Pitfall! in the context of "Platform video game"

A platformer (also called a platform game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels with uneven terrain and suspended platforms that require jumping and climbing to traverse. Other acrobatic maneuvers may factor into the gameplay, such as swinging from vines or grappling hooks, jumping off walls, gliding through the air, or bouncing from springboards or trampolines.

The genre started with the 1980 arcade video game Space Panic, which has ladders but not jumping. Donkey Kong, released in 1981, established a template for what were initially called "climbing games". Donkey Kong inspired many clones and games with similar elements, such as Miner 2049er (1982) and Kangaroo (1982), while the Sega arcade game Congo Bongo (1983) adds a third dimension via isometric graphics. Another popular game of that period, Pitfall! (1982), allows moving left and right through series of non-scrolling screens, expanding the play area. Nintendo's flagship Super Mario Bros. (1985) and the subsequent Super Mario series were the defining games for the genre, with horizontally scrolling levels and the player controlling a named character, Mario, which became Nintendo's mascot. The terms platform game and platformer gained traction in the late 1980s.

The 1980s was the second decade in the industry's history. It was a decade of highs and lows for video games. The decade began amidst a boom in the arcade video game business with the golden age of arcade video games, the Atari 2600's dominance of the home console market during the second generation of video game consoles, and the rising influence of home computers. However, an oversatuation of low quality games led to an implosion of the video game market that nearly destroyed the industry in North America. Most investors believed video games to be a fad that had since passed, up until Nintendo's success with its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES, Famicom) revived interest in game consoles and led to a recovery of the home video game industry. In the remaining years of the decade, Sega ignites a console war with Nintendo, developers that had been affected by the crash experimented with PC games, and Nintendo released the Game Boy, which would become the best-selling handheld gaming device for the next two decades. Other consoles released in the decade included the Intellivision, ColecoVision, TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) and Sega Genesis (Mega Drive).

Notable games of the 1980s included Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Tetris, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Double Dragon, Punch-Out!!, Contra, Mega Man 2, SimCity, Prince of Persia, Gauntlet, Gradius, Out Run, Defender, Missile Command, Frogger, Q*bert, Dig Dug, Pitfall!, Elite, and Maniac Mansion.