Video Game "Cosmic Calendar"

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Since home video games have been out for almost exactly 48 years now, I decided to do a "Cosmic Calendar" type thing, condensing the history of video games into a single hypothetical year. On this scale, 1 month = about 4 years.

To get the exact dates, go into Excel, put Jan. 1 in Cell A2, Jan. 2 in Cell A3, and click and drag until you get to Jan. 1 of the next year (A367). Use a non-leap year, so no Feb. 29. In cell B2, put 9/15/1972, in cell B3 put 11/2/1972, and click and drag until you reach cell B367, which should be 9/3/2020.

Details in the following posts.

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Some milestones for January. If I missed something, feel free to mention it in a reply.

Overall, January (September 15, 1972 - October 11, 1976) was a fairly boring month. Home video games began to get popular near the end of this period, but it was mostly just PONG; fully programmable cartridge based machines weren't out yet.

January 1 / Sept 15-Nov 1, 1972: The Magnavox Odyssey is released.
January 2 / Nov 2 - Dec 19, 1972: Arcade Pong is released.
January 3 / Dec 20 72 - Feb 5 73
January 4 / Feb. 6-Mar. 26, 1973
January 5 / Mar. 27-May 12, 1973
January 6 / May 13-June 29, 1973
January 7 / June 30-Aug. 16, 1973
January 8 / Aug. 17-Oct. 3, 1973
January 9 / Oct. 4-Nov. 20, 1973
January 10 / Nov 21 73-Jan 7 74
January 11 / Jan. 8-Feb. 24, 1974
January 12 / Feb. 25-Apr. 13, 1974
January 13 / Apr. 14-May 31, 1974
January 14 / June 1-July 18, 1974
January 15 / July 19-Sept. 4, 1974
January 16 / Sept. 5-Oct. 22, 1974
January 17 / Oct. 23-Dec. 9, 1974
January 18 / Dec 10 74-Jan 26 75
January 19 / Jan. 27-Mar. 15, 1975
January 20 / Mar. 16-May 2, 1975
January 21 / May 3-June 19, 1975
January 22 / June 20-Aug. 6, 1975
January 23 / Aug. 7-Sept. 23, 1975
January 24 / Sept. 24-Nov. 10, 1975
January 25 / Nov 11-Dec 28, 1975 - Home Pong comes out, inspiring a slew of knock-offs and sequels.
January 26 / Dec 29 75-Feb 14 76
January 27 / Feb. 15-Apr. 2, 1976
January 28 - Apr. 3-May 20, 1976
January 29 - May 21-July 7, 1976
January 30 - July 8-Aug. 24, 1976
January 31 - Aug. 25-Oct. 11, 1976

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Same as above, but for February.

February (October 12, 1976 - June 16, 1980) would see lots of innovation; the first programmable cartridge based console (followed shortly thereafter by the first SUCCESSFUL programmable cartridge-based console), the first handheld cartridge-based console, and the first "killer app".

February 1 / Oct.12-Nov. 29, 1976 - The Fairchild Channel F is released
February 2 / Nov 29 76 - Jan 15 77 - Home Pong and its clones are a popular Christmas gift
February 3 / Jan. 16-Mar. 4, 1977 - The RCA Studio II is released
February 4 / Mar. 5-Apr. 21, 1977
February 5 / Apr. 22-June 8, 1977
February 6 / June 9-July 26, 1977
February 7 / July 27-Sept. 12, 1977 - The Atari Video Computer System is released with 9 games
February 8 / Sept. 13-Oct. 30, 1977
February 9 / Oct. 31-Dec. 17, 1977 - Bally Astrocade released
February 10 / Dec 18 77 - Feb 3 78 - The "PONG crash", video game crash of 1977, occurs around this time
February 11 / Feb. 4-Mar. 24, 1978 - The RCA Studio II is discontinued, the first cartridge based system to be discontinued
February 12 / Mar. 25-May 10, 1978
February 13 / May 11-June 27, 1978
February 14 / June 28-Aug. 14, 1978 - Space Invaders launches in arcades
February 15 / Aug. 15-Oct. 1, 1978
February 16 / Oct. 2-Nov. 18, 1978 - The APF MP-1000 is released
February 17 / Nov 19 78 - Jan 5 79 - The Magnavox Odyssey 2 is released
February 18 / Jan.6-Feb. 22, 1979
February 19 / Feb. 23-Apr. 11, 1979
February 20 / Apr. 12-May 29, 1979
February 21 / May 30-July 16, 1979
February 22 / July 17-Sept. 2, 1979
February 23 / Sept. 3-Oct. 20, 1979 - Activision, the first third-party publisher, is founded.
February 24 / Oct. 21-Dec. 7, 1979 - The Microvision, the first handheld cartridge-based console, is released. The Intellivision is first test-marketed.
February 25 / Dec 8 79 - Jan 24 80 - Adventure, the first action-adventure game, comes out. So does Space Invaders, the first "killer app". Both are for Atari VCS (2600).
February 26 / Jan. 25-Mar. 12, 1980
February 27 / Mar. 13-Apr. 29, 1980
February 28 / Apr. 30-June 16, 1980 - Pac-Man launches in arcades in Japan.

