Donkey Kong
Title screen (arcade version)
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Series	Donkey Kong, Mario
Engine	Radar Scope
Platform(s)	Arcade, Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, DOS, Game Boy Advance, Famicom Disk System, Intellivision, MSX, NES, TI-99/4A, VIC-20, Virtual Console, ZX Spectrum
Release date	Arcade version 1981 2600, ColecoVision, INTV versions 1982 Atari 8-bit, Apple II, C64, TI-99, MS-DOS versions 1983 NES version JP July 15, 1983 NA June 1986 EU October 15, 1986 FDS version JP April 8, 1988 7800 version NA 1988 Virtual Console NA November 19, 2006 JP December 2, 2006 EU December 8, 2006
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Up to two players, alternating turns
Rating(s)	ESRB: E (Everyone) (GBA, Wii)
Input methods	4-way joystick, 1 button
Cabinet	Upright, mini and cocktail
Arcade system	Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 3. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video Nintendo Research and Development 1 (R&D1 was Nintendo 's oldest development team is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer is a Japanese Video game designer. He is the creator of the Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong is a Video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, featuring a gorilla called Donkey Kong. The Mario series is a series of highly popular and acclaimed Platform games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and in most of the A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of computer and video games is an early Arcade game designed by Nintendo, developed by Ikegami Tsushinki and released by Nintendo in November 1980 In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment The Atari 2600 is a Video game console released in October 1977 The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a Video game console released by Atari Corporation in June 1986 The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries ' second generation home Video game console and was released in August. MS-DOS (short for M icro' s' oft D isk O perating S ystem is an Operating system commercialized by Microsoft. The Game Boy Advance (often shortened to GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer ("Famicom" console in Japan. The Intellivision is a Video game console released by Mattel in 1979. MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by The Texas Instruments TI-99/4A was an early Home computer, released in June 1981 originally at a price of USD $525 The VIC-20 ( Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit Home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that allows players to purchase and download The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd Events November - The British video game magazine Computer and Video Games (C&VG starts Events December 27 - Starcade, a Video game Television Game show, debuts on TBS in the United States Events A major shakeout of the video game industry begins By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$ 3200 million to US$100 million For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Events Notable releases Namco releases Sky Kid Deluxe, Hopping Mappy, Toy Pop, Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events July &mdash Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of Video games into suitability-related groups The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, Advertising guidelines and A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling Zilog Inc, often seen as ZiLOG (the official company denotation in 1998 through Jun 2007 is a manufacturer of 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit Microprocessor designed and sold by Zilog from July 1976 onwards 072 MHz) Sound CPU: I8035 (@ 400 kHz) Sound Chips: DAC (@ 400 kHz), samples (@ 400 kHz) Monitor: Raster, standard resolution 224 x 256 (vertical) palette colors 256

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu^?) is an arcade game that was released by Nintendo in 1981. The Intel 8048 Microcontroller (µC (MCS-48 Intel's first microcontroller was used in the Magnavox Odyssey² Video game console, the Roland Jupiter-4 In Electronics, a digital-to-analog converter ( DAC or D-to-A) is a device for converting a digital (usually binary code to an Analog signal In Signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a Continuous signal to a Discrete signal. In Computer graphics, a raster graphics image or bitmap, is a Data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of Pixels An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on Events November - The British video game magazine Computer and Video Games (C&VG starts The game is an early example of the platform genre as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging obstacles. Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles For the television channel see GamePlay HD. Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems especially formal The storyline is thin but well-developed for its time. In it, Mario (originally called Jumpman) must rescue a damsel in distress, Pauline, from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. is a Fictional character created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden is a classic theme in world literature art and film is a fictional ape who first appeared in Nintendo 's popular 1981 video game bearing the same name. The hero and ape went on to become two of Nintendo's more popular characters.

