Donkey Kong (arcade game)

Donkey Kong
Small model based on original arcade cabinet
Developer(s)	Nintendo Research & Development 1
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Producer(s)	Gunpei Yokoi
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto Gunpei Yokoi
Composer(s)	Yukio Kaneoka
Series	Donkey Kong Mario
Platform(s)	Arcade Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, C64, Intellivision, MSX, NES, PC booter, TI-99/4a, VIC-20, ZX Spectrum, Game Boy Advance
Release	April 22, 1981 Arcade JP: July 9, 1981 NA: April 22, 1981 Intellivision NA: March 3, 1982 Game & Watch JP: June 3, 1982 ColecoVision NA: December 31, 1982 Atari 2600 NA: 1982 Atari 8-bit family NA: June 1, 1983 Famicom/NES JP: July 15, 1983 NA: June 1, 1986 EU: October 15, 1986 TI-99/4a NA: 1983 IBM PC Booter NA: 1983 Commodore 64 & VIC-20 NA: 1983 MSX EU: 1986 ZX Spectrum EU: 1986 Amstrad CPC EU: 1986 Famicom Disk System JP: April 8, 1988 Atari 7800 NA: 1988 Game Boy Advance e-Reader NA: November 11, 2002 Retail JP: February 14, 2004 NA: June 7, 2004 EU: July 10, 2004 Wii Virtual Console (regular) NA: November 19, 2006 JP: December 2, 2006 EU: December 8, 2006 Virtual Console (Original Edition) Promotion EU: October 29, 2010 TRS-80 CoCo NA: ?? Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console (regular) JP: October 17, 2012 NA: August 15, 2013 PAL: November 21, 2013 Virtual Console (Original Edition) Promotion JP: July 28, 2012 NA: October 1, 2012 Purchase EU: September 18, 2014 AU: September 19, 2014 Wii U Virtual Console WW: July 15, 2013
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	1-2 players alternating
Cabinet	Upright, mini, and cocktail
Arcade system	Radar Scope
CPU	Main: Z80 @ 3.072 MHz Sound: i8035 @ 400 kHz
Sound	DAC