Space Invaders#Home versions

File:SpaceInvaders-Gameplay.gif

Space Invaders is a fixed shooter in which the player moves a laser cannon horizontally across the bottom of the screen and fires at aliens overhead. The aliens begin as five rows of eleven that move left and right as a group, shifting downward (advancing on the shooter) each time they reach a screen edge. The goal is to eliminate all of the aliens by shooting them. Regardless of how many lives remaining the player has, the game ends immediately if the invaders reach the bottom of the screen. The aliens attempt to destroy the player's cannon by firing projectiles. The laser cannon is partially protected by stationary defense bunkers which are gradually destroyed from the top by the aliens and, if the player fires when beneath one, the bottom gets destroyed.

As aliens are defeated, their movement and the music both speed up. Defeating all the aliens brings another wave which starts lower, a loop which can continue endlessly.{{cite book |editor=Craig Glenday |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008 |series=Guinness World Records |date=March 11, 2008 |publisher=Guinness |isbn=978-1-904994-21-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/237 237] |chapter=Top 100 Arcade Games: Top 5 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0 |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/237 }}{{Cite magazine|date=September 2007|title=The Definitive Space Invaders|url=https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_041#page/24/mode/2up|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=41|pages=24–33}}{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89612882 |title=Replay: the Evolution of Video Game Music |publisher=National Public Radio |work=All Things Considered |author=Seabrook, Andrea |date=April 12, 2008 |access-date=May 12, 2008 |author-link=Andrea Seabrook}} A special "mystery ship" will occasionally move across the top of the screen and award bonus points if destroyed.

Space Invaders was developed by Japanese designer Tomohiro Nishikado, who spent a year designing it and developing the necessary hardware to produce it.{{Cite magazine |date=January 2008 |title=Classic GI: Space Invaders |magazine=Game Informer |author= |publisher=Game Stop |issue=177 |pages=108–109}} The game was a response to Atari, Inc.'s arcade video game Breakout (1976). Nishikado wanted to adapt the same sense of achievement and tension from destroying targets one at a time, combining it with elements of target shooting games.{{cite magazine|author=|title=Nishikado-San Speaks|url=https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_003#page/34/mode/2up|magazine=Retro Gamer|publisher=Live Publishing|issue=3|date=15 April 2004|page=35}}{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Andrew |title=History of Digital Games: Developments in Art, Design and Interaction |date=16 March 2017 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-317-50381-1 |pages=73–6}} The game uses a similar layout to that of Breakout but with different game mechanics; rather than bounce a ball to attack static objects, players are given the ability to fire projectiles at moving enemies.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3900/the_history_of_pong_avoid_missing_.php |title=The History of Pong: Avoid Missing Game to Start Industry |first=Bill |last=Loguidice |author2=Matt Barton |website=Gamasutra |date=January 9, 2009 |access-date=January 10, 2009 |archive-date=January 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112004852/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3900/the_history_of_pong_avoid_missing_.php |url-status=live }}

Nishikado added several interactive elements that he found lacking in earlier video games, such as the ability for enemies to react to the player's movement and fire back, and a game over triggered by the enemies killing the player (either by getting hit or enemies reaching the bottom of the screen) rather than simply a timer running out. He replaced the timer, typical of arcade games at the time, with descending aliens who effectively served a similar function, where the closer they came, the less time the player had left.

Early enemy designs included tanks, combat planes, and battleships. Nishikado, however, was not satisfied with the enemy movements; technical limitations made it difficult to simulate flying.{{Cite magazine |date=October 2005 |title=The Creation of Space Invaders |magazine=Edge |issue=154 |author1=Kiphshidze, N |author2=Zubiashvili, T |author3=Chagunava, K |pages=7–13}} Humans would have been easier to simulate, but the designer considered shooting them immoral.{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3168373 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226064943/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3168373 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 26, 2009 |title=Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Space Invaders |website=1UP.com |author=Edwards, Benj |access-date=July 11, 2008}} After seeing the release of the 1974 anime Space Battleship Yamato in Japan,{{cite magazine |title=Tomohiro Nishikado – 2000 Developer Interview |magazine=Game Maestro |date=2000 |volume=1 |url=http://shmuplations.com/nishikado/ |access-date=March 4, 2018 |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608174731/http://shmuplations.com/nishikado/ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Kohler |first=Chris |title=Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life |date=2016 |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |isbn=9780486801490 |page=19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lD4fDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA19}} and seeing a magazine feature about Star Wars (1977), he thought of using a space theme. Nishikado drew inspiration for the aliens from a novel by H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, and created initial bitmap images after the octopus-like aliens. Other alien designs were modeled after squids and crabs. The game was originally titled Space Monsters after a popular song in Japan at the time, "", but was changed to Space Invaders by the designer's superiors.

{{multiple image

| image1 = Space Invaders.JPG

| caption1 = Cocktail table arcade cabinet

| image2 = Tilt byte - 10.jpeg

| caption2 = A modified Space Invaders arcade cabinet

}}

Nishikado designed his own custom hardware and development tools for Space Invaders. It uses an Intel 8080 central processing unit (CPU), displays raster graphics on a CRT monitor using a bitmapped framebuffer, and uses monaural sound hosted by a combination of analog circuitry and a Texas Instruments SN76477 sound chip.{{cite web |url=http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9662 |title=Space Invaders Videogame by Bally Midway (1978) |publisher=Killer List of Videogames |access-date=May 12, 2008 |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125042142/http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9662 |url-status=live }}{{cite book |title=The Art of Game Worlds |first=Dave |last=Morris |page=166 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-072430-7 |year=2004}} The adoption of a microprocessor was inspired by Gun Fight (1975), Midway's microprocessor adaptation of Nishikado's earlier discrete logic game Western Gun, after the designer was impressed by the improved graphics and smoother animation of Midway's version.{{citation |author=Chris Kohler |year=2005 |title=Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life |chapter=Chapter 2: An Early History of Cinematic Elements in Video Games|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=auMTAQAAIAAJ |page=19 |publisher=BradyGames |isbn=0-7440-0424-1 |access-date=March 27, 2011}} Space Invaders also adopted the multi-chip barrel shifter circuit first developed by Midway for Gun Fight, which had been a key part of that game's smoother animation. This circuit allowed the 8080 CPU to shift pictures in the graphics framebuffer faster than it could using only its own native instructions.In Gun Fight, the bit-shifts performed by this circuit appear on the screen as horizontal offsets. The circuit in Space Invaders works the same, but the bit shifts it does are now vertical from the player's perspective because the entire screen has been rotated by 90 degrees.

Despite the specially developed hardware, Nishikado was unable to program the game as he wanted—the Control Program board was not powerful enough to display the graphics in color or move the enemies faster—and considered the development of the hardware the most difficult part of the process. While programming, Nishikado discovered that the processor was able to render each frame of the alien's animation graphics faster when there were fewer aliens on the screen. Since the alien's positions updated after each frame, this caused the aliens to move across the screen at an increasing speed as more and more were destroyed. Rather than design a compensation for the speed increase, he decided that it was a feature, not a bug, and kept it as a challenging gameplay mechanism.

Taito released Space Invaders in July 1978. They released both an upright arcade cabinet and a so-called "cocktail-table" cabinet; following its usual practice, Taito named the cocktail version T.T. Space Invaders ("T.T." for "table-top"). Midway released its upright version a few months later and its cocktail version several months after that. The cabinet artwork featured large humanoid monsters not present in the game; Nishikado attributes this to the artist basing the designs on the original title of "Space Monsters", rather than referring to the actual in-game graphics. In the upright cabinets, the graphics are generated on a hidden CRT monitor and reflected toward the player using a semi-transparent mirror, behind which is mounted a plastic cutout of a moon bolted against a painted starry background. The backdrop is visible through the mirror and thus appears "behind" the graphics. Both Taito's and Midway's first Space Invaders versions had black-and-white graphics with a transparent colored overlay using strips of orange and green cellophane over certain portions of the screen to add color to the image. Later Japanese releases used a rainbow-colored cellophane overlay, and these were eventually followed by versions with a color monitor and an electronically generated color overlay.

{{Listen

|filename = Space Invaders Music.ogg

|title = Space Invaders music

|description = The game's signature looping four-note bassline, as heard during gameplay

}}

Despite its simplicity, the music to Space Invaders was revolutionary for the gaming industry of the time. Video game scholar Andrew Schartmann identifies three aspects of the music that had a significant impact on the development of game music:

1. Whereas video game music prior to Space Invaders was restricted to the extremities (i.e., a short introductory theme with game-over counterpart), the alien-inspired hit featured continuous music{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}the well-known four-note loop, consisting of the first four notes of the descending D minor natural scale{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}throughout, uninterrupted by sound effects: "It was thus the first time that sound effects and music were superimposed to form a rich sonic landscape. Not only do players receive feedback related directly to their actions through sound effects; they also receive stimulus in a more subtle, non-interactive fashion through music."Schartmann, Andrew. [http://thoughtcatalog.com/book/maestro-mario-how-nintendo-transformed-videogame-music-into-an-art/ Maestro Mario: How Nintendo Transformed Videogame Music into an Art.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823064005/http://thoughtcatalog.com/book/maestro-mario-how-nintendo-transformed-videogame-music-into-an-art/ |date=August 23, 2013 }} New York: Thought Catalog, 2013.
2. The music interacts with on-screen animation to influence the emotions of the player: "That seemingly pedestrian four-note loop might stir us in the most primitive of ways, but that it stirs us at all is worthy of note. By demonstrating that game sound could be more than a simple tune to fill the silence, Space Invaders moved video game music closer to the realm of art."
3. The music for Space Invaders popularized the notion of variability—the idea that music can change in accordance with the ongoing on-screen narrative. The variable in Space Invaders, the tempo, is admittedly simple, but its implications are not to be underestimated. "Over the years, analogous strategies of variation would be applied to pitch, rhythm, dynamics, form, and a host of other parameters, all with the goal of accommodating the nonlinear aspect of video games."