The game was the latest in a series of efforts by Nintendo to break into the North American market. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president at the time, assigned the project to a first-time game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto. is a Japanese businessman He was the third president of Nintendo Co A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer is a Japanese Video game designer. He is the creator of the Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Drawing from a wide range of inspirations, including Popeye and King Kong, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside Nintendo's chief engineer, Gunpei Yokoi. Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows King Kong is the name of a fictional giant ape from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933 Gunpei Yokoi, also spelled ( September 10 1941 – October 4 1997) was a long-time Nintendo employee creator of the Game The two men broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cut scenes to advance the game's plot, and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay. A cut scene is a sequence in a Video game over which the player has little or no control often breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot present

Despite initial misgivings on the part of Nintendo's American staff, Donkey Kong proved a tremendous success in both North America and Japan. Nintendo licensed the game to Coleco, who developed home console versions for numerous platforms. The verb license or grant license means to give permission The noun license is the document demonstrating that permission Coleco was a company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as " Co nnecticut Le ather Co mpany " Other companies simply cloned Nintendo's hit and avoided royalties altogether. A video game clone is a Video game or game series which is very similar to or heavily inspired by a previous popular game or game series Royalties (sometimes running royalties) are usage-based payments made by one party (the "licensee" to another (the "licensor" for ongoing use of an Miyamoto's characters appeared on cereal boxes, television cartoons, and dozens of other places. A court suit brought on by Universal City Studios, alleging that Donkey Kong violated their trademark of King Kong, ultimately failed. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American The success of Donkey Kong and Nintendo's win in the courtroom helped position the company to dominate the video game market in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Story and characters

The eponymous Donkey Kong is the game's de facto villain. is a fictional ape who first appeared in Nintendo 's popular 1981 video game bearing the same name. He is the pet of a carpenter named Jumpman (a name chosen for its similarity to "Walkman" and "Pac-Man"; the character was later renamed Mario, and made a plumber, not a carpenter). Walkman is a popular Sony Brand used to market its portable audio and Video players is an Arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution is a Fictional character created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. ^[1] The carpenter mistreats the ape, so Donkey Kong escapes and kidnaps Jumpman/Mario's girlfriend, originally known as the Lady, but later named Pauline. This is a list of various fictional and recurring characters who appear in the Mario series of video games created by Nintendo, as well as spin-off media such The player must take the role of Jumpman/Mario and rescue the girl. This was the first occurrence of the damsel-in-distress scenario that would provide the template for countless video games to come. The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden is a classic theme in world literature art and film ^[2]

At game's end, Mario/Jumpman and Pauline/the Lady are reunited. is a Fictional character created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. This is a list of various fictional and recurring characters who appear in the Mario series of video games created by Nintendo, as well as spin-off media such

The game uses graphics and animation as vehicles of characterization. Donkey Kong smirks upon Jumpman/Mario's demise. The Lady/Pauline is instantly recognized as female from her pink dress and long hair,^[3] and "HELP!" appears frequently beside her. Jumpman/Mario, depicted in red overalls and cap, is an everyman character, a type common in Japan. In literature and drama the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily and who is often placed Graphical limitations forced his design: Drawing a mouth was too difficult, so the character got a mustache;^[4] the programmers could not animate hair, so he got a cap; and to make his arm movements visible, he needed colored overalls. ^[5] The artwork used for the cabinets and promotional materials make these cartoon-like character designs even more explicit. The Lady/Pauline, for example, appears as a disheveled Fay Wray in a torn dress and stiletto heels. Vina Fay Wray ( September 15, 1907 &ndash August 8, 2004) was a Canadian &ndash American actress and the first A stiletto heel ( AmE: spike heel) is a long thin heel found on some Boots and Shoes usually for women

Donkey Kong is the first example of a complete narrative told in video game form, and it employs cut scenes to advance its plot. A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written spoken poetry prose images song Theater, or Dance) that describes a sequence of A cut scene is a sequence in a Video game over which the player has little or no control often breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot present The game opens with the gorilla climbing a pair of ladders to the top of a construction site. He sets the Lady/Pauline down and stamps his feet, causing the steel beams to change shape. He then moves to his final perch and sneers. This brief animation sets the scene and adds background to the gameplay, a first for video games. Upon reaching the end of the stage, another cut scene begins. A heart appears between Jumpman/Mario and the Lady/Pauline, but Donkey Kong grabs the woman and climbs higher, causing the heart to break. The narrative concludes when Jumpman/Mario reaches the end of the final stage. He and the Lady/Pauline are reunited, and a short intermission plays. ^[6] The game then starts over at a higher level of difficulty.