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March (June 17, 1980 - July 13, 1984) would see a "boom and bust" period for video games. The golden age of pre-Crash gaming and the crash itself are here; in the early and middle parts of this period, video games became a phenomenon, only to begin to unravel near its end.

March 1 / June 17-Aug. 3, 1980 - The first 3rd-party games come out, with Activision's first releases.
March 2 / Aug. 4-Sept. 20, 1980
March 3 / Sept. 21-Nov. 7, 1980
March 4 / Nov. 8-Dec. 25, 1980
March 5 / Dec 26 80 - Feb 11 81 - The Intellivision PlayCable, the first ever online gaming service, releases (date approximate; conflicting sources say 1980 and 1981)
March 6 / Feb. 12-Mar. 31, 1981
March 7 / Apr. 1-May 18, 1981
March 8 / May 19-July 5, 1981
March 9 / July 6-Aug. 22, 1981
March 10 / Aug. 23-Oct. 9, 1981 - Asteroids, the first 2600 game to use bank-switching, is released, marking the first time a system is pushed beyond its original limits.
March 11 / Oct. 10-Nov. 26, 1981 - KC Munchkin for Odyssey 2 is released, among the first home video games to be removed from the market due to a legal injunction.
March 12 / Nov 27 81 - Jan 13 82 - The home video game market generated a billion dollars in revenue in 1981; about 1 in 10 households have a video game console by this point, the vast majority of which are Atari-made systems.
March 13 / Jan. 14-Mar. 2, 1982 - A few towns put restrictions on video games; one bans children under 16 from playing them outright, and some disallow them within 1000-1500 feet of a church, school, or youth center. (Jerks.) Also, Mattel releases its first games on the 2600, a competitor platform.
March 14 / Mar. 3-Apr. 19, 1982 - KC Munchkin is taken off the market in a landmark court case involving "look and feel" of games. Pac-Man is released on the Atari 2600.
March 15 / Apr. 20-June 6, 1982 - Pitfall is released for the Atari 2600. The Emerson Arcadia 2001 comes out, the first of a new wave of video game systems, though it is underpowered compared to the true "third wave" systems.
March 16 / June 7-July 24, 1982 - Sometime in 1982, the Microvision is discontinued.
March 17 / July 25-Sept. 10, 1982 - The Starpath Supercharger is released on the Atari 2600, a sort of "early 32X". The ColecoVision comes out. So does the Commodore 64.
March 18 / Sept. 11-Oct. 28, 1982 - Around this time, new releases for the Atari 2600 are reaching their peak.
March 19 / Oct. 29-Dec. 15, 1982 - The Vectrex and the Atari 5200 come out. The first hints of the video game crash occur, with the release of E.T. on Atari 2600 and Atari's Dec. 7 announcement that growth in sales for the 2600 has slowed. Atari stock plummets. The Surgeon General says that video games can be harmful to children (you're wrong there, Mr. Koop)
March 20 / Dec 16 82 - Feb 1 83 - Atari is having trouble moving ET carts; an early sign of trouble. Sales of home video games peak around this time; 1982 and 1983 both have sales around $3.2 billion. This won't last (obviously). Atari begins laying off employees.
March 21 / Feb. 2-Mar. 21, 1983 - Around this time, the Channel F is put out to pasture.
March 22 / Mar. 22-May 8, 1983 - Atari is beginning to bleed money around this time. Third-party companies begin to pull out of the market en masse.
March 23 / May 9-June 25, 1983 - The CVC GameLine, an online game service for the Atari 2600, releases. Dragon's Lair, the first laserdisc-based game, hits arcades. Online gaming and disc-based, cinematic-style gaming won't become the norm for over a decade.
March 24 / June 26-Aug. 12, 1983 - The Famicom and SG-1000 launch in Japan.
March 25 / Aug. 13-Sept. 29, 1983 - The infamous Atari cartridge burial happens.
March 26 / Sept. 30-Nov. 16, 1983 - Atari expands into offering video games on other systems and computers in their "Atarisoft" brand.
March 27 / Nov 17 83 - Jan 3 84
March 28 / Jan. 4-Feb. 20, 1984 - Mattel Electronics shuts down, and with it the Intellivision. Around this time, the Arcadia 2001 is also discontinued. The Famicom, called the "AVS", gets a cold reception at Winter CES.
March 29 / Feb. 21-Apr. 8, 1984 - The Odyssey 2 is discontinued.
March 30 / Apr. 9-May 26, 1984 - The Atari 5200 is discontinued. Pitfall II, among the last great "pre-Crash games", is released (date approximate)
March 31 / May 27-July 13, 1984 - Atari is sold to Jack Tramiel. The Astrocade is likely discontinued in 1984, though the date is uncertain; could be plus or minus a few days on this calendar.

