You controlled a lone space ship at the bottom of the screen, with only left and right directions (thanks to the introduction of the joystick) plus a single shot laser cannon at your disposal.
And Space Invaders really did keep it simple. Space Invaders also introduced the qualities that would go onto define other great games, the ‘one more go’ addiction, the ‘easy to pick up, but difficult to master’ gameplay mechanic. Just like the Fender Stratocaster in world of guitars, ask someone to draw you a video game, and chances are, they’d produce something like Space Invaders. For all intents and purposes, Space Invaders was, and still is, the quintessential video game.