{{Quotation|At the deepest of conceptual levels, one would be hard-pressed to find an arcade game as influential to the early history of video game music as Space Invaders. Its role as a harbinger of the fundamental techniques that would come to shape the industry remains more or less unchallenged. And its blockbuster success ensured the adoption of those innovations by the industry at large.|Andrew Schartmann, Thought Catalog (2013)}}

Next Generation editor Neil West also cited the Space Invaders music as an example of great video game art, commenting on how the simple melody's increasing tempo and synchronization with the enemies' movement chills and excites the player.{{cite magazine|last=West|first=Neil|date=November 1997|title=The Way Games Ought to Be...: Great Videogame Art (with No Pictures)|url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_35/page/n157/mode/2up|magazine=Next Generation|issue=35|page=157}}

{{Video game reviews

| Allgame = {{Rating|5|5}} (Arcade){{cite web |last=Weiss |first=Brett Alan |title=Space Invaders |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=4717&tab=review |publisher=AllGame |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114110545/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=4717&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |access-date=March 2, 2021}}
{{Rating|4|5}} ({{nowrap|Atari 5200}}){{cite web |last=Weiss |first=Brett Alan |title=Space Invaders |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15766&tab=review |publisher=AllGame |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114125957/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15766&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |access-date=March 2, 2021}}
{{Rating|4|5}} (SNES){{cite web |last=Weiss |first=Brett Alan |title=Space Invaders |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7469&tab=review |publisher=AllGame |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114195553/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7469&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |access-date=March 2, 2021}}

| rev1 = Games World

| rev1Score = 80% (Game Boy){{cite magazine |last1=Perry |first1=Dave |author1-link=Dave Perry |last2=Walkland |first2=Nick |last3=Roberts |first3=Nick |last4=Price |first4=Adrian |title=Reviews |magazine=Games World |date=November 1994 |issue=7 (January 1995) |publisher=Paragon Publishing |page=23 |url=https://archive.org/details/games-world-07/page/n22}}

| award1Pub = Arcade Awards

| award1 = Game of the Year

| award2Pub = VideoGames

| award2 = Best Game Boy Game ({{nowrap|runner-up}}){{cite magazine |title=VideoGames Best of '94 |magazine=VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine |date=February 1995 |issue=74 (March 1995) |pages=44–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_74_March_1995/page/n45/mode/2up}}

| award3Pub = Guinness World Records

| award3 = Top Arcade Game of All Time

| award4Pub = The Times

| award4 = Most Influential Video Game Ever

}}

Space Invaders initially received mixed responses from within Taito and amusement arcade owners. Nishikado's colleagues praised it, applauding his achievement while queuing up to play, whereas his bosses predicted low sales as games often ended more quickly than other timer-based arcade games at the time. A number of amusement arcade owners initially rejected it, but some pachinko parlors and bowling alleys adopted it; it quickly caught on, with many parlors and alleys clearing space for more Space Invaders cabinets.{{cite book |last1=Barton |first1=Matt |chapter=Space Invaders: The Japanese Invasion |title=Vintage Games 2.0: An Insider Look at the Most Influential Games of All Time |date=2019-05-08 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-000-00092-4 |pages=21–7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fU-fDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21}} In the first few months following its release in Japan, Space Invaders became popular, and specialty video arcades opened with nothing but Space Invaders cabinets.

By the end of 1978, Taito had installed over 100,000 machines and grossed {{US$|670 million|long=no}} ({{US$|{{inflation|US|0.67|1978|r=1}} billion|long=no}} adjusted for inflation) in Japan alone.{{cite book |last1=Cohen |first1=Daniel |title=Video Games |date=1982 |publisher=Pocket Books |location=New York |isbn=0-671-45872-8 |pages=15–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/book_video_games/page/n21/mode/2up}}{{cite magazine |title=Can Asteroids Conquer Space Invaders? |magazine=Electronic Games |date=Winter 1981 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=30–33 [31] |url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_winter81.pdf#page=31 |access-date=February 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319212242/http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_winter81.pdf |archive-date=March 19, 2012 |url-status=live }} By June 1979, Taito had manufactured about 200,000–300,000 Space Invaders machines in Japan, with each unit earning an average of {{JPY|10,000}} or {{US$|{{To USD|10000|JPN|year=1979|round=yes}}|long=no|1979|round=0}} in 100 yen coins per day. However, this was not enough to meet the high demand, leading to Taito increasing production to 25,000–30,000 units per month and raising projections to 400,000 manufactured in Japan by the end of 1979. In order to cope with the demand, Taito licensed the overseas rights to Midway for distribution outside of Japan. By the end of 1979, an estimated 750,000 Space Invaders machines were installed worldwide, including 400,000 in Japan, 85,000 in the United Kingdom,{{cite magazine |title=After Pong |magazine=ACE |date=February 4, 1988 |issue=6 (March 1988) |pages=29–32 (29) |url=https://archive.org/details/ACE_Issue_06_1988-03_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n28/mode/1up}} and 60,000 within a year in the United States{{citation |title=Genesis II, creation and recreation with computers |author=Dale Peterson |publisher=Reston Publishing |year=1983 |isbn=0-8359-2434-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DL1YAAAAMAAJ |access-date=May 1, 2011 |page=175 |quote=By 1980, some 300,000 Space Invader video arcade games were in use in Japan, and an additional 60,000 in the United States.|author-link=Dale Peterson}}{{cite book |title=Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games |first=David |last=Ellis |chapter=Arcade Classics |page=[https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/345 345] |publisher=Random House |isbn=0-375-72038-3 |year=2004 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi |url=https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/345 }}{{cite book |last=Kohler |first=Chris |title=Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life |year=2004 |publisher=BradyGames |location=Indianapolis, Ind. |isbn=0-7440-0424-1 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=auMTAQAAIAAJ&q=%22represented+a+significant+portion+of+the+cost%22 19] |quote=Within one year of its US release, an additional 60,000 machines had been sold.
One arcade owner said of Space Invaders that it was the first arcade game whose intake "represented a significant portion of the cost of [buying] the game in any one week." That is, it was the first video game that paid for itself within about a month.}} (where prices ranged from $2,000 to $3,000 for each machine);{{citation |title=Video arcades rival Broadway theatre and girlie shows in NY |work=InfoWorld |date=April 12, 1982 |volume=4 |issue=14 |issn=0199-6649 |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15 |access-date=May 1, 2011}} the game eventually sold 72,000 units in the United States by 1982.{{cite magazine|last1=Stone |first1=Andrea |title=The House That Pac Built: Midway Manufacturing is king of the coin-op hill and loving it! |magazine=Video Games |date=December 1982 |volume=1 |issue=3 |publisher=Pumpkin Press |pages=53–55 (54) |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_03_1982-12_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n53}} By 1979, it had become the arcade game industry's all-time best-seller.{{cite magazine |title=1979: The Year in Review |magazine=Cash Box |date=December 19, 1979 |page=114 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox41unse_31/page/n131 }}

