The late 70's and early 80's saw a rise in the popularity of home computers, not only for educational or work-based applications, but also for home gaming. Home computers were often seen to offer better value than video consoles, and for parents, their added 'educational value' was also seen as a bonus.
The first, the Bally Astrocade, had a limited release in 1977, with others, such as the APF Imagination Machine following close behind. However, the release of the simple Sinclair ZX80 in 1980 really kick-started the home computer craze in the UK, with the video game console crash of 1983 helping to popularise the alternative home computers such as the VIC-20, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.
In this section, you can find out more about the early home computers used for gaming, including the Atari XEGS, Sinclair ZX81 and Commodore Amiga CDTV, along with home computers that were not released in the UK, such as the Sharp X68000 and Commodore MAX Machine, which were released only for the Japanese market. If you want to find out more about the early computer games that could be played on these machines, why not check out the History of Computer Games section?
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