Gameplay

Donkey Kong is an early example of the platform genre (it is sometimes said to be the first platform game, although it was preceded by Space Panic and Apple Panic). Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles Space Panic is a 1980 Arcade game designed by Universal. Chris Crawford calls it the first ever Apple Panic is a 1981 Platform game for the Apple II programmed by Ben Serki of Brøderbund Software. ^[7] Competitive video gamers and referees stress the game's high level of difficulty compared to other classic arcade games. Winning the game requires patience and the ability to accurately time Jumpman's ascent. ^[2] In addition to presenting the goal of saving the Lady/Pauline, the game also gives the player a score. In a Game the score refers to the amount of points achieved by a player or team Points are awarded for finishing screens; leaping over obstacles; destroying objects with a hammer power-up; collecting items such as hats, parasols, and purses (presumably belonging to the Lady/Pauline); and completing other tasks. In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character The player receives three lives with a bonus awarded for the first 7,000 points^[8]. The highest recorded score was set by Billy Mitchell on June 26, 2007; he achieved 1,050,200 points. Biography Mitchell grew up in South Florida and began playing games at age sixteen Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[9]

The game is divided into four different one-screen stages. Each represents 25 meters of the structure Donkey Kong has climbed, one stage being 25 meters higher than the previous. The final screen occurs at 100 m. Later ports of the game omit or change the sequence of the screens; the original arcade version includes:

• Screen 1 (25 m)—Jumpman/Mario must scale a seven-story construction site made of crooked girders and ladders while jumping over or hammering barrels and oil barrels tossed by Donkey Kong. See also Software portability In Computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created The hero must also avoid flaming balls, which generate when an oil barrel collides with an oil drum. Players routinely call this screen "Barrels". ^[10]
• Screen 2 (50 m)—Jumpman/Mario must climb a five-story structure of conveyor belts, each of which transports pans of cement. The fireballs also make another appearance. This screen is sometimes referred to as the "Factory" or "Pie Factory" due to the resemblance of the cement pans to pies. ^[10]
• Screen 3 (75 m)—Jumpman/Mario rides up and down elevators while avoiding fireballs and bouncing objects, presumably spring-weights. The bouncing weights (the hero's greatest danger in this screen) emerge on the top level and drop near the rightmost elevator. The screen's common name is "Elevators". ^[10]
• Screen 4 (100 m)—Jumpman/Mario must remove eight rivets, which support Donkey Kong. The fireballs remain the primary obstacle. Removing the final rivet causes Donkey Kong to fall and the hero to be reunited with the Lady/Pauline. This is the final screen of each level. Players refer to this screen as "Rivets". ^[10]

These screens combine to form levels, which become progressively harder. For example, Donkey Kong begins to hurl barrels more rapidly and sometimes diagonally, and fireballs get quicker. The victory music alternates between levels 1 and 2. The 22nd level is unofficially known as the kill screen due to an error in the game's programming that kills Jumpman after a few seconds, effectively ending the game. A kill screen is a stage or level in a Video game (often an Arcade game) that stops the player's progress due to a programming error or design oversight ^[10] With its four unique levels, Donkey Kong was the most complex video game at the time of its release, and only the second game to feature multiple levels. (The first was Gorf by Midway Games. Gorf is an Arcade game released in 1981 by Midway Mfg, whose name was advertised as an acronym for "Galactic Orbiting Robot Force" Midway Games ( (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American Video game publisher. )^[11]

Development

As of the beginning of 1981, Nintendo's efforts to crack the North American video game market had all failed, culminating with the flop Radar Scope in 1980. Events November - The British video game magazine Computer and Video Games (C&VG starts is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on is an early Arcade game designed by Nintendo, developed by Ikegami Tsushinki and released by Nintendo in November 1980 Events Notable releases Mattel releases the Intellivision Video game console. In order to keep the company afloat, company president Hiroshi Yamauchi decided to convert unsold Radar Scope games into something new. is a Japanese businessman He was the third president of Nintendo Co He approached a young industrial designer named Shigeru Miyamoto, who had been working for Nintendo since 1977, to see if Miyamoto thought that he could design an arcade game. Industrial design is an Applied art whereby the Aesthetics and Usability of mass-produced products may be improved for marketability and is a Japanese Video game designer. He is the creator of the Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Miyamoto said that he could. ^[12] Yamauchi appointed Nintendo's head engineer, Gunpei Yokoi, to supervise the project. Gunpei Yokoi, also spelled ( September 10 1941 – October 4 1997) was a long-time Nintendo employee creator of the Game ^[13]

