Hey everybody. I'm curently writing a paper for school on narratives in videogame and i decided to go back to the arcade games to find the first uses of naration. According to you, what is the first game that really tried to include a story? Also, what is the first game that included character power-ups (the videogame equivalent of character evolution)?

Also, feal free to comment on the subject!

Thanks to all.

Pong. Oh the drama.

Hmmm... I think that the first to use a basic story line would be donkey Kong, with Jumpman (Mario) desperately trying to save his girlfriend from the evil clutches of that kooky gorilla...

...HOW HIGH CAN YOU GET?    

As for a real story-based game... Dragon' Lair?

But the one game that made the story-based game explode onto the scene really was Super Mario Bros. As much as this can be debatable, it really was the game that paved the way for most story-based games.

I actually agree with you on that Sparky

I also consider Mario to be the first great exemple of narative usage in videogame. As a mather of fact, it was the first subject of my essay, but i decided to go further down in videogame history.

I also think that the first games that relied on character design, (a first step toward narative in videogames) are space invaders, with the design of the aliens and, of course, Pac-Man. The "starring" intro, showing the characters and their names, seams like a true predecesor to story based games.

Donkey Kong was really a pioneer I find.
Was first sort of story line and first character animated also.
Then pacman allot of people think pacman was first but was donkey Kong and jumpman where.

Quoted from ethous

Donkey Kong was really a pioneer I find.
Was first sort of story line and first character animated also.
Then pacman allot of people think pacman was first but was donkey Kong and jumpman where.

Well... pacman is 1980 and Donkey Kong is 1981 so pacman is the first of those 2.  Donkey Kong is probably the 1st with a story behind it though.

Acording to wikipedia, Pacman came out in 1980 and DK in 1981.

Quoted from newf112

Well... pacman is 1980 and Donkey Kong is 1981 so pacman is the first of those 2.  Donkey Kong is probably the 1st with a story behind it though.

Then there's puckman in '79...
http://klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9149

But honestly between jumpman and pacman one nicer  

To me, a 'true' story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Pac-man might have the start of some character, especially with Ms. Pac-man ("They meet..."), but Donkey Kong goes a step further with an identifiable hero/villain with something at stake (your girlfriend). Even though the game never ends, the story ends when you defeat the second level (by removing the supports under Donkey Kong). So, I'd say Donkey Kong was the first ever video game with a hero, villain, beginning, and end.

What about powerups? I can't see any games that uses them before pacman.