The term "Xennials" refers to a micro-generation of people born between the late '70s and early '80s. To this period was a rollercoaster time for the gaming industry would be an understatement, as the golden age of arcades, the video game crash of 1983, and the release of the revolutionary NES all took place between these years.
Although Xennials saw the video game industry at its lowest point, they were also able to experience the release of some of gaming's most famous and important games of all time. To give Xennilas a burst of nostalgia, we've decided to list a handful of games that their generation loved growing up.
7 The Oregon Trail
Given that Xennials are often referred to as the "Oregon Trail generation," the classic educational game seems like the perfect place to start on this list.
Xennials are referred to as the "Oregon Trail generation" as the game was commonly found in school classrooms in the USA at the time, making the game incredibly nostalgic for those who grew up in the '80s. The real-life Oregon Trail was a large wagon route between the Missouri River and Oregon that people would predominantly use throughout the 1800s. The game is notorious for its difficulty, as players will often find their characters dying from obscure diseases.
6 Pac-Man
Before Nintendo revolutionized gaming with their Super Mario games, Pac-Man was the face of the gaming industry. Namco's iconic maze game was first released in Japan in May 1980 before releasing all over the world a few months later with booming success.
The game's bright colors, fast-paced action, and addictive challenge engrossed players in the '80s and tantalized them into spending more and more coins to beat their high scores and friends. The Pac-Man IP has had more releases than one might expect, with updated takes on the classic formula, 3D platformers, and even kart racing games released over the decades. None have been able to recapture the magic of the original, though, which is fine because the classic game is still a blast to play today.
5 Frogger
The goal of Frogger initially seems simple, as players just need to guide some frogs across to their lily pad homes. However, this is far easier said than done, as between the frog and its home are cars, trucks, moving logs, sinking turtles, crocodiles, and more.
Like Pac-Man, Frogger perfected the arcade art of constantly tempting players into spending coins for one more turn, as being able to see the end goal at the top of the screen makes the game seem so much easier than it is. Another similarity that Frogger has with Pac-Man is that the game is still good fun to play today, especially when battling for high scores against a friend.
4 Contra
Contra was developed by Konami and first released in arcades back in 1987 before releasing on a wide range of systems, including ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Commodore 64. The game is one of the most famous run-and-gun shooters of all time and stood out upon release for its excellent visuals and great range of enemy designs.
Contra is also fondly remembered for popularizing the use of the Konami Code, a cheat code that first appeared in 1986's Gradius and would go on to work in many of the company's later releases. In Contra, inputting the code would give players a whopping 30 lives.
3 Super Mario Bros.
When the gaming industry crashed in 1983, people thought it would take many years before consumers could start trusting home console gaming again. However, Nintendo managed to get consoles back in western homes with their Famicom, which they branded as the Nintendo Entertainment System in the west and released a ton of accessories to make it seem like more than just a games console. People were still skeptical in the west, though doubts were soon alleviated when people first played the legendary World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros.
It's no exaggeration to say that gaming wouldn't be as advanced as it is today without the release of Super Mario Bros. as the game almost single-handily made western audiences trust home console gaming again and gave the industry a new mascot character to promote and cherish.
2 The Legend of Zelda
The Super Mario series isn't the only iconic franchise that the NES introduced, as The Legend of Zelda also got its start on the classic console.
Although it may not look like much by today's standards, The Legend of Zelda was a revolutionary release in 1986 that introduced people to open-world game design decades before it would be popularized. There is still fun to be had with The Legend of Zelda today, as the lack of direction and hand-holding from the game is a popular style with players at the moment and has been used to great effect in recent releases like Elden Ring and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
1 Tetris
There aren't many gamers who can honestly say they've never played a game of Tetris before. The tile-matching game was designed by Alexey Pajitnov and was first released in the USSR in 1984 before releasing outside of the Soviet Union from 1987 onwards.
Unlike many other games from the '80s that have tried and failed to reinvent themselves, Tetris has found success in modern gaming, with titles like Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect finding ways to breathe new life into the series without changing the core gameplay.