At the time, Nintendo was pursuing a license to make a game based on the Popeye comic strip. Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows When this fell through, Nintendo decided that it would take the opportunity to create new characters that could then be marketed and used in later games. ^[5] Miyamoto came up with many characters and plot concepts, but he eventually settled on a gorilla/carpenter/girlfriend love triangle that mirrored the rivalry between Bluto and Popeye for Olive Oyl. A love triangle is a romantic relationship involving three people Bluto (sometimes known as Brutus) is a cartoon character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character named "Bluto the Terrible" in his Olive Oyl is a Cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar in 1919 for his Comic strip Thimble Theater. ^[1] Bluto became an ape, who in Miyamoto's words was "nothing too evil or repulsive". He would be the pet of the main character, "a funny, hang-loose kind of guy". ^[14] Miyamoto has also named "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 film King Kong as influences. Beauty and the Beast ( French: La Belle et la Bête) is a traditional Fairy tale (type 425C -- search for a lost husband -- in the Aarne-Thompson King Kong is a landmark Black-and-white Adventure film about a gigantic Gorilla named " Kong " and how he is captured from ^[15] Although its origin as a comic strip license played a major part, Donkey Kong marked the first time that the storyline for a video game preceded the game's programming rather than simply being appended as an afterthought. ^[16]

Yamauchi wanted to primarily target the North American market, so he mandated that the game be given an English title. Miyamoto decided to name the game for the ape, whom he felt to be the strongest character. ^[1] The story of exactly how Miyamoto came up with the name Donkey Kong varies. A popular urban myth says that the name was originally meant to be Monkey Kong but was misspelled or misinterpreted due to a blurred fax or bad telephone connection. ^[17] Another story claims that Miyamoto looked in a Japanese-English dictionary for something that would mean stubborn gorilla^[18] or that Donkey was meant to convey silly and that Kong was common Japanese slang for gorilla. ^[5] A rival claim is that he worked with Nintendo's export manager to come up with the title, and that Donkey was meant to represent stupid and goofy. ^[19]

Miyamoto had high hopes for his new project. He lacked the technical background to program it himself, so he instead came up with concepts and ran them by the technicians to see if they were possible. He wanted to make the characters different sizes, move them in different manners, and make them react in various ways. Yokoi declared Miyamoto's original design too complex. ^[20] Another idea that Yokoi himself suggested was to use see-saws that the hero could use to catapult himself across the screen; this too proved too difficult to program. Miyamoto then came up with the idea to use sloped platforms, barrels, and ladders. When he specified that the game would have multiple stages, the four-man programming team complained that he was essentially asking them to make the game over and over. ^[21] Nevertheless, they followed Miyamoto's design, creating about 20,000 lines of code. ^[22] Meanwhile, Miyamoto composed the game's music on an electronic keyboard. ^[23]

Hiroshi Yamauchi knew that Nintendo had a hit on its hands and called up Minoru Arakawa, head of Nintendo's operations in the U. (born September 3, 1946) was the president of Nintendo of America (NOA from 1980 to 2002 S. , to tell him. Nintendo's American distributors, Ron Judy and Al Stone, brought Arakawa to a lawyer named Howard Lincoln to secure a trademark. Howard Charles Lincoln (born February 14, 1940) is an American lawyer and businessman known primarily for being the former chairman of Nintendo of ^[24]

Donkey Kong promotional flier from 1981 showing Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline in their full-bodied, cartoon forms

The game was sent to Nintendo of America for testing. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on The sales manager hated it for being too different from the maze and shooter games common at the time,^[25] and Judy and Lincoln expressed reservations over the strange title. Maze game was a Computer game genre description used by computer journalists during the 1980s to describe any game in which the entire playing field was a Maze Shooter games are a subgenre of Action game. Because "shooters make up the majority of action games" Shooting gallery Often interchangeable with Still, Arakawa swore that it would be big. ^[24] American staffers pleaded with Yamauchi to at least change the name, but he refused. Resigned, Arakawa and the American staff set about translating the storyline for the cabinet art and naming the other characters. They chose Pauline for the girl, after Polly James, wife of Nintendo's Redmond, Washington, warehouse manager, Don James. Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's April 1 2008 estimate the city has a population Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Don James may refer to People Don James (American football Prominent American College football head coach Kent State (1971-74 Mario was named for Mario Segali, the warehouse landlord. ^[26] These character names were printed on the American cabinet art and used in promotional materials. Donkey Kong was ready for release. ^[27]