Space Invaders had about {{nowrap|8 million}} daily players in Japan, with daily revenue peaking at {{JPY|2.6 billion}} or {{US$|{{To USD|2600|JPN|year=1978|round=yes}},000,000|long=no|1978|round=-6}}.{{cite magazine |title=The Games Boom Rolls On |magazine=Asiaweek |date=May 1981 |volume=7 |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QHQMAQAAMAAJ |publisher=Asiaweek Limited |quote=Roughly {{nowrap|8 million}} people played the game daily, spending {{nowrap|2.6 billion}} yen (US$114m.) a day and forcing the Bank of Japan to make three special mintings of 100-yen coins.}} Space Invaders machines had grossed more than four billion US quarters ({{US$|1 billion|long=no}} at the time, or {{US$|{{inflation|US|1|1978|r=1}} billion|long=no}} adjusted for inflation) by 1979.{{cite book |last1=Sullivan |first1=George |chapter=The First Big Hits |title=Screen Play: The Story of Video Games |date=1983 |publisher=F. Warne |isbn=978-0-7232-6251-0 |pages=38–47 (40) |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ScreenPlaytheStoryofVideoGames/page/n49}} It remained the top arcade game for three years through 1980. In 1981, several years after its release, it still had weekly earnings of {{US$|7.7 million|long=no}} in the United States, second only to Pac-Man.{{cite news |title=Arcade games a bigger draw than the movies |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5P0hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0KQFAAAAIBAJ&dq=arcade%20game&pg=922%2C2509334 |access-date=6 March 2022 |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=July 27, 1981 |archive-date=March 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306000720/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5P0hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0KQFAAAAIBAJ&dq=arcade%20game&pg=922%2C2509334 |url-status=live }} By 1982, it had crossed $2 billion in quarters{{cite web|date=November 23, 1982|title=Making millions, 25 cents at a time|url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/video-games-making-millions-25-cents-at-a-time|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222152117/http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/media/clips/15869/|archive-date=December 22, 2008|access-date=April 30, 2011|work=The Fifth Estate|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}{{citation |title=Space Invaders vs. Star Wars |work=Executive |volume=24 |publisher=Southam Business Publications |year=1982 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-KwTAQAAMAAJ |access-date=April 30, 2011 |page=9 |quote=According to TEC, Atari's arcade game Space Invaders has taken in $2 billion, with net receipts of $450 million.}} (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|2000000000|1978}}}} adjusted for inflation),{{cite web |title=CPI Inflation Calculator |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |url=http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm |access-date=March 22, 2011 |archive-date=September 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917111520/https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm |url-status=live }} with a net profit of $450 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|450000000|1978}}}} adjusted for inflation). This made it the best-selling video game and highest-grossing "entertainment product" of its time, with comparisons made to the then highest-grossing film Star Wars, which had grossed $486 million, with a net profit of $175 million.{{citation |title=Space Invaders vs. Star Wars |work=Executive |volume=24 |publisher=Southam Business Publications |year=1982 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-KwTAQAAMAAJ |access-date=April 30, 2011 |page=9 |quote=They compare this to the box office movie top blockbuster Star Wars, which has taken in only $486 million, for a net of $175 million.}} By 1982, it had grossed {{US$|3.8 billion|long=no}}, equivalent to over {{US$|13 billion|long=no}} as of 2016. Space Invaders earned Taito profits of over {{US$|500,000,000|long=no|1978|round=-8}}.{{cite web |title=The Gamespy Hall of Fame: Space Invaders |work=GameSpy |author=Kevin Bowen |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/spaceinvaders.shtm |access-date=April 30, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408152913/http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/spaceinvaders.shtm |archive-date=April 8, 2008 }}

{{Further|Space Invaders (Atari 2600 video game)}}

The 1980 Atari VCS (Atari 2600) version was the first official licensing of an arcade game for consoles and became the first killer app for home video game consoles after quadrupling the system's sales.{{cite book |title=Ultimate History of Video Games |first=Steven |last=Kent | author-link = Steven L. Kent|page=190 |publisher=Three Rivers Press |isbn=0-7615-3643-4 |year=2001}} It sold over one million units in its first year, then over {{nowrap|4.2 million}} copies by the end of 1981, and over {{nowrap|5.6 million}} by 1982. It was the best-selling Atari 2600 game up until the Atari version of Pac-Man (1982).{{cite book |title=Cartridge Sales Since 1980 |publisher=Atari Corp.}} Via {{cite episode |title=The Agony & The Ecstasy |series=Once Upon Atari |date=August 10, 2003 |number=4 |minutes=23 |publisher=Scott West Productions}} Space Invaders for the Atari 2600 had sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:1318655+2964137+1373033+435353}}|}} cartridges by 1983, and a further {{formatnum:{{#expr:(11523+6000)+65148+29717+36308+12355}}|}} between 1986 and 1990,{{Cite web|last=Vendel|first=Curt|date=May 28, 2009|title=Site News|url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206090952/http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|archive-date=December 6, 2010|access-date=2021-11-27|website=Atari Museum}} for a total of over {{nowrap|{{#expr:6.091178+0.161051 round 2}} million}} cartridges sold by 1990.

Other official conversions were released for the Atari 8-bit computers and Atari 5200 console, while Taito later released it for the Nintendo Famicom in 1985, but only in Japan. By 1982, versions of Space Invaders were available for handheld electronic game devices, tabletop dedicated consoles, home computers, watches and pocket calculators. The Atari VCS conversion was programmed by Richard Maurer,{{cite news |last1=Haque |first1=James |title=Reminiscing from Richard Maurer |url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/archive/maurer.html |access-date=19 May 2021 |work=Giant List of Classic Game Programmers |publisher=Dadgum Games |date=January 5, 1999 |archive-date=June 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622135928/https://dadgum.com/giantlist/archive/maurer.html |url-status=live }} while the Atari 5200 conversion was programmed by Eric Manghise and animated by Marilyn Churchill.{{cite news |last1=Stilphen |first1=Scott |title=DP Interviews... Marilyn Churchill |url=https://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_marilyn_churchill.html |access-date=19 May 2021 |work=Digital Press |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226230857/http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_marilyn_churchill.html |archive-date=2009-02-26}}

More than a hundred Space Invaders video game clones were released for various platforms,{{cite web | url = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/original-space-invaders-icon-1970s-America-180969393/ | title = The Original 'Space Invaders' Is a Meditation on 1970s America's Deepest Fears | first = Lindsay | last = Grace | date = June 19, 2018 | access-date = April 22, 2021 | work = Smithsonian Magazine | archive-date = April 22, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210422215437/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/original-space-invaders-icon-1970s-America-180969393/ | url-status = live }} such as Super Invader (1979){{cite magazine |title=Super Invader Is Reader's Choice |magazine=Softalk |date=April 1981 |issue=13 |url=http://apple2history.org/appendix/aha/aha78/ |access-date=February 10, 2012 |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207130344/http://apple2history.org/appendix/aha/aha78/ |url-status=live }} and TI Invaders (1981); the latter was the top-selling game for the TI-99/4A through at least 1982.{{citation |title=Cash In On the Video Game Craze |work=Black Enterprise |date=December 1982 |volume=12 |issue=5 |issn=0006-4165 |pages=41–2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N6pacvfrf0wC&pg=PA41 |access-date=May 1, 2011|last1=Earl g. Graves |first1=Ltd }}

As one of the earliest shooting games, Space Invaders set precedents and helped pave the way for future games and for the shooting genre.{{cite web |url=http://games.ign.com/articles/840/840621p1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211223739/http://games.ign.com/articles/840/840621p1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 11, 2007 |title=IGN's Top 10 Most Influential Games |website=IGN |author=Geddes, Ryan |author2=Hatfield, Daemon |date=December 10, 2007 |access-date=July 11, 2008}}{{cite book |editor=Craig Glenday |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008 |series=Guinness World Records |date=March 11, 2008 |publisher=Guinness |isbn=978-1-904994-21-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/88 88] |chapter=Record Breaking Games: Shooting Games |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0 |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/88 }} Space Invaders popularized a more interactive style of gameplay, with the enemies responding to the player-controlled cannon's movement, and was the first video game to popularize the concept of achieving a high score,{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/spaceinvaders.shtm |title=The Gamespy Hall of Fame: Space Invaders |publisher=GameSpy |author=Kevin Bowen |access-date=January 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408152913/http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/spaceinvaders.shtm |archive-date=April 8, 2008 }} being the first to save the player's score. While earlier shooting games allowed the player to shoot at targets, Space Invaders was the first in which multiple enemies could fire back at the player,{{cite news |title=スペースインベーダー・今明かす開発秘話――開発者・西角友宏氏、タイトー・和田洋一社長対談 |trans-title=Space Invader, Development Secret Story Revealed Now―Interview With Developer Tomohiro Nishikado, Taito President Yoichi Wada |url=http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20080318/1008218/ |access-date=3 May 2021 |work=The Nikkei |date=March 21, 2008 |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323064622/http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20080318/1008218/ |archive-date=March 23, 2008}}

• {{cite web |title=Space Invaders – 30th Anniversary Developer Interview |url=http://shmuplations.com/spaceinvaders/ |website=Shmuplations}} and in contrast to earlier arcade games which often had a timer, Space Invaders introduced the "concept of going round after round."{{cite news|url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1982/jul/15/cover-exactly-zaxxon/|title=San Diego's Gremlin: how video games work|work=San Diego Reader|date=1982-07-15|access-date=2020-10-25|archive-date=January 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117222922/https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1982/jul/15/cover-exactly-zaxxon/|url-status=live}} It was also the first game where players were given multiple lives,{{citation |title=Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers |author1=Brian Ashcraft |author2=Jean Snow |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Kodansha International |year=2008 |isbn=978-4-7700-3078-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wX8kAQAAIAAJ |access-date=May 1, 2011 |quote=Space Invaders offered a novelty: players had three lives. Those who got good at the game could play for as long as they could keep from being blown to bits.}} had to repel hordes of enemies, could take cover from enemy fire, and use destructible barriers,{{cite web |author=Brian Ashcraft |url=http://kotaku.com/5452654/how-cover-shaped-gamings-last-decade |title=How Cover Shaped Gaming's Last Decade |publisher=Kotaku |date=January 20, 2010 |access-date=March 26, 2011 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630080500/http://kotaku.com/5452654/how-cover-shaped-gamings-last-decade |url-status=live }} in addition to being the first game to use a continuous background soundtrack, with four simple diatonic descending bass notes repeating in a loop, which was dynamic and changed pace during stages,{{Cite book |title=From Pac-Man to pop music: interactive audio in games and new media |author=Karen Collins |publisher=Ashgate |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7546-6200-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lFEYAQAAIAAJ |access-date=April 8, 2011 |page=2}} like a heartbeat sound that increases pace as enemies approached.

