Year: 1984 Platform: C64, Apple II, NES Mining might be inexplicably big in gaming right now, but Boulder Dash is the game that kicked it all off. The game puts players in control of Rockford, who must mine through underground caves in order to grab gems and reach the exit before either the timer runs out or he's killed by nasty creatures. The push-your-luck gameplay was incredibly fun and addictive, while the challenging gameplay kept arcade players pumping in coins all day long. Many ports followed, and Boulder Dash still has a wealth of imitators and homages even today.