Stone and Judy convinced the managers of two bars in Seattle, Washington, to set up Donkey Kong machines. The managers initially showed reluctance, but when they saw sales of $30 a day—or 120 plays—for a week straight, they requested more units. ^[28] In their Redmond headquarters, a skeleton crew composed of Arakawa, his wife Yoko, James, Judy, Phillips, and Stone set about gutting 2,000 surplus Radar Scope machines and converting them with Donkey Kong motherboards and power supplies from Japan. ^[29] The game officially went on sale in July 1981. ^[30]

In his 1982 book Video Invaders, Steve Bloom describes Donkey Kong as "another bizarre cartoon game, courtesy of Japan. "^[31] To American and Canadian gamers, however, Donkey Kong was irresistible. The game's initial 2,000 units sold through, and more orders poured in. Arakawa began manufacturing the electronic components in Redmond because waiting for shipments from Japan was taking too long. ^[32] By October, Donkey Kong was selling 4,000 units a month, and by late June 1982, Nintendo had sold 60,000 Donkey Kong games overall and earned some $180 million. Events December 27 - Starcade, a Video game Television Game show, debuts on TBS in the United States ^[33] Judy and Stone, who worked on straight commission, became millionaires. ^[32] Arakawa used Nintendo's profits to buy 27 acres of land in Redmond in July 1982. ^[34] The game made another $100 million in its second year of release. ^[35] It remained Nintendo's top seller even into summer 1983. Events A major shakeout of the video game industry begins By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$ 3200 million to US$100 million ^[36] Donkey Kong sold steadily in Japan, as well. ^[37]

Licensing and ports

By late June 1982, Donkey Kong's success had prompted more than 50 parties in the U. Events December 27 - Starcade, a Video game Television Game show, debuts on TBS in the United States S. and Japan to license the game's characters. The verb license or grant license means to give permission The noun license is the document demonstrating that permission ^[38] Mario and his simian nemesis appeared on cereal boxes, board games, pajamas, and manga. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly In 1983, the animation studio Ruby-Spears produced a Donkey Kong cartoon (as well as Donkey Kong Jr) for the Saturday Supercade program on CBS. Events A major shakeout of the video game industry begins By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$ 3200 million to US$100 million The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames Ruby-Spears Productions (also known as Ruby-Spears Enterprises) is a Burbank, California -based Entertainment Production company that Saturday Supercade was an Animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Ruby-Spears Productions. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. In the show, mystery crime-solving plots in the mode of Scooby-Doo are framed around the premise of Mario and Pauline chasing Donkey Kong, who has escaped from the circus. Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder Scooby-Doo is a long-running American animated series produced for Saturday morning television in several different versions from 1969 to the The show lasted two seasons.

Instructions to the Coleco tabletop version of Donkey Kong, 1982

Makers of video game consoles were interested, as well. Taito offered a considerable sum to buy all rights to Donkey Kong, but Nintendo turned them down. The is a Japanese developer of Video game software and arcade hardware wholly-owned by RPG publisher Square Enix. ^[39] Rivals Coleco and Atari approached Nintendo in Japan and the United States respectively. Coleco was a company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as " Co nnecticut Le ather Co mpany " Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. In the end, Yamauchi granted Coleco exclusive console and tabletop rights to Donkey Kong because he felt that "It [was] the hungriest company". Tabletop game is a general term used to refer to Board games Card games Dice games Miniatures wargames Tile-based games and other ^[40] In addition, Arakawa felt that as a more established company in the U. S. , Coleco could better handle marketing. In return, Nintendo would receive an undisclosed lump sum plus $1. 40 per game cartridge sold and $1 per tabletop unit. On December 24, 1981, Howard Lincoln drafted the contract. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 He included language that Coleco would be held liable for anything on the game cartridge, an unusual clause for a licensing agreement. ^[41] Arakawa signed the document the next day, and on February 1, 1982, Yamauchi persuaded the Coleco representative in Japan to sign without running the document by the company's lawyers. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) ^[42]

Coleco did not offer the game stand-alone; instead, they bundled it with their ColecoVision. The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries ' second generation home Video game console and was released in August. The units went on sale in July 1982. Coleco's version is very close to the arcade, more so than ports of earlier games that had been done. Six months later, Coleco offered Atari 2600 and Intellivision versions, too. The Atari 2600 is a Video game console released in October 1977 The Intellivision is a Video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Coleco's sales doubled to $500 million and their earnings quadrupled to $40 million. ^[43]

Donkey Kong was ported to many systems, including the ColecoVision, shown here. The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries ' second generation home Video game console and was released in August.