An urban legend states that Space Invaders' popularity led to a shortage of 100-yen coins in Japan.{{cite book |editor=Craig Glenday |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008 |series=Guinness World Records |date=March 11, 2008 |publisher=Guinness |isbn=978-1-904994-21-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/106 106–107] |chapter=Record Breaking Games: Shooting Games Roundup |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0 |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/106 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/jul/24/games.shopping |title=A life through video games |work=The Observer |location=UK |author=Richards, Giles |date=July 24, 2005 |access-date=May 22, 2008 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143942/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/jul/24/games.shopping |url-status=live }} However, Nishikado himself was skeptical of the story. In reality, 100-yen coin production was lower in 1978 and 1979 than in previous or subsequent years.{{cite web |url=http://www.ngccoin.com/poplookup/WorldCoinPrices.aspx?category=54449&worldcoinid=147774 |title=JAPAN 100 Yen Y# 82 Yr.42(1967)-Yr.63(1988) |publisher=Numismatic Guaranty Corporation |work=World Coin price Guide |access-date=February 27, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017181935/https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/ |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Fox |first=Mark |year=2012 |title=Space Invaders targets coins |magazine=World Coin News |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=35–37 |publisher=Krause Publications |url=https://www.academia.edu/2568838 |access-date=March 11, 2013 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226135339/https://www.academia.edu/2568838 |url-status=live }} Additionally, arcade operators would have regularly emptied their machines and taken the coins to the bank, thus keeping them in circulation. Reports from those living in Japan at the time indicate "nothing out of the ordinary ... during the height of the Space Invaders invasion".

Space Invaders was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.warpzoned.com/2016/05/world-video-game-hall-of-fame-class-of-2016-announced-legend-of-zelda-gta3-sonic-space-invaders-oregon-trail-the-sims/|title=World Video Game Hall of Fame Class of 2016 announced: Legend of Zelda, GTA3, Sonic, Space Invaders, Oregon Trail, The Sims|last=Scalzo|first=John|date=May 5, 2016|website=Warp Zoned|language=en-US|access-date=December 5, 2018}} Space Invaders cabinets have become collector's items, with the cocktail and cabaret versions being the rarest.{{cite book |title=Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games |last=Ellis |first=David |publisher=Random House |year=2004 |isbn=0-375-72038-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/411 411–412] |chapter=Arcade Classics |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi |url=https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/411 }}

Game developers including Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of the franchises Donkey Kong, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda),{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1645158,00.html|title=10 Questions for Shigeru Miyamoto|author=Sayre, Carolyn|date=July 19, 2007|magazine=Time|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826025748/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1645158%2C00.html|archive-date=August 26, 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=September 4, 2007}} Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear),{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/03/the-things-that-made-the-man-who-made-metal-gear/254831/|title=How Hideo Kojima Became a Legendary Video-Game Designer|last=Snyder|first=Daniel D.|date=March 21, 2012|work=The Atlantic|access-date=March 22, 2012}} Satoshi Tajiri (Pokémon),{{cite news |last1=Petit |first1=Carolyn |title=This 2004 Interview With The Creator Of Pokémon Is Full Of Details I Love |url=https://kotaku.com/this-2004-interview-with-the-creator-of-pokemon-is-full-1847495348 |access-date=16 November 2021 |work=Kotaku |date=August 16, 2021 |language=en-us |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116010111/https://kotaku.com/this-2004-interview-with-the-creator-of-pokemon-is-full-1847495348 |url-status=live }} and John Romero and John Carmack (both Doom) have cited Space Invaders as their introduction to video games.[http://www.retrogamer.net/profiles/developer/john-romero/ JOHN ROMERO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022063046/http://www.retrogamer.net/profiles/developer/john-romero/ |date=October 22, 2021 }}, Retro Gamer, issue 75[http://www.bethblog.com/2011/01/26/all-the-rage-john-carmack/ All the RAGE: John Carmack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320052321/http://www.bethblog.com/2011/01/26/all-the-rage-john-carmack/ |date=March 20, 2017 }}, Bethesda Softworks Miyamoto said Space Invaders had revolutionized the video game industry. According to Alexander Smith, by "allowing targets to attack the player and eliminating the timer, Nishikado created a new paradigm in video games."{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Alexander |title=They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982 |date=2019-11-19 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-429-75261-2 |page=391 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cxy_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT391}} It also inspired Eugene Jarvis (Defender, Robotron: 2084) to become a video game designer, stating it "laid the groundwork for a whole generation" of video games with the "animated characters, the story, this amazing crescendo of action and climax"{{cite magazine |author=Obsessions |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/12/eugene-jarvis-pioneer/ |title=This Game Industry Pioneer Never Gave Up on the Video Arcade |magazine=WIRED |date=2013-12-18 |access-date=2016-09-15 |archive-date=January 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130200802/https://www.wired.com/2013/12/eugene-jarvis-pioneer/ |url-status=live }} and that many games "still rely on the multiple life, progressively difficult level paradigm" of Space Invaders.{{cite book |last1=Hague |first1=James |chapter=Eugene Jarvis |title-link=Halcyon Days (book) |title=Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Game Programmers |date=1997 |publisher=Dadgum Games |chapter-url=https://dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/JARVIS.HTM |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020622145031/http://dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/JARVIS.HTM |archive-date=2002-06-22 |access-date=18 May 2021}} Deus Ex creator Warren Spector said: "Space Invaders and games like it represent the roots of everything we see today in gaming. It represents the birth of a new art form, one that literally changed the world. Space Invaders is important as an historical artefact, no less than the silent films of the early twentieth century or early printed books."{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22714047|title=Space Invaders keeps on blasting|last=Betters|first=Elyse|date=May 31, 2013|work=BBC News|access-date=June 8, 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=January 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110085711/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22714047|url-status=live}}

Edge attributed the shift of games from bars and amusement arcades to more mainstream locations, such as restaurants and department stores, to Space Invaders.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/30-defining-moments-gaming|title=The 30 Defining Moments in Gaming|author=Edge Staff|date=August 13, 2007|magazine=Edge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029232528/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/30-defining-moments-gaming|archive-date=October 29, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=September 18, 2008}} Its popularity was such that it was the first game where an arcade machine's owner could earn back the cost of the machine in under one month, or in some places within one week.

Space Invaders helped action games become the dominant genre in arcades and on consoles.{{cite book |title=The cyberspace handbook |first=Jason |last=Whittaker |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-16835-X |page=129}} Guinness World Records considered Space Invaders one of the most successful arcade shooting games by 2008. In describing it as a "seminal arcade classic", IGN listed it as the number eight "classic shoot 'em up".{{cite web|url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/865/865346p1.html|title=Top 10 Classic Shoot 'Em Ups|author=Buchanan, Levi|date=April 8, 2008|website=IGN|access-date=September 7, 2008|archive-date=September 24, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924201901/http://retro.ign.com/articles/865/865346p1.html|url-status=live}} Space Invaders set the template for the shoot 'em up genre.{{cite web |title=Essential 50: Space Invaders |website=1UP.com |url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-space-invaders |access-date=March 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108123019/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-space-invaders |archive-date=2016-01-08}} Its worldwide success created a demand for a wide variety of science fiction games, inspiring the development of arcade games, such as Atari's Asteroids,{{cite magazine|title=Players Guide To Electronic Science Fiction Games |magazine=Electronic Games |date=March 1982 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=35–45 [36] |url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1982-03/Electronic_Games_Issue_02_Vol_01_02_1982_Mar#page/n35/mode/1up |access-date=February 1, 2012}} Williams Electronics' Defender, and Namco's Galaxian and Galaga, which were modeled after Space Invaders{{'}} gameplay and design.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/493/493431p1.html |title=Hall of Fame: Galaxian and Galaga |author=Osborne, Scott |publisher=GameSpy |date=June 1, 2001 |access-date=April 30, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225124740/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/493/493431p1.html |archive-date=December 25, 2007}}{{cite magazine |magazine=Retro Gamer |title=The Making of Defender |issue=55 |pages=34–39 |date=October 2008}} This influence could be said to extend to most shooting games released to the present day, including first-person shooters (FPS) such as Wolfenstein,{{cite book |title=Growing Up Postmodern: Neoliberalism and the War on the Young |first=Ronald |last=Strickland |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2002 |isbn=0-7425-1651-2 |pages=112–113 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oxsj7-aTN9IC&pg=PA112 |access-date=April 10, 2011}}{{cite book |title=What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy |first=James Paul |last=Gee |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2004 |isbn=1-4039-6538-2 |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BZIY7TGKySsC&pg=PA47 |access-date=April 10, 2011}} Doom,{{cite book |title=An Introduction to Games Studies: Games in Culture |first=Frans |last=Mäyrä |publisher=SAGE |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4129-3445-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iI0kAQAAIAAJ |access-date=April 10, 2011 |page=104 |quote=The gameplay of Doom is at its core familiar from the early classics like Space Invaders ... it presents the player with the clear and simple challenge of surviving while shooting everything that moves.}} Halo{{cite book |title=The Meaning of Video Games: Gaming and Textual Studies |first=Steven Edward |last=Jones |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-415-96055-7 |pages=84–85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7ACHel_UxcC&pg=PA84 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |quote=The developers of Halo are aware of their own place in gaming history, and one of them once joked that their game could be seen as "Space Invaders in a tube." The joke contains a double-edged insight: on the one hand, Halo is first and finally about shooting aliens; on the other hand, even the 1978 2-D arcade shooter, Space Invaders, designed by Tomohiro Nishikado for the company Taito, is more interesting than that would suggest.}} and Call of Duty.{{cite web |publisher=GameSetWatch |date=November 16, 2010 |title=No More Russian – Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2, One Year On |author=Simon Carles |url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/11/no_more_russian_infinity_wards.php |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-date=November 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122170415/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/11/no_more_russian_infinity_wards.php |url-status=dead }} Space Invaders also influenced other genres, including maze games such as Sega/Gremlin's Head On (1979) which adopted the concept of "going round after round" instead of a timer, and early computer dungeon crawl games such as Dungeons of Daggorath, which used similar heartbeat sounds to indicate player health.{{citation |title=Vintage games: an insider look at the history of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the most influential games of all time |author1=Bill Loguidice |author2=Matt Barton |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Focal Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-240-81146-8 |page=232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_bFdsP9L7oC&pg=PA232 |access-date=May 1, 2011}}

