The age of video games has really exploded over the past three decades, from its earliest days of Pong. Today, videogames is a multi million-dollar business and growing every year. The following are just a few video games that has gobbled up fistfuls of quarters and put the world of video games on the map.

Here we honor some of the best videogames ever developed and their designers. Play any of the games for free by clicking on the name of the game as seen below. Most of the games do not require membership or login to play. Some games may require Java or Shockwave to work properly, but the majority of the games are Flash Games.

1. Defender

   
   
   Shockwave Required
   
   
   
   Image Source: Flickr
   
   Defender was created by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released as an arcade video game machine, before moving into the video game console market. In Defender, the player(s) are the pilot of a spaceship and put in charge of defending ten humanoids all the while fighting off enemy spacecraft. Don't let the enemy spacecraft capture any of the humanoids or you will have to attempt a risky rescue. Complete each mission to continue moving up to more difficult levels in the game. Set a high score to beat later. Play 10 classic video games including “Bubbles, Defender, Defender 2, Joust, Rampage, Robotron 2084, Satan's Hollow, SiniStar, Spy Hunter, and Tapper (Root Beer).
   

2. Super Mario Bros.
   
   

   
   
   Image Source: Flickr
   
   Super Mario Bros was designed and published by Nintendo in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In Super Mario Bros, the players move their character through a series of challenging levels, while defeating turtles, hammer tossing monsters, man-eating flowers and battling it out with fierce dragons. The player's mission is to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of King of the Koopas called Bowser. Collect coins to earn extra lives. Process firepower, so Mario can toss fireball at oncoming enemies in order to defeat them. Capture the golden stars, so to destroy any enemy without taking damage. Defeat Bowser and rescue Princess Peach to win the game.
   

3. Ms. Pac-Man

   
   
   
   
   Image Source: Flickr
   
   Ms Pac-Man was developed by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to the legendary Pac-Man and release as an arcade video game in 1981. In Ms Pac-man, the player(s) guide their character through a maze filled with dots, power dots and pesky patrolling ghosts hall monitors. It is the player's mission to gobble up all of the dots in the maze to continue to more difficult levels. Additional points can be scored by eating power dots and gaining the temporary power to turn the tables on the ghosts and chase them down to eat them, too.
   

4. Galaga

   
   
   Java Required
   
   
   
   Image Source: Pocketpcmag.com
   
   Galaga was released in 1981 by Namco as a first person shooter video arcade game. In Galaga, the player(s) control the movement of a spaceship assigned to destroy incoming alien spacecraft that sometimes dive and bomb your position. Some alien spacecraft may try to capture the player's spacecraft during the fight and if it is successful at capturing, then the player can attempt to re-capture their ship by carefully destroying the spacecraft without accidentally destroying their own ship in order to double the firepower with two spaceships at once. After the player(s) destroys all of the alien spacecraft in a level, then that player continues to move to more difficult level missions.
   

5. Gauntlet

   
   
   
   
   Image Source: Brandonfamily.blogs.com/
   
   Atari Games released a role-playing style videogame called Gauntlet in 1985 as another arcade videogame. In Gauntlet, there isn't any specific mission, but to crawl the dungeons as the player's choice of characters and recover treasure and keys. The NES version of the game does however end once a player reaches 100 levels. The players can choose to fight at close range, hand-to-hand combat or use magic to fight or haste away.
   

6. Zelda

   
   
   
   
   Image Source: Gameguru.in
   
   Zelda was originally released in Japan in 1986, and then in the US and EU in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In Zelda, the player(s) are trying to rescue Princess Zelda out from the evil hands of, Ganon. Players move their character along a series of combative and thought-provoking adventures, until the princess has been rescued and the evil has been defeated.
   

7. Final Fantasy
   

   
   
   
   
   Image Source: Irishblogs.ie
   
   Final Fantasy 2 was introduced as a console role-playing videogame designed and published by Square in 1988, to be played on the NES. In Final Fantasy, the player is going off on a deadly adventure to explore several towns and dungeons, while slaying the evil creature out there waiting to attack the player's character. Collect treasures to buy new armor, weapons and magic potions. Solve mind-bending puzzles and defeat the evil around you.

8. Street Fighter 2
   
   

   
   
   Image Source: Wii60.com
   
   Street Fighter 2 is a competitive fighting video game that was released in 1991 as a video arcade machine and later introduced on the NES. In Street Fighter 2, the player(s) duke it out with awesome fighting techniques and special moves to defeat the other fighting characters in the game. Players must win the best of three rounds to win the match and advance to tougher opponents.

9. Sonic The Hedgehog

   
   
   1991
   
   
   
   Image Source: Vgfrequency.com
   
   Sonic The Hedgehog was release in 1991 by Sega and designed by the Sonic Team for the Sega Genesis Console Game System. In Sonic The Hedgehog, the player(s) must guide their character through a world of danger and deadly obstacles, while collecting golden rings to score points and to maintain the health of their character throughout the mission. Complete each mission level and more to harder mission levels. Sonic must prevent Doctor Robotnik from collecting six Chaos Emeralds, so that Doctor Robotnik cannot rule the South Island. Sonic The Hedgehog demonstrates the advancements, power and speed of the computer capabilities of the day back then. Truly amazing, don't you agree?
   

10. Pepsi Flipper Pinball

    
    
    
    
    Image Source: Z.about.com
    
    No arcade would be complete without a pinball machine, so here is a very cool pinball game that features a bonus level of Breakout to earn extra points. The pinball machine in complete with three flippers, bumpers, standup targets, lighted gates and secret passages that allows a player to really rack up some serious points. While this is not an original console video game, it is a very fun game and demonstrates the graphic improvements in video game engineering.