Meanwhile, Atari got the rights to the floppy disk version of Donkey Kong and prepared the Atari 800 version of the game. A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 When Coleco unveiled the Adam Computer, playing a port of Donkey Kong at the 1983 Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Illinois, Atari protested. The Coleco Adam was a Home computer, an attempt in the early 1980s by American toy manufacturer Coleco to follow on the success of its ColecoVision The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES is a Trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Yamauchi demanded that Arnold Greenberg, Coleco's president, shelve his Adam port. Arnold Greenberg is an American Businessman best known as the CEO of Coleco in the 1970s and 1980s This version of the game was cartridge-based, and thus not a violation of Nintendo's license with Atari; still, Greenberg complied. Ray Kassar of Atari was fired the next month, and the home PC version of Donkey Kong fell through. Raymond E Kassar (born January 2, 1928) was President, and later CEO, of Atari Inc ^[44]

The Atari Computer console versions include all four levels of the original arcade game. Most console releases omit the conveyor belt level and make other changes. For example, the ColecoVision release lacks projectile springboards on the elevator level. The Atari 2600 and Intellivision releases omit the elevator level entirely.

The Game & Watch version of Donkey Kong. The (G&W series were Handheld electronic games made by Nintendo and created by its game designer Gunpei Yokoi from to.

Miyamoto created a greatly simplified version for the Game & Watch multiscreen. The (G&W series were Handheld electronic games made by Nintendo and created by its game designer Gunpei Yokoi from to. Other ports include the Apple II, Atari 7800, Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, Famicom Disk System, PC, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Mini-Arcade. The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a Video game console released by Atari Corporation in June 1986 The VIC-20 ( Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit Home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer ("Famicom" console in Japan. IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit Home computers produced by Amstrad Plc during the 1980s and early 1990s The game was ported to the Famicom in 1983 as one of the system's three launch titles; the same version was a launch title for the Famicom's North American version, the NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by A launch title is a Video game that has been made available to consumers synchronously with its respective Video game console, meaning they are the only available However, the cement factory level is not included, mainly due to storage limitations. At the title screen, this port includes a new song composed by Yukio Kaneoka; an arrangement of the tune appears in Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. is a Japanese video game music composer working for Nintendo. Donkey Kong Country ( Super Donkey Kong in Japan is a Video game developed by Rare, featuring the popular arcade character Donkey The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was The NES version was re-released as an unlockable game in Animal Crossing for the GameCube and as an item for purchase on the Wii's Virtual Console. Animal Crossing, known as in Japan, is a life simulation Video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo. The, often abbreviated as GCN, is Nintendo 's fourth home Video game console and is part of the sixth generation console era. Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that allows players to purchase and download The original arcade version of the game appears in the Nintendo 64 game Donkey Kong 64. The, often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo 's third home Video game console for the international market (abbreviated as DK 64) is a platformer Video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64. In 2004, Nintendo released the NES version for the Game Boy Advance Classic NES series and on the e-Reader. Events January 20 — Wired s Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner The Game Boy Advance (often shortened to GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. The Classic NES Series in North America ( Famicom Mini Series in Japan and NES Classics in Europe ^[45]

Other companies bypassed Nintendo completely. In 1981, O. R. Rissman, president of Tiger Electronics, obtained a license to use the name King Kong from Universal City Studios. Tiger Electronics should not be confused with the appliance maker Tiger Corporation, the electronics retailer Tiger Direct, or the producer of Gizmondo King Kong is the name of a fictional giant ape from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933 Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Under this title, Tiger created a handheld game with a scenario and gameplay based directly on Nintendo's creation. A handheld game console is a lightweight portable electronic machine for playing Video games Unlike Video game consoles the controls screen and speakers ^[46] Crazy Kong is another example, a clone manufactured by Falcon and licensed for some non-American markets. Crazy Kong ( J: クレイジーコング is an Arcade game created by Falcon released in 1981 and is similar to Nintendo 's Donkey A video game clone is a Video game or game series which is very similar to or heavily inspired by a previous popular game or game series Nevertheless, Crazy Kong machines found their way into some American arcades during the early 1980s, often installed in cabinets marked as Congorilla. Nintendo was quick to take legal action against those distributing the game in the U. S. ^[47] Bootleg copies of Donkey Kong also appeared in both North America and France under the Crazy Kong or Donkey King names. 'Copyright infringement' (or copyright violation) is the unauthorized use of material that is covered by Copyright law in a manner that violates This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. In 1983, Sega created its own Donkey Kong clone called Congo Bongo. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer Congo Bongo ( J:) is an Arcade game developed by Ikegami Tsushinki and released by Sega in 1983. Despite being in isometric perspective, the gameplay is very similar. Isometric projection is a form of Graphical projection —more specifically an Axonometric projection. Clones on the TRS-80 Color Computer include Donkey King and Monkey Kong. The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (also called Tandy Color Computer, or CoCo) was a Home computer launched in 1980

Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co. , Ltd.