The technology journalist Jason Whittaker credited Space Invaders with ending the video game crash of 1977, caused by Pong clones flooding the market, and beginning the golden age of video arcade games (1978–1980s).{{cite book|title=The Cyberspace Handbook|last=Whittaker|first=Jason|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=0-415-16835-X|page=122}} According to The Observer, home console versions of Space Invaders were popular and encouraged users to learn to program; many became industry leaders. 1UP.com stated that Space Invaders showed that video games could compete against the major entertainment media at the time: films, music, and television. IGN attributed the launch of the "arcade phenomenon" in North America in part to Space Invaders. Electronic Games said it was the impetus behind video gaming becoming a rapidly growing hobby, and as "the single most popular coin-operated attraction of all time."{{cite magazine|date=Winter 1981|title=Atari Offers Largest Game Library|url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_winter81.pdf|magazine=Electronic Games|volume=1|issue=1|pages=40–41 [41]|access-date=February 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319212242/http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_winter81.pdf|archive-date=March 19, 2012|url-status=live}} Game Informer considered it, along with Pac-Man, one of the most popular arcade games; it tapped into popular culture and generated excitement during the golden age of arcades.{{Cite magazine|date=February 2008|title=Classic GI: King of the Hill|magazine=Game Informer|publisher=Cathy Preston|issue=178|page=108}}

In 1995, Flux magazine ranked Space Invaders #1 on their "Top 100 Video Games".{{Cite magazine |date=April 1995 |title=Top 100 Video Games |url=https://archive.org/details/flux-issue-4/page/n23/mode/2up |magazine=Flux |publisher=Harris Publications |issue=4 |pages=25}} In 1996, Next Generation magazine put Space Invaders at number 97 on their list of the "Top 100 Games of All Time", saying that it "provides an elegance and simplicity not found in later games like Phoenix [1980]."{{cite magazine|date=September 1996|title=Top 100 Games of All Time|magazine=Next Generation|issue=21|page=38}} IGN listed it as one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Games" in 2007, citing it as a source of inspiration to video game designers and the impact it had on the shooting genre. The Times ranked it No. 1 on its list of "The ten most influential video games ever" in 2007.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110902230443/http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article2455080.ece The ten most influential video games ever], The Times, September 20, 2007 1UP ranked it at No. 3 on its list of "The 60 Most Influential Games of All Time", stating that, in contrast to earlier arcade games which "were attempts to simulate already-existing things," Space Invaders was "the first video game as a video game, instead of merely a playable electronic representation of something else."{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/most-influential-games?pager.offset=12|title=The 60 Most Influential Games of All Time|last=Kaiser|first=Rowan|date=May 10, 2011|website=1UP.com|page=13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109194732/http://www.1up.com/features/most-influential-games?pager.offset=12|archive-date=November 9, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=December 25, 2011}}

In 2008, Guinness World Records listed it as the top-rated arcade game in technical, creative, and cultural impact. Entertainment Weekly named Space Invaders one of the top ten games for the Atari 2600 home console in 2013.{{cite magazine|last=Morales|first=Aaron|date=January 25, 2013|title=The 10 best Atari games|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2013/01/25/the-10-best-atari-games|access-date=April 17, 2016|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} In 2018, it was ranked 87th in Video Game Canon's statistical meta-analysis of 48 "top games" lists published between 1995 and 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.videogamecanon.com/essays/space-invaders/|title=Space Invaders|date=February 17, 2017|website=Video Game Canon|language=en-US|access-date=December 5, 2018|archive-date=December 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205103435/https://www.videogamecanon.com/essays/space-invaders/|url-status=dead}} The list aggregator site Playthatgame currently ranks Space Invaders as the 57th top game of all time, game of the year, and game of the 1970s.{{cite web |last1=Jeroen te Strake |first1=Peter Searle |title=Thebiglist |url=http://playthatgame.co.uk/?action=mainlist |website=Playthatgame |access-date=June 16, 2020 |archive-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617145602/http://playthatgame.co.uk/?action=mainlist |url-status=live }} In 2021, The Guardian listed it as the third-greatest video game of the 1970s, just below Galaxian and Asteroids.{{cite news |title=The 15 greatest video games of the 70s – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/may/13/15-greatest-video-games-of-the-70s-ranked |access-date=23 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=13 May 2021 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801003901/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/may/13/15-greatest-video-games-of-the-70s-ranked |url-status=live }}

{{main|List of Space Invaders video games{{!}}List of Space Invaders video games}}

{{Video game timeline

| compressempty = yes

| 1978 = Space Invaders

| 1979 = Space Invaders Part II

| 1980 = Space Invaders II

| 1984 = Return of the Invaders

| 1990a = Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV

| 1990b = Mininvaders

| 1990c = Space Invaders: Fukkatsu no Hi

| 1990d = Space Invaders 90

| 1993 = Space Invaders DX

| 1995a = Space Invaders '95: The Attack of Lunar Loonies

| 1995b = PD Ultraman Invaders

| 1999 = Space Invaders X

| 2002a = Space Invaders EX

| 2002b = Space Raiders

| 2005a = Space Invaders Revolution

| 2005b = Space Invaders Evolution

| 2005c = Space Invaders × Pac-Man

| 2006 = Yawaraka Sensha vs Space Invaders

| 2007a = Space Invaders Pinball

| 2007b = Minna de Invaders

| 2008a = Space Invaders CX

| 2008b = Space Invaders The Beat Attacker

| 2008c = Space Invaders Get Even

| 2008d = Space Invaders Extreme

| 2008e = Space Invaders World War

| 2009a = Space Invaders Extreme 2

| 2009b = Space Invaders Infinity Gene

| 2017a = Space Invaders Frenzy

| 2017b = Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders

| 2018 = Space Invaders Gigamax

| 2020 = Space Invaders Counter Attack

| 2021 = Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes

| 2023 = Space Invaders: World Defense

}}

Space Invaders has been remade on numerous platforms and spawned many sequels. Re-releases include ported and updated versions of the original arcade game. Ported versions generally feature different graphics and additional gameplay options—for example, moving defense bunkers, zigzag shots, invisible aliens, and two-player cooperative gameplay. Ports on earlier systems like the Atari home consoles featured simplified graphics,{{Clarify|reason=simpler than the arcade?|date=March 2019}} while later systems such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and PlayStation featured updated graphics. Later games include several modes of gameplay and integrate new elements into the original design. For example, Space Invaders Extreme, released on the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable, integrated musical elements into the standard gameplay.{{cite web |url=http://psp.ign.com/articles/863/863894p1.html |title=Space Invaders Extreme Set for US |website=IGN |author=Hatfield, Daemon |date=April 2, 2008 |access-date=June 7, 2008 |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126080255/http://psp.ign.com/articles/863/863894p1.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=May 2008 |magazine=Official Nintendo Magazine |title=Space Invaders |issue=29 |page=46}} A 2008 spin-off for WiiWare, Space Invaders Get Even, allows players to control the aliens instead of the laser cannon in a reversal of roles.{{cite web|date=June 17, 2008|title=Space Invaders Set for WiiWare|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/882/882265p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516231912/http://wii.ign.com/articles/882/882265p1.html|archive-date=May 16, 2009|access-date=August 19, 2008|website=IGN}}

In 1980, Bally released a pinball version. However, few elements from the original game are included, and the aliens instead resemble the xenomorphs from the film Alien; Bally was later sued over the resemblance to the designs by H. R. Giger.{{Cite magazine |date=January 2008 |title=A Whole Different Ball Game |magazine=Retro Gamer |issue=45 |page=47}} It became the third highest-grossing pinball machine of 1980 in the United States.{{cite magazine |last=Adlum |first=Eddie |title=The Replay Years: Reflections from Eddie Adlum |magazine=RePlay |date=November 1985 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=134-175 (160-3) |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-11-issue-no.-2-november-1985-600DPI/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2011%2C%20Issue%20No.%202%20-%20November%201985/page/162/mode/2up}}

File:Epoch-TV-Vader.jpg released a Space Invaders clone in 1980 that could be played at home: the Epoch TV Vader.]]

Ports have received mixed reviews; the Atari 2600 version was successful, while the Famicom version was poorly received.

