972 for gaming to really take off, with the simple tennis game Pong becoming the first big hit, but today the video games industry is said to be worth around $347bn a year.
There have been some classic games over the years, including Tetris, Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros.
But what are the best retro video games of all time?
We asked staff at the National Videogame Museum, at Castle House, on Angel Street, in Sheffield city centre, for their picks and they obliged.
The best thing is you can play nearly all of their selections at the popular visitor attraction, which is the UK’s only museum dedicated solely to videogames, celebrating and interrogating their history and culture over the last 50 years.
The National Videogame Museum features over 100 playable exhibits, from retro arcade machines to modern games consoles, alongside unique exhibitions which are carefully curated by its team of experts.
It preserves 5,000 objects of videogame heritage for future generations through its collection.
The National Videogame Museum is the primary focus of the British Games Institute (BGI), our governing charity, that aims to educate the public on the art, science and technology of videogames.
It is open on Thursdays and Fridays, from 1pm-4pm; Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am-1pm and then 2pm-5pm; and every day during the school holidays, from 10am.
For more info, visit: https://thenvm.org/about/
1. Space Invaders
Released all the way back in 1978, this shoot’em up arcade game set the template for the genre. The goal is to defeat wave after wave of descending aliens with a horizontally moving laser to earn as many points as possible. John O’Shea, creative director and co-CEO at the NVM, said: "Space Invaders is a true classic, and one of our oldest playable games in the museum, but it remains popular today because the gameplay is simple to grasp yet impossible to master. Our original Space Invaders arcade cabinet is visible right across the museum due to the striking graphic art on the side, and the ominous 4 note musical score that can be heard throughout the space (like the videogame equivalent of the Jaws movie theme - “dun, dun, dun, dun….”). We actually have 15 different playable versions of Space Invaders on display - including a promotional version made by the Coca Cola company (in 1983) where you can shoot the word “PEPSI”! Even if people haven’t played or don’t remember the game itself, they’ll no doubt be familiar with the pixelated alien symbol that has become a pop culture icon!” Photo: Dean Atkins
2. Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Snap (1999, Nintendo 64) is a first-person rail shooter photography game. It is a spin off from the (very popular) Pokémon games. The player is summoned to Pokémon Island to help Professor Oak make a visual record of the Pokémon he’s studying. Leah Dungay, learning officer at the NVM, said: "One of my earliest gaming memories is the classic photography game Pokemon Snap on the Nintendo 64, which is playable in our new Photography exhibit! I would have been around nine years old and received a special Pikachu edition of the N64 for a birthday or maybe Christmas one year. Turning on Pokemon Snap, it plays the introductory cut scene of Todd the photographer trying to take a picture of the elusive pokemon Mew. It was mysterious, cinematic and to my nine-year-old eyes, the best thing I’d ever seen. Me and my avid photographer dad then put hundreds of hours of playtime to photograph all the Pokemon we could find. The Pikachu N64 was from then on a staple in our household, with my family and I playing countless hours of Pokemon Stadium and Diddy Kong Racing a few years later. I’m very happy to say that I still have this precious console in my collection!” Photo: Dean Atkins
3. Time Crisis
Time Crisis is a first-person on-rails light gun shooter series of arcade video games by Namco, introduced in 1995. Alex Hughes, crew/shift leader at the NVM, said: "A beautifully crafted slice of old school rail shooting. The inherently restrictive and simple nature of the rail shooter format means the game is free to go off like a rocket with a sense of action movie spectacle you usually wouldn't see this side of Just Cause or Platinum games titles. Within minutes of starting the game you're blowing up cars, blasting ninjas and fighting your way to the climactic showdown with a man who genuinely thinks that "Wild Dog" is a cool name. The incredibly tactile gun controller that physically recoils with every shot combined with the story of a lone gunman out to rescue the president's daughter against overwhelming odds lead to a wonderful game feel that remains unmatched. Light gun games and rail shooters are basically non-existent in today's gaming climate so absolutely give this one a go!” Photo: Dean Atkins
4. Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive and is a side scrolling platform game. Sonic became Sega’s flagship mascot to compete with Nintendo’s Super Mario. The NVM's marketing and communications officer, Christian Beckett, said: "It's Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Mega Drive that made me fall in love with videogames. I’d spend endless hours dashing through the vibrant levels, collecting rings and defeating Dr. Robotnik (the main villain). I have been a Sonic fan ever since and have owned games consoles from every generation since the early 90s!” Photo: Dean Atkins