Main article: Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Nintendo's success with Donkey Kong was not without obstacles. Universal City Studios Inc v Nintendo Co Ltd was a case heard by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by Judge Robert W In April 1982, Sid Sheinberg, a seasoned lawyer and president of MCA and Universal City Studios, learned of the game's success and suspected it might be a trademark infringement of Universal's own King Kong. Events December 27 - Starcade, a Video game Television Game show, debuts on TBS in the United States Sidney "Sid" Jay Sheinberg (born 1935, Corpus Christi Texas) is an American entertainment executive MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses Trademark infringement is a violation of the Exclusive rights attaching to a Trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that King Kong is the name of a fictional giant ape from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933 ^[33] On April 27, 1982, he met with Arnold Greenberg of Coleco and threatened to sue over Coleco's home version of Donkey Kong. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Coleco agreed on May 3, 1982 to pay royalties to Universal of 3% of their Donkey Kong's net sale price, worth about $4. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Royalties (sometimes running royalties) are usage-based payments made by one party (the "licensee" to another (the "licensor" for ongoing use of an 6 million. ^[48] Meanwhile, Sheinberg revoked Tiger's license to make its King Kong game, but O. R. Rissman refused to acknowledge Universal's claim to the trademark. ^[49] When Universal threatened Nintendo, Howard Lincoln and Nintendo refused to cave. In preparation for the court battle ahead, Universal agreed to allow Tiger to continue producing its King Kong game as long as they distinguished it from Donkey Kong. ^[50]

Universal officially sued Nintendo on June 29, 1982 and announced its license with Coleco. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The company sent cease and desist letters to Nintendo's licensees, all of which agreed to pay royalties to Universal except Milton Bradley and Ralston Purina. A cease and desist (also called C & D) is an order or request to halt an activity or else face legal action The Milton Bradley Company is an American Game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield Massachusetts, in 1860 Nestlé Purina PetCare is the Pet food division of Swiss based Nestlé, following a merger in December 12 2001 between the Nestlé's Friskies ^[51]

Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo, Co. , Ltd. was heard in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by Judge Robert W. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (S Sweet. Over seven days, Universal's counsel, the New York firm Townley & Updike, argued that the names King Kong and Donkey Kong were easily confused and that the plot of the game was an infringement on that of the films. ^[52] Nintendo's counsel, John Kirby, countered that Universal had themselves argued in a previous case that King Kong's scenario and characters were in the public domain. John J Kirby Jr is an American Attorney employed by the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP that has represented a number of notable corporations in legal disputes The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone Judge Sweet ruled in Nintendo's favor, awarding the company Universal's profits from Tiger's game ($56,689. 41), damages, and attorney's fees. ^[53]

Universal appealed, trying to prove consumer confusion by presenting the results of a telephone survey and examples from print media where people had allegedly assumed a connection between the two Kongs. Statistical surveys are used to collect quantitative information about items in a population ^[54] On October 4, 1984, however, the court upheld the previous verdict. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) ^[55]

Nintendo and its licensees filed counterclaims against Universal. A counterclaim is made by the Defendant to a civil proceeding, in a main action against the Plaintiff or against the plaintiff and other people On May 20, 1985, Judge Sweet awarded Nintendo $1. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) 8 million for legal fees, lost revenues, and other expenses. ^[56] However, he denied Nintendo's claim of damages from those licensees who had paid royalties to both Nintendo and Universal. ^[57] Both parties appealed this judgment, but the verdict was upheld on July 15, 1986. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) ^[58]

Nintendo thanked John Kirby with a $30,000 sailboat christened the Donkey Kong along with "exclusive worldwide rights to use the name for sailboats". ^[59] More importantly, the court battle was a rite of passage for the company, teaching Nintendo that they could compete with the giants of the entertainment industry. ^[60]

