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The NES

Dr Kenny McAlpine discusses the development and launch of the Nintendo NES, the machine that reintroduced console gaming to America.

The video game crash of 1983 made it difficult for Nintendo to break into the American market with its new console, the NES.

When it finally did gain a toehold in 1986, it was the Nintendo Seal of Approval, a guarantee of gaming quality, that saw consumer confidence in gaming begin to grow again. In this video, we explore how the NES reintroduced America to console gaming.

Once you’ve completed the video step, I’d like you to log on to the online NES Emulator, a link for which is supplied below, and play through some of the games.

Think back to some of the other games that you’ve played on the Atari, Spectrum, and the Commodore 64. Is there perhaps more consistency here, both in terms of quality and style?

Please note that these links will take you to external websites that are not affiliated with either FutureLearn or Abertay University.

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