As a subtle homage to this timeless iconography, we’ve stitched small alien appliques to each of our tees.ĭespite 1970s video game technology's rudimentary nature, Nishikado worked a multitude of innovative features and concepts into his game, shaping a whole industry. The familiar forms of octopuses, squids, and crabs inspired the creation of the globally recognizable pixelated aliens we know and love today. Nishikado modeled his extra-terrestrial enemies on creatures a little closer to home. However, a conscious effort to distance the playing experience from real-world military imagery led Nishikado to opt for an otherworldly adversary, a choice that was informed particularly by a new global interest in science fiction. The classic video game began in Nishikado’s mind as a simple shooting game, initially intending to use planes, tanks, and soldiers as the game’s enemies.
Space Invaders as we know it today didn’t spring immediately into existence. Read on, and then shop the new collection. To get you in the mood for another round of mowing down aliens, here are some fun facts about the game and its creations. To celebrate the game's 40th anniversary, we’re offering an exciting range of graphic printed tees with unique designs inspired by the legendary game. Created in 1978 by developer Tomohiro Nishikado for publisher Taito, the arcade game called Space Invaders exploded with unprecedented popularity upon its release, eventually becoming responsible for a global phenomenon that transformed video gaming from a novel hobby to a rapidly expanding international industry. It would be difficult today to find someone who is not familiar with the classic image of a jet black screen with rows of slowly-moving, squiggly figures and a speedy laser cannon zooming along the bottom of the landscape, blasting them out of existence.