History of Video Games (8-bit Era)

In the history of video games, the 8-bit era was the third generation of video game consoles, but the first after the video game crash of 1983 and considered by some to be the first "modern" era of console gaming. Although the previous generation of consoles had also used 8-bit processors, it was in this time that home game systems were first labelled by their "bits". This came into fashion as 16-bit systems like the Sega Genesis were marketed to differentiate between the generations of consoles.

During the era, the Famicom (short for family computer) became very popular in Japan. The NEC PC Engine also gained a large following, enough to support several versions of the hardware. The Famicom's American counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System, highly dominated the gaming market in North America, thanks in part to its restrictive licensing agreements with developers. Though the NES dominated the market, the Sega Master System (which was popular in Brazil and Europe), and the Atari 7800, were also major players during this era.

Super Mario Bros.

The post-crash 8-bit era was considered "the stone age of console role-playing video games" and was the birth of the side-scroller. Editing and censorship of video games was often used in localizing Japanese games to North America. It is the era when many famous video game series, and the characters starring in them, originated. Some notable examples include Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Metal Gear, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, Bomberman, and Dragon Quest.

Consoles of the 8-bit era

Nintendo Entertainment System/Nintendo Famicom 1985-1995: U.S. 1987-1996: Europe 1983-2003: Japan 1990-Present: Nigeria	Sega Master System 1986-1991: US 1987-1989: Japan 1987-1996: Europe 1989-present: Brazil	Atari 7800 1986-1992: U.S.	NEC PC Engine 1987-1993: Japan
Amstrad GX4000 1990-1991: Europe	Commodore C64 Games System 1990-1991: Europe