NES / Famicom

In 1983, the North American video game industry was clinically dead. The crash, triggered by an overabundance of terrible games — symbolized by millions of E.T. cartridges buried in New Mexico — had reduced the market from $3.2 billion to $100 million in just two years. Retailers refused anything with "video game" on it.

In Japan, however, Nintendo was experiencing extraordinary success with the Famicom, launched July 1983. Legendary president Hiroshi Yamauchi decided to bring the console to America. The problem: no retailer wanted it. The solution was genius: Nintendo presented it not as a "video game console" but as an "Entertainment System," with a VCR-like design and accessories like R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) to appear as a tech toy.

The NES test-launched in New York in October 1985 with 17 titles, including the revolutionary Super Mario Bros. Success was immediate. Nintendo imposed the "Seal of Quality" on publishers — a licensing system guaranteeing minimum quality standards, avoiding the oversaturation that killed Atari. Maximum five games per year per publisher. Iron rules developers hated but that saved the industry.

Super Mario Bros. sold 40 million copies and remained the best-selling game for over 20 years. The Legend of Zelda introduced battery saves. Metroid created a genre and revealed a female protagonist. Mega Man, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest: the NES was the cradle of franchises still dominating today.

The console sold 61.9 million units and literally resurrected a dead industry. Without the NES, video games as we know them wouldn't exist.