This Month in Gaming History: May

May is a great time of the year. Summer is just around the corner; school is about to end. There are plenty of opportunities to give games: graduation gifts and Mother’s Day gifts. Maybe that is why this month had so many games to choose from to write about. So without further ado, here are some games that have been released in May throughout history, including one of my favorites.

Magnavox Odyssey

The first video game console, called the Magnavox Odyssey, was demonstrated on May 24, 1972 and later released by Magnavox. This console started it all, folks. For so many of us, gaming consoles have just been a thing that we have always had. Some worked better then others, but were constantly there. Before this, a gamer would have to game in an arcade.

Pac-Man

Pac-Man was released as an arcade game in Japan on May 22, 1980. I love Pac-Man. As previously written, I spent a lot of time playing Ms Pac-Man as a kid at our local pizza place. Most of the pizza places in the towns around me had at least one game. Pac-Man was usually one of them, if they had more than one. Thank goodness for these restaurants because, when I was growing up, to get go to a real arcade, we would have to travel almost an hour to the mall. Also, I need to give a shout out to my parents, who gave my brother and me our quarters to play this game that we both enjoyed so much.

The object is simple. Eat as much as you can and don’t let the ghosts catch you.
To be honest, I think these rules are still extremely applicable to my life.

Wolfenstein 3D

Wolfenstein 3D was released by id Software on May 5, 1992. This game started its life on the PC and then moved to other platforms of game play. It is a first-person shooter game. Gamers get to play an Allied spy who is trying to escape a Nazi prison called Castle Wolfenstein.

Bejeweled

Ah, Bejeweled. Bejeweled was first released on May 30, 2001 by PopCap Games as an Internet browser-based game.Soon, it was released onto other platforms. The one which I think most of us have played is via mobile phone. So much time on the phone. This game is the starting point for other addictive games that we love, such as Candy Crush.

Mass Effect

Mass Effect was released for the PC on May 28, 2008. It is a science fiction role playing third-person shooter game. In the first three installments of the game, the player plays Commander Shepard as he tries to save the galaxy from mechanical beings known as Reapers. Mass Effect is a highly acclaimed and popular set of games.

Diablo III

Speaking of insanely popular games, Diablo 3 was released for the PC and Mac on May 15, 2012. The player would pick a class, the number of which depending on whether or not the player has purchased the expansion pack, to defeat the Lord of Terror, Diablo. This third installment of the series broke all kinds of sales records, including how quickly it sold. This is not surprising, due to the game’s popularity over the years.

Whew. We have had some heavy hitters in May in the past. Here’s hoping for many more wonderful releases to come.