Legacy

Donkey Kong spawned two direct sequels: Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong 3. For the character of the same name see Donkey Kong Junior. is a 1982 arcade -style platform Video game by Nintendo is the third Video game in the original Donkey Kong series by Nintendo. Mario Bros. is a spin-off featuring Mario. is an Arcade game published and developed by Nintendo in 1983. A sequel to the original arcade game on the Game Boy, simply titled Donkey Kong, pairs Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior. The is a handheld video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. is a platform game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld video game system which also contains puzzle elements It starts with the same damsel-in-distress premise and four basic locations as the arcade game then progresses to 97 additional puzzle-based levels. Nintendo revived the Donkey Kong license in the 1990s for a series of platform games and spin-offs developed by Rare, beginning with Donkey Kong Country in 1994. Rare Ltd (formerly known as Rareware) is a United Kingdom -based video game development company. Donkey Kong Country ( Super Donkey Kong in Japan is a Video game developed by Rare, featuring the popular arcade character Donkey Events 1994 &mdash Nintendo calls this year "1994 The Year of the Cartridge" Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (2005) is the latest in this series. is a Nintendo GameCube Video game featuring the Gorilla Donkey Kong and played with the DK Bongos. Events March 6 &mdash The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within Video game controversy. In 2004, Nintendo released Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a sequel to the Game Boy title. Events January 20 — Wired s Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Mario vs Donkey Kong is a Game Boy Advance Spiritual sequel to the first Donkey Kong game for Game Boy. In it, Mario must chase Donkey Kong to get back the stolen Mini-Mario toys. In the follow-up Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Donkey Kong once again falls in love with Pauline and kidnaps her, and Mario uses the Mini-Mario toys to help him rescue her. Mario vs Donkey Kong 2 March of the Minis, released in Japan as, is the sequel to the Game Boy Advance game Mario vs In 2004, Nintendo released the first of the Donkey Konga games, a series that involves a rhythm-based bongo controller. is a GameCube rhythm game starring the gorilla Donkey Kong, developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. In 2007, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast was released for the Wii. Events March 14: Microsoft announces Games for Windows - Live, a version of Xbox Live for the Windows platform known prior to E3 as Donkey Jet and DK Bongo Blast and known in Europe and Australia as Donkey Kong Jet Race, is a racing Super Smash Bros. Brawl features music from the game arranged by Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka^[61] and a stage called "75m", an almost exact replica of its Donkey Kong namesake. often abbreviated SSBB or Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros is a Japanese Composer and Musician best known for his scores for various Video games produced by Nintendo. ^[62] While the stage contains her items, Pauline is missing from her perch at the top of the stage. ^[63]

Its success entrenched the game in American popular culture. The development of the culture of the United States of America — music, cinema, dance, architecture, literature, poetry In 1982, Buckner and Garcia and R. Buckner & Garcia are a duo consisting of Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia Cade and the Video Victims both recorded songs based on the game. Artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Trace Adkins referenced the game in songs, as did episodes of The Simpsons, Futurama and Fairly Odd Parents. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince was a hip hop group that experienced extreme popularity in the 1980s and 1990s Trace Adkins (born Tracy Darrell Adkins, January 13, 1962 in Springhill Louisiana) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter Futurama is an Emmy Award -winning animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and Even today, sound effects from the Atari 2600 version often serve as generic video game sounds in films and television shows. The Killer List of Videogames ranks Donkey Kong the third most popular arcade game of all time and places it at #25 on the "Top 100 Videogames" list. The Killer List of Videogames (KLOV is a Web site devoted to cataloging Arcade games past and present It was also rated the 148th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Powers Top 200 Games list. Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo. ^[64] Today, Donkey Kong is the fifth most popular arcade game among collectors. ^[65] The 2007 motion picture documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters explores the world of competitive classic arcade gaming and tells the story of Steve Wiebe's quest to beat Billy Mitchell's world high score in Donkey Kong. The King of Kong A Fistful of Quarters is a documentary that follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world High score for the arcade game Steven J Wiebe (ˈwiːbi born c 1969 is a math and science teacher at Finn Hill Junior High, a school in Kirkland, Washington. Biography Mitchell grew up in South Florida and began playing games at age sixteen

Notes

References

External links

• Donkey Kong at the Killer List of Videogames
• Arcade-History.com entry for Donkey Kong
• Donkey Kong at MobyGames
• Donkey Kong guide at StrategyWiki
• A comparison and resource page of classical versions of Donkey Kong