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April (July 14, 1984 - June 22, 1988) is best remembered for the historic resurrection of the video game market after the crash and the dominance of Nintendo during these early post-Crash days. Going into April, the crash is nearing its rock-bottom, but the second half of the month sees a revived industry.

Note: the release dates for the games are USA release dates.

April 1 / July 14-Aug 30, 1984 - The Vectrex is discontinued.
April 2 / Aug 31-Oct. 17, 1984
April 3 / Oct. 18-Dec. 4, 1984 - INTV Corporation is formed (date approximate).
April 4 / Dec 5 84 - Jan 21 85
April 5 / Jan. 22-Mar. 10, 1985 - The RDI Halcyon is "released" (only a handful are built)
April 6 / Mar. 11-Apr. 27, 1985
April 7 / Apr. 28-June 14, 1985
April 8 / June 15-Aug. 2, 1985 - Home video game sales in 1985 are only $100 million
April 9 / Aug. 2-Sept. 18, 1985 - The ColecoVision is discontinued. The "rock bottom" of the video game crash.
April 10 / Sept. 20-Nov. 5, 1985 - The NES begins its NYC test market. Approximate date the INTV System III (revived Intellivision) and Atari 2600 Jr. hit the market.
April 11 / Nov. 6-Dec. 23, 1985 - Super Mario Bros. is released on NES.
April 12 / Dec 24 85 - Feb 9 86 - The NES expands availability to Los Angeles.
April 13 / Feb. 10-Mar. 29, 1986
April 14 / Mar. 30-May 16, 1986 - The Atari 7800 is released
April 15 / May 17-July 3, 1986
April 16 / July 4-Aug. 20, 1986
April 17 / Aug. 21-Oct. 7, 1986 - The Sega Master System is released. The NES sees nationwide availability.
April 18 / Oct. 8-Nov. 24, 1986 - The first third-party games release on the NES. Despite Nintendo's notoriously strict licensing restrictions, Sega doesn't yet allow third-party games, which become a cornerstone of the NES' success.
April 19 / Nov 25 86 - Jan 11 87
April 20 / Jan. 12-Feb. 28, 1987
April 21 / Mar. 1-Apr. 17, 1987
April 22 / Apr. 18-June 4, 1987 - Castlevania is released for the NES.
April 23 / June 5-July 22, 1987
April 24 / July 23-Sept. 8, 1987 - Legend of Zelda released on NES, a seminal RPG and the first game with battery-backed save
April 25 / Sept. 9-Oct. 26, 1987 - Mike Tyson's Punch-Out released on NES
April 26 / Oct. 27-Dec. 13, 1987 - Mega Man for NES is released. The Atari XE Game System is released. The SegaScope 3D glasses are released on Sega Master System.
April 27 / Dec 14 87 - Jan 30 88 - Tetris sees its first Western release on IBM PC and Commodore 64.
April 28 / Jan. 31-Mar. 18, 1988 - R.C. Pro Am is released for NES.
April 29 / Mar. 19-May 5, 1988
April 30 / May 6-June 22, 1988 - Metal Gear is released for NES.

