is an
arcade video game developed by
Tomohiro Nishikado and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by
Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the
Midway division of
Bally.
Space Invaders is one of the earliest
shooting games and the aim is to defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon to earn as many points as possible. In designing the game, Nishikado drew inspiration from popular media:
Breakout,
The War of the Worlds, and
Star Wars. To complete it, he had to design custom hardware and development tools.