Video game crash of 1983

The video game crash of 1983 was a severe downturn in the North American video game industry, marked by collapsing sales and declining consumer confidence after rapid market saturation.

Atari 2600: A home video game console released by Atari in 1977 that helped popularize cartridge-based gaming. Its large installed base encouraged a flood of competing consoles and games.
Video game market: The commercial system through which video games, consoles, and related services are produced and sold. The downturn affected the market's structure, not just individual companies.
Atari, Inc. bankruptcy: The 1984 bankruptcy of Atari's consumer electronics division after severe financial losses. The company's collapse illustrated the scale of the industry's financial damage.
Japanese video game market: The market for video games and gaming hardware in Japan. Japan's industry did not experience the same severe collapse as North America's in 1983.
Atari, Inc.: An American video game and computer company that became a major force in the industry during the 1970s and early 1980s. Its declining performance and costly decisions became central to the crash narrative.
Video game oversaturation: A market condition in which too many video games compete for consumers relative to demand. A glut of similar products made it harder for games to stand out or sell.
North American video game market: The market for video games and gaming hardware in North America. The crash sharply reduced this market's sales and weakened its retail infrastructure.
Video game crash of 2018: A proposed downturn in the video game industry associated with changing business models and consumer spending in 2018. The label is sometimes used for a later controversy, not the 1983 industry collapse.
Market saturation: A condition in which a market has little remaining demand for additional products. Too many consoles and games competed for a limited pool of buyers.
Consumer confidence: The degree to which consumers trust products and feel willing to spend money on them. Low-quality releases and disappointing purchases weakened trust in games.

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