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May (June 23, 1988 - July 19, 1992) sees the home video game market surpass its pre-Crash size, as well as the first time that no one company was dominant in the market with Sega and Nintendo's 16-bit era console war starting and reaching full swing.

May 1 / June 23-Aug. 9, 1988 - Nintendo Power magazine is first released.
May 2 / Aug. 10-Sept. 26, 1988
May 3 / Sept. 27-Nov. 13, 1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2 is released for NES.
May 4 / Nov. 14-Dec. 31, 1988 - Tengen produces the first unlicensed NES cartridges.
May 5 / Jan. 1-Feb. 17, 1989 - Sony Imagesoft, Sony's first video game venture, established.
May 6 / Feb. 18-Apr. 6, 1989 - Tecmo Bowl, the first game to feature real NFL players, released for NES.
May 7 / Apr. 7-May 24, 1989 - Tetris first appears on NES via Tengen. This is short lived, as Nintendo had the license to the game.
May 8 / May 25-July 11, 1989 - TMNT released for the NES.
May 9 / July 12-Aug. 28, 1989 - Game Boy released. Sega Genesis released.
May 10 / Aug. 29-Oct. 15, 1989 - TurboGrafx-16 released. Atari Lynx, the first color portable console, released.
May 11 / Oct. 16-Dec. 2, 1989 - TurboGrafx-CD, the first CD-based console, released as an add-on to TurboGrafx-16.
May 12 / Dec 3 89 - Jan 19 90 - "The Wizard" released, among the first movies to be used as a video game marketing tool. $3.4 billion in home video games was sold in 1989, surpassing the peak of 1982-1983.
May 13 / Jan. 20-Mar. 8, 1990 - Super Mario Bros. 3 released. Nintendo World Championships start.
May 14 / Mar. 9-Apr. 25, 1990 - Around this time, the NES is at its peak against a Sega Genesis that is still struggling to find its foothold in the market, a dying Master System, and a TurboGrafx-16 that never will find its foothold.
May 15 / Apr. 26-June 12, 1990 - The Game Genie is first released as an NES version.
May 16 / June 13-July 30, 1990 - INTV discontinues the Intellivision (approximate date)
May 17 / July 31-Sept. 16, 1990
May 18 / Sept. 17-Nov. 3, 1990 - Nintendo rescinds its strict licensing policy. Games can now be multi-platform with the NES, and third-parties can now make their own cartridges.
May 19 / Nov. 4-Dec. 21, 1990 - Nintendo World Championships are concluded. The TurboExpress, a portable TurboGrafx-16, is released. The first Madden football game comes out on consoles.
May 20 / Dec. 22-Feb. 7, 1991 - Nintendo and Sony first announce their intention to develop a CD-based addon for SFC.
May 21 / Feb. 8-Mar. 27, 1991 - Commodore CDTV released.
May 22 / Mar. 28-May 14, 1991
May 23 / May 15-July 1, 1991 - Nintendo/Sony announce combined SNES/CD add-on called the "Play Station". Sega drops the Genesis price to $149 to counter the upcoming $199 of the SNES. Sonic the Hedgehog is released on Genesis.
May 24 / July 2-Aug. 18, 1991 - The Neo Geo AES is released, which literally provides arcade games in the home.
May 25 / Aug. 19-Oct. 5, 1991 - The SNES is released.
May 26 / Oct. 6-Nov. 22, 1991 - The mayors of LA and Miami declare Nov. 5, 1991 "Nintendo Fun Day"
May 27 / Nov 23 91 - Jan 9 92 - Atari discontinues the 2600 and 7800. The Philips CD-i is released.
May 28 / Jan. 10-Feb. 26, 1992 - M.C. Kids is released for NES.
May 29 / Feb. 27-Apr. 14, 1992 - Zelda: Link to the Past released for SNES.
May 30 / Apr. 15-June 1, 1992 - TurboGrafx-16's price dropped to $70, signaling its decline in the console market.
May 31 / June 2-July 19, 1992 - Street Fighter 2 comes out on SNES. Sony president Norio Ohga decides to break with Nintendo on the "Play Station" project.