Taito has released several arcade sequels. The first was Space Invaders Part II in 1979;{{cite web |title=Space Invaders Part II |url=http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=1036 |work=The Arcade Flyer Archive |publisher=Killer List of Videogames |access-date=September 27, 2011 |archive-date=July 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708165320/http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=1036 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Davies |first=Jonti |title=Space Invaders Pocket |url=http://uk.psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/space-invaders-pocket/614422p1.html |publisher=GameSpy |access-date=September 27, 2011 |date=May 16, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331231442/http://uk.psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/space-invaders-pocket/614422p1.html |archive-date=March 31, 2012}} it featured color graphics, an attract mode, new gameplay elements, and added an intermission between gameplay. According to the Killer List of Videogames, this was the first video game to include an intermission.[http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=12743 Space Invaders Deluxe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225045946/http://arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=12743 |date=December 25, 2010 }}, klov.com. Accessed on line March 28, 2011. The game also allowed the player with the top score to sign their name, which would appear at the top of the screen for as long as the game was powered on.{{cite web |title=The Definitive Space Invaders |url=http://www.nowgamer.com/features/894697/the_definitive_space_invaders_part_1.html |work=NowGamer |access-date=September 30, 2011 |date=January 19, 2009 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714114148/http://www.nowgamer.com/features/894697/the_definitive_space_invaders_part_1.html |url-status=live }} This version was released in the United States as Deluxe Space Invaders (also known as Space Invaders Deluxe), but it featured a different graphical color scheme and a lunar-city background. Another arcade sequel, Space Invaders II, was released exclusively in the United States. It was in a cocktail-table format with very fast alien firing and a competitive two-player mode. During the summer of 1985, Return of the Invaders was released with updated color graphics and more complex movements and attack patterns for the aliens. Subsequent arcade sequels included Super Space Invaders '91, Space Invaders DX, and Space Invaders {{'}}95. Each game introduced minor gameplay additions to the original design. Like the original game, several of the arcade sequels have become collector's items, though some are considered rarer. In 2002, Taito released Space Raiders, a third-person shooter reminiscent of Space Invaders.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/spaceraiders/similar.html?mode=versions |title=Space Raiders: Release Summary |website=GameSpot |access-date=April 30, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317105157/http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/spaceraiders/similar.html?mode=versions |archive-date=March 17, 2009 }}{{cite book |editor=Rico Komanoya |title=Japanese Game Graphics: Behind the Scenes of Your Favorite Games |year=2004 |publisher=Harper Design International |location=New York, NY |isbn=0-06-056772-4 |pages=116–121 |chapter=Space Raiders}}

File:SPACE INVADERS FRENZY.jpg

Space Invaders and its related games have been included in video game compilations. Space Invaders Anniversary was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and included nine Space Invader variants.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/spaceinvadersanniversary/news.html?sid=6086826 |title=Empire signs Space Invaders titles |author=Calvert, Justin |website=GameSpot |date=January 22, 2004 |access-date=May 10, 2008 |archive-date=March 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317105202/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/spaceinvadersanniversary/news.html?sid=6086826 |url-status=live }} A similar game for the PlayStation Portable, Space Invaders Pocket, was released in 2005.{{cite web |url=http://psp.ign.com/articles/613/613267p1.html |title=Boot to the Head for Bootleggers |website=IGN |author=Nix |date=May 12, 2005 |access-date=June 7, 2008 |archive-date=May 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512222832/http://psp.ign.com/articles/613/613267p1.html |url-status=live }} Space Invaders, Space Invaders Part II and Return of the Invaders are included in Taito Legends, a compilation of Taito's classic arcade games released in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC.{{cite web |url=http://www.2sega.com/corporate/corporate.php?item=pr_20051025c |title=Sega and Empire Interactive Launch Taito Legends for PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC |publisher=Sega |date=October 25, 2005 |access-date=May 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512103357/http://www.2sega.com/corporate/corporate.php?item=pr_20051025c |archive-date=May 12, 2009}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/taitolegends/news.html?sid=6133138 |title=Sega goes old school with Taito |author=Surette, Tim |website=GameSpot |date=August 13, 2005 |access-date=May 10, 2008 |archive-date=March 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317105145/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/taitolegends/news.html?sid=6133138 |url-status=live }} Super Space Invaders '91, Space Invaders DX, and Space Invaders {{'}}95 were included in Taito Legends 2, a sequel compilation released in 2006.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6168839.html |title=More Taito Legends headed to US |author=Sinclair, Brendan |website=GameSpot |date=April 10, 2007 |access-date=May 10, 2008 |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513034652/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6168839.html |url-status=live }}

A stand-alone version was released by Super Impulse as part of its Tiny Arcade series, along with the Namco games Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Galaxian.{{cite web |url=http://www.superimpulse.com/our-brands/tiny-arcade-2/ |title=Miniature iconic arcade games are now available from Super Impulse. |date=October 14, 2017 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015044455/http://superimpulse.com/our-brands/tiny-arcade-2/ |url-status=live }}

A Space Invaders game for the Atari Jaguar was worked on by Virtuality Entertainment, which would have featured support for the unreleased Jaguar VR peripheral; however, the project never entered full development beyond reaching pre-production stages, with the only remaining proof of its existence being a game design document.{{cite web|author=JAYSMITH2000|url=http://members.cox.net:80/jmsmith8/photo.htm|title=Jaguar Photo Collection – My Photo Gallery|website=members.cox.net|date=January 2, 2004|access-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040823140032/http://members.cox.net/jmsmith8/photo.htm|archive-date=August 23, 2004|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=Buchanan|first=Adam|title=Incredibly Rare Working Prototype 'Atari Jaguar Virtual Reality Headset' Hardware Surfaces on eBay|url=http://www.retrocollect.com/News/incredibly-rare-working-prototype-atari-jaguar-virtual-reality-headset-hardware-surfaces-on-ebay.html|website=retrocollect.com|date=January 23, 2015|access-date=March 23, 2019|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323200514/http://www.retrocollect.com/News/incredibly-rare-working-prototype-atari-jaguar-virtual-reality-headset-hardware-surfaces-on-ebay.html|url-status=live}}

Many publications and websites use the pixelated alien graphic as an icon for video games in general, including the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly, technology website Ars Technica, and concert event Video Games Live. There has also been Space Invaders-themed merchandising, including necklaces and puzzles.{{cite magazine |last=Paige |first=Earl |title=Children's Video Promotions Help Boost Volume |magazine=Billboard |date=September 25, 1982 |volume=94 |issue=38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=Space+Invaders&pg=PT19 |access-date=March 4, 2012 |page=19 |issn=0006-2510}} The trend continues to this day, with handmade sites like Etsy and Pinterest showcasing thousands of handmade items featuring Space Invaders characters.

File:Vgltoronto.jpg alien graphic from Space Invaders used at the Video Games Live concert event]]

Space Invaders has appeared in numerous facets of popular culture. Soon after its release, hundreds of favorable articles and stories about the emerging video game medium as popularized by Space Invaders aired on television and were printed in newspapers and magazines. The Space Invaders Tournament, held by Atari in 1980 and won by Rebecca Heineman,{{cite web |title=It is 1980 and the National Space Invader's Tournament Finals is Approaching… |url=http://www.retroist.com/2013/05/20/it-is-1980-and-the-national-space-invaders-tournament-finals-is-approaching |website=Retroist.com |date=May 20, 2013 |access-date=July 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808154915/http://www.retroist.com/2013/05/20/it-is-1980-and-the-national-space-invaders-tournament-finals-is-approaching/ |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |url-status=dead }} was the first electronic sports (eSports) event, and attracted more than 10,000 participants, establishing video gaming as a mainstream hobby. The Arcade Awards ceremony was created that same year to honor the best video games, with Space Invaders winning the first Game of the Year (GoTY) award.{{cite magazine |title=The Arcade Awards |magazine=Electronic Games |date=Winter 1981 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=38–9 |url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_winter81.pdf |access-date=February 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319212242/http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_winter81.pdf |archive-date=March 19, 2012 |url-status=live }} The impact of Space Invaders on the video game industry has been compared to that of The Beatles in the pop music industry.{{cite news |last=Horwitz |first=Jeremy |title=Technology: Mortal Apathy? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/technology/08MIDW.html |access-date=March 4, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 8, 2002 |archive-date=October 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003002950/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/business/technology-mortal-apathy.html?pagewanted=2 |url-status=live }} Considered "the first 'blockbuster' video game", Space Invaders became synonymous with video games worldwide for some time.{{citation |author=Chris Kohler |year=2005 |title=Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life |page=18 |publisher=BradyGames |isbn=0-7440-0424-1}}