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June (July 20, 1992 - June 28, 1996) was a busy period for video gaming. Most of this period was the heyday of the 16-bit era, but several consoles came out attempting to start the next generation before its time, but all failed near the end of this "month", creating a sort of video game crash; the video game market itself stayed healthy, carried on the backs of the Genesis, SNES, and Game Boy. By the end of this "month", the real 32-bit era competitors - the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64 were either released, or in the N64's case, about to be released. This generational changeover was revolutionary, with 3D graphics becoming the norm.

June 1 / July 20-Sept. 5, 1992 - Mario Paint is released for SNES.
June 2 / Sept. 6-Oct. 23, 1992 - Sega CD released.
June 3 / Oct. 24-Dec. 10, 1992 - Sonic 2 released on "Sonic 2sday", among the first well-coordinated release dates. The Tandy VIS is released, one of the shortest lived consoles ever (and a real donkey turd)
June 4 / Dec 11 92 - Jan 27 93 - Yours truly was born. Sega had pulled about even with Nintendo in market share by this time. The term "Blast Processing" is coined (approximate date).
June 5 / Jan. 28-Mar. 16, 1993 - Tandy VIS discontinued.
June 6 / Mar. 17-May 3, 1993 - Star Fox on SNES, the first Super FX game, is released.
June 7 / May 4-June 20, 1993 - The first video game rating system, Sega's VRC, introduced.
June 8 / June 21-Aug. 7, 1993 - Super Mario All-Stars released on SNES.
June 9 / Aug. 8-Sept. 24, 1993 - Mortal Kombat is released for Genesis, Game Gear, SNES, and GB on "Mortal Monday" (9/13). The inclusion of blood/fatalities on Sega systems makes this Sega victory. The Pioneer LaserActive is released.
June 10 / Sept. 25-Nov. 11, 1993 - 3DO released, the first 32-bit console sold outside Japan.
June 11 / Nov. 12-Dec. 29, 1993 - Atari Jaguar released. 3 Sonic games released on "Sonic Mania Day" (11/23)
June 12 / Dec 30 93 - Feb 15 94 - Mega Man X released for SNES.
June 13 / Feb. 16-Apr. 4, 1994 - Virtua Racing, featuring the SVP chip, released on Genesis.
June 14 / Apr. 5-May 22, 1994 - TurboGrafx-16 discontinued. Super Metroid released for SNES.
June 15 / May 23-July 9, 1994 - Super Game Boy released.
June 16 / July 10 - Aug. 26, 1994 - The ESRB rating system is introduced, following controversies over Mortal Kombat and Night Trap.
June 17 / Aug. 27-Oct. 13, 1994 - Final Fantasy III (actually VI) released.
June 18 / Oct. 14-Nov. 30, 1994 - Sonic and Knuckles released for Genesis. Donkey Kong Country released for SNES. Sega 32X released. XBAND modem released on Genesis.
June 19 / Dec 1 94 - Jan 17 95 - Last licensed NES game released. Sega Channel debuts.
June 20 / Jan. 18-Mar. 6, 1995
June 21 / Mar. 7-Apr. 23, 1995 - Play it Loud! Game Boys released.
June 22 / Apr. 24-June 10, 1995 - First E3. Sega Saturn's surprise release. Sony makes landmark "299" speech.
June 23 / June 11-July 28, 1995 - Atari Lynx discontinued (approximate date). LJN closed down (yay) (approximate date)
June 24 / July 29-Sept. 14, 1995 - PlayStation 1 released. NES discontinued after a 10-year lifespan. Nintendo Virtual Boy released.
June 25 / Sept. 15-Nov. 1, 1995 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island released for SNES. Sega Genesis Nomad released. Atari Jaguar CD released.
June 26 / Nov. 2-Dec. 19, 1995 - Twisted Metal released for PS1. Sega CD discontinued.
June 27 / Dec 20 95 - Feb 5 96 - Atari Jaguar (and Jaguar CD) discontinued. Neo Geo CD released. By this time, the PlayStation has a huge lead over the Saturn.
June 28 / Feb. 6-Mar. 24, 1996 - Virtual Boy discontinued. Sega 32X discontinued.
June 29 / Mar. 25-May 11, 1996 - Resident Evil released on PS1, a seminal survival horror game. Apple Pippin released.
June 30 / May 12-June 28, 1996 - 3DO discontinued. Super Mario RPG released, the first Mario game in 3D.