Within a year of its release, the Japanese PTA unsuccessfully attempted to ban Space Invaders for allegedly inspiring truancy. In North America, doctors identified a condition called "Space Invaders elbow" as a complaint,{{cite book |last=Forester |first=Tom |title=High-tech society: the story of the information technology revolution |year=1988 |publisher=MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Mass. |isbn=0-262-56044-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gqgb946KPfQC&pg=PA155 |edition=1st MIT Press paperback |page=155}} while a physician in The New England Journal of Medicine named a similar ailment the "Space Invaders Wrist".{{cite news |title=The Video Game Invasion: What Is It Doing To Children? |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q4MsAAAAIBAJ&pg=4620,4423386 |access-date=March 5, 2012 |newspaper=The Herald Journal |date=December 18, 1981 |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414071941/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q4MsAAAAIBAJ&pg=4620,4423386 |url-status=live }} Space Invaders was also the first game to attract political controversy when a 1981 Private Member's Bill known as the "Control of Space Invaders (and other Electronic Games) Bill", drafted by British Labour Member of Parliament (MP) George Foulkes, attempted to allow local councils to restrict the game and those like it by licensing for its "addictive properties" and for causing "deviancy". Conservative MP Michael Brown defended it as "innocent and harmless pleasure", which he himself had enjoyed that day, and criticized the bill as an example of "Socialist beliefs in restriction and control". A motion to bring the bill before Parliament was defeated by 114 votes to 94 votes; the bill itself was never considered by Parliament.{{cite web |title=30 Great Gaming World Records |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/207943/features/30-great-gaming-world-records/ |work=Computer and Video Games |publisher=ComputerAndVideoGames.com |access-date=January 26, 2012 |date=February 14, 2009 |archive-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219055853/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/207943/features/30-great-gaming-world-records/ |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |title=Electronic and Computer Games: The History of an Interactive Medium |journal=Screen |year=1988 |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=52–73 |doi=10.1093/screen/29.2.52 |quote=In the UK, the Labour MP George Foulkes led a campaign in 1981 to curb the 'menace' of video games, maintaining that they had addictive properties. His 'Control of Space Invaders (and other Electronic Games) Bill' was put to the Commons and only narrowly defeated.|last1=Haddon |first1=L. }}{{cite hansard |house=House of Commons |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1981/may/20/control-of-space-invaders-and-other#S6CV0005P0_19810520_HOC_167 |title=Control of Space Invaders and Other Electronic Games |date=May 20, 1981 |column_start=287 |column_end=291 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131013911/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1981/may/20/control-of-space-invaders-and-other#S6CV0005P0_19810520_HOC_167 |date=January 31, 2015 }} Similarly in the United States, in Westchester County, New York, there was a controversial political debate in 1981 over a resolution to place age restrictions on Space Invaders and other arcade games, following complaints that schoolchildren wasted time and lunch money, and went to school late; the resolution drew national attention.{{cite news |last1=Whitehouse |first1=Franklin |title=Village Zeros in on Space Invaders |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/15/nyregion/village-zeros-in-on-space-invaders.html |access-date=24 September 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=15 June 1981 |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924001750/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/15/nyregion/village-zeros-in-on-space-invaders.html |url-status=live }}

Musicians have drawn inspiration for their music from Space Invaders. The pioneering Japanese synthpop group Yellow Magic Orchestra reproduced Space Invaders sounds in its 1978 self-titled album and hit single "Computer Game",{{citation |title=The Wire, Issues 221–226 |work=The Wire |year=2002 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qyFMAAAAYAAJ |access-date=May 25, 2011}} the latter selling over 400,000 copies in the United States.{{cite news |title=Computer rock music gaining fans |work=Sarasota Journal |date=August 18, 1980 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7s4mAAAAIBAJ&pg=4481,2128223 |access-date=May 25, 2011 |page=8 |archive-date=April 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409150919/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7s4mAAAAIBAJ&pg=4481,2128223 |url-status=live }} Other pop songs based on Space Invaders soon followed, including disco records such as "Disco Space Invaders" (1979) by Funny Stuff, and the hit songs "Space Invader" (1980) by The Pretenders, "Space Invaders" (1980) by Uncle Vic,{{cite web |last=Lovelace |first=Craven |title=Take a waka-waka-waka on the wild side |url=http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20100827/COMMUNITY_NEWS/100829973 |work=Grand Junction Free Press |access-date=July 15, 2011 |date=August 27, 2010 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927233952/http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20100827/COMMUNITY_NEWS/100829973 |url-status=dead }} and the Australian hit "Space Invaders" (1979) by Player One (known in the US as "Playback"),{{Discogs release|807452|Playback – Space Invaders}} which in turn provided the bassline for Jesse Saunders' "On and On" (1984),{{cite web |title=Jesse Saunders – On And On |date=January 20, 1984 |url=http://www.discogs.com/Jesse-Saunders-On-And-On/release/176575 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=May 23, 2012 |archive-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805023428/https://www.discogs.com/Jesse-Saunders-On-And-On/release/176575 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.beatportal.com/feed/item/black-history-jesse-saunders-and-house-music/ |title=Black History Month: Jesse Saunders and house music |last=Church |first=Terry |publisher=BeatPortal |date=February 9, 2010 |access-date=April 10, 2010 |archive-date=February 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212230432/https://www.beatportal.com/feed/item/black-history-jesse-saunders-and-house-music/ |url-status=dead }} the first Chicago house music track.{{cite news |last=Bracelin |first=Jason |title=House music finds a home |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LVRB&p_theme=lvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11950293F0B8B3B8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=May 23, 2012 |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal |date=May 22, 2007 |page=1E |quote=A native of Chicago, where house was first popularized, Saunders is credited for producing and releasing the first house single, "On and On," on his own Jes Say Records label. |archive-date=April 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429154231/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LVRB&p_theme=lvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11950293F0B8B3B8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |url-status=live }} The Clash sampled Space Invaders sound effects on the song "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" from its 4th studio album, Sandinista!

Video Games Live performed audio from Space Invaders as part of a special retro "Classic Arcade Medley" in 2007.{{cite web |url=http://games.ign.com/articles/816/816582p1.html |title=Microsoft Brings Video Games Live to London |website=GameSpot |author=Microsoft |date=August 28, 2007 |access-date=September 7, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301003229/http://games.ign.com/articles/816/816582p1.html |archive-date=March 1, 2012|author-link=Microsoft }} In honor of the game's 30th anniversary, Taito produced an album, Space Invaders 2008. It was released by Avex Trax and features music inspired by the game. Six songs were originally used in the PSP version of Space Invaders Extreme.{{cite web |url=http://spaceinvaders.jp/news/detail/1188686_1819.html| script-title = ja:30周年記念 スペシャルコンピレーションアルバム発売！ |publisher=Taito |year=2008 |language=ja |access-date=April 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127063447/http://spaceinvaders.jp/news/detail/1188686_1819.html |archive-date=January 27, 2012}} Taito's store, Taito Station, also unveiled a Space Invaders-themed music video.{{cite web |url=http://spaceinvaders.jp/blog/blog_detail/1186880_2321.html |language=ja |title=ź 舗限定で配信中のアニメーションPVを大公開しちゃいます！ |author=弓削 |date=October 21, 2008 |access-date=April 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403071159/http://spaceinvaders.jp/blog/blog_detail/1186880_2321.html |archive-date=April 3, 2009}}

In the 1982 pilot of the series The Powers of Matthew Star, David Star uses his powers to cheat the game. Space Invaders is shown with a colored backdrop of the moon. Multiple television series have aired episodes that either reference or parody Space Invaders; for example, Danger Mouse,{{cite episode |title=Custard |episode-link=List of Danger Mouse episodes#Series 2 (Spring 1982) |series=Danger Mouse |series-link=Danger Mouse (1981 TV series) |network=ITV |air-date=January 4, 1982 |season=2 |number=12}} That '70s Show,{{cite episode |title=Donna's Story |episode-link=List of That '70s Show episodes#Season 4: 2001–2002 |series=That '70s Show |series-link=That '70s Show |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |air-date=November 20, 2001 |number=84}} Scrubs,{{cite episode |title=My Bad Too |series=Scrubs |series-link=Scrubs (TV series) |network=NBC |air-date=April 10, 2008 |season=7 |number=7}} Chuck,{{cite episode |title=Spy to you |episode-link=List of Chuck episodes#Season 3: 2009 |series=Chuck |series-link=Chuck (TV series) |network=NBC |air-date=March 3, 2009 |season=3 |number=11}} Robot Chicken,{{cite episode |title=Suck It |episode-link=List of Robot Chicken episodes#Season 2: 2006 |series=Robot Chicken |series-link=Robot Chicken |network=Cartoon Network (US) |air-date=April 2, 2006 |season=2 |number=1}} Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles{{cite episode |title=Graduation Day: Class of 2105 |episode-link=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series, season 6) |series=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) |series-link=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series) |network=4Kids Entertainment (US) |air-date=March 24, 2007 |season=6 |number=15}} and The Amazing World of Gumball.{{cite episode |title=The Phone |episode-link=The Amazing World of Gumball (season 2) |series=The Amazing World of Gumball |series-link=The Amazing World of Gumball |network=Cartoon Network (US) |air-date=September 18, 2012 |season=2 |number=7}} Elements are prominently featured in the "Raiders of the Lost Arcade" segment of "Anthology of Interest II", an episode of Futurama.{{cite episode |title=Anthology of Interest II |episode-link=Anthology of Interest II |series=Futurama |series-link=Futurama |network=Fox Broadcasting Company |air-date=January 6, 2002 |season=3 |number=18}}{{cite magazine |url=http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/12/video-games-fut.html |title=Videogames & Futurama, Part 1: Raiders of the Lost Arcade |author=Baker, Chris |magazine=Wired News |date=December 17, 2007 |access-date=May 12, 2008 |archive-date=August 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804234344/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2007/12/video-games-fut/ |url-status=live }}

Space Invaders also appears in the films Cherry 2000 (1987), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Pixels (2015), while its Deluxe game made an appearance in Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982). It also appears in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph (2012). A film adaptation is in the works by Warner Bros. Pictures with Akiva Goldsman producing.{{Cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/akiva-goldsman-to-produce-space-invaders-for-warner-bros-exclusive/ |author=Jeff Sneider |title=Akiva Goldsman to Produce 'Space Invaders' for Warner Bros. (Exclusive) |work=The Wrap |date=July 18, 2014 |access-date=July 18, 2014 |archive-date=July 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720045226/http://www.thewrap.com/akiva-goldsman-to-produce-space-invaders-for-warner-bros-exclusive/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.philstar.com/movies/2014/07/23/1349432/classic-video-game-characters-unite-film-pixels |author=Chris Kohler |title=Classic video game characters unite via film 'Pixels' |work=Philstar |date=July 23, 2014 |access-date=July 23, 2014 |archive-date=July 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723010101/http://www.philstar.com/movies/2014/07/23/1349432/classic-video-game-characters-unite-film-pixels |url-status=live }} On February 13, 2015, Daniel Kunka was set to write the script for the film.{{cite news |last1=Fleming |first1=Mike Jr. |title='Space Invaders' Lands Dan Kunka To Script |url=https://deadline.com/2015/02/space-invaders-dan-kunka-warner-bros-1201364892/ |access-date=February 14, 2015 |publisher=Deadline |date=February 13, 2015 |archive-date=February 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214003954/http://deadline.com/2015/02/space-invaders-dan-kunka-warner-bros-1201364892/ |url-status=live }} On July 12, 2019, Greg Russo was set to write the script for the film, with Goldsman still producing alongside Safehouse Pictures partners Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell.{{cite news|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike Jr.|title='Space Invaders' On New Line Launchpad; 'Mortal Kombat's Greg Russo To Script Alien-Invasion Pic|url=https://deadline.com/2019/07/space-invaders-movie-new-line-taito-arcade-game-new-line-greg-russo-mortal-kombat-1202645635/|access-date=July 12, 2019|publisher=Deadline|date=July 12, 2019|archive-date=July 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712193449/https://deadline.com/2019/07/space-invaders-movie-new-line-taito-arcade-game-new-line-greg-russo-mortal-kombat-1202645635/|url-status=live}}

Various books have been published about Space Invaders, including Invasion of the Space Invaders: An Addict's Guide to Battle Tactics, Big Scores and the Best Machines (1982) by Martin Amis,{{cite news |last1=Shippey |first1=Tom |author1-link=Tom Shippey |title=Vidkids |url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v04/n24/tom-shippey/vidkids |access-date=26 January 2024 |work=London Review of Books |date=30 December 1982 |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126021625/https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v04/n24/tom-shippey/vidkids |url-status=live }} Tomb Raiders and Space Invaders: Videogame forms and Contexts (2006) by Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska,{{ISBN|978-1845111083}} and Space Invaders (1980) by Mark Roeder and Julian Wolanski.Space Invaders by Mark Roeder (Mendick) and Julian Wolanski. 1980 National Library of Australia. {{ISBN|0855668229}}

File:Puma space invaders.jpg logo, with clear references to Space Invaders]]

In the mid-1990s, the athletics company Puma released a T-shirt with a stamp having references to Space Invaders, i.e. a spaceship aiming at the company's logo (see picture on the right).

In 2006, Space Invaders was one of several video game-related media selected to represent Japan as part of a project compiled by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/arcade/action/alieninvasionpart2/news.html?sid=6159315 |title=Japan honors NES, PS2, Mario |author=Wyman, Walt |website=GameSpot |date=October 4, 2006 |access-date=May 9, 2008 |archive-date=March 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317105153/http://www.gamespot.com/arcade/action/alieninvasionpart2/news.html?sid=6159315 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/hundred.html |script-title=ja:日本のメディア芸術100選 |language=ja |publisher=Japan Media Arts Plaza |access-date=May 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415195329/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/hundred.html |archive-date=April 15, 2009 }} That same year, Space Invaders was included in the London Science Museum's Game On exhibition, meant to showcase the various aspects of video game history, development, and culture.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/arcade/action/alieninvasionpart2/news.html?sid=6159465 |title=London museum showcases games |author=Boyes, Emma |website=GameSpot |date=October 9, 2006 |access-date=May 9, 2008 |archive-date=March 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317105149/http://www.gamespot.com/arcade/action/alieninvasionpart2/news.html?sid=6159465 |url-status=dead }} Space Invaders is a part of the Barbican Centre's traveling Game On exhibition.{{cite web |url=http://www.barbican.org.uk/bie/exhibitions/game-on |title=Barbicon: Game on |publisher=Barbicon International Enterprises |access-date=June 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909203416/http://www.barbican.org.uk/bie/exhibitions/game-on |archive-date=September 9, 2010 }}

At the Belluard Bollwerk International 2006 festival in Fribourg, Switzerland, Guillaume Reymond created a three-minute video recreation of a game of Space Invaders as part of the "Gameover" project using humans as pixels.{{cite web |url=http://www.notsonoisy.com/spaceinvaders/ |title=Space Invaders—Guillaume Reymond—video performance |publisher=NOTsoNOISY |year=2006 |access-date=May 22, 2008 |archive-date=February 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201034900/http://www.notsonoisy.com/spaceinvaders/ |url-status=live }} The GH ART exhibit at the 2008 Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, included an art game, Invaders!, based on Space Invaders{{'}}s gameplay. The creator later asked for it to be removed from the exhibit following criticism of elements based on the September 11 attacks in the United States.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19972 |title=Creator of Space Invaders-Based 9/11 Art Piece Pulls Exhibit |website=Gamasutra |author=Remo, Chris |date=August 25, 2008 |access-date=August 25, 2008 |archive-date=February 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214073938/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19972 |url-status=live }}

A bridge in Cáceres, Spain, projected by engineers Pedro Plasencia and Hadrián Arias, features a pavement design based on Space Invaders. The laser cannon, some shots, and several figures can be seen on the deck.Plasencia-Lozano, Pedro and Arias-Durán, Hadrián (2013) "La Ribera del Marco en Cáceres, un problema aún no resuelto de ordenación territorial", in Agua, Cultura y Sociedad, CICCP, Vigo. The ISBN printed in the document (978-84-380-0464-4) is invalid, causing a checksum error. A French street artist, Invader, made a name for himself by creating mosaic artwork of Space Invader aliens around the world.{{cite web |url=http://swindlemagazine.com/issue03/space-invader-2/ |title=Space Invader |author=Fairey, Shepard |work=Swindle Magazine |access-date=May 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316032403/http://swindlemagazine.com/issue03/space-invader-2/ |archive-date=March 16, 2008}}

In 2014, two Brazilian zoologists (Kury & Barros) described a new species of arachnid as Taito spaceinvaders. They were inspired by the resemblance of a fleck in the dorsal scutum of the animal to a typical alien in Space Invaders. The genus Taito is named for the company that produces Space Invaders.{{cite journal |title=A new genus and eight new species of Amazonian cosmetines (Opiliones, Laniatores, Cosmetidae) |first1=Adriano B. |last1=Kury |first2=Carla ML |last2=Barros |date=May 28, 2014 |journal=Zoological Studies |volume=53 |page=25 |doi=10.1186/s40555-014-0024-4|doi-access=free |url=https://zoologicalstudies.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s40555-014-0024-4 }}

In 2018, Highways England launched a campaign titled "Don't be a Space Invader, Stay Safe, Stay Back" to raise awareness on the dangers of tailgating. People were also able to order free car bumper stickers to raise awareness of the campaign.{{cite web |url=https://highwaysengland.co.uk/staysafestayback/ |title=Stay Safe, Stay Back |work=Highways England Improvements and major road projects |date=August 6, 2020 |publisher=Highways England |access-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104049/https://highwaysengland.co.uk/staysafestayback/ |url-status=live }}

Although it is not explicitly defined as such, the "Alien Monster" emoji (Unicode character U+1F47E) is commonly represented as a pixelated sprite inspired by the aliens from Space Invaders, and it is frequently used in reference to video games and gaming culture. The association is so strong that some platforms, such as GitHub and Discord, use the short code :space_invader: to allow users to easily enter the character.{{cite web|url=https://emojipedia.org/alien-monster|title=Alien Monster|work=Emojipedia|date=January 5, 2025|access-date=January 5, 2025|archive-date=January 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250105165013/https://emojipedia.org/alien-monster|url-status=live}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-space-invader |title=The Space Invader |last=Parkin |first=Simon |date=October 17, 2013 |access-date=July 25, 2014 |magazine=The New Yorker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722212511/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-space-invader |archive-date=July 22, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

{{Sister project links | wikt=no | commons=Category:Space Invaders | v=no | q=no | s=no | b=no | display=Space Invaders }}

• {{Official website|http://www.spaceinvaders.net/}}
• {{KLOV game|id=9662}}
• {{IAg|id=arcade_invaders}}
• [https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameManualSpaceinv2ckt/ Game manual], for arcade game, stored at the Internet Archive
• [https://archive.org/details/Space_Invaders_1978_Atari/ Game manual] for Atari 2600 game, stored at the Internet Archive

{{Space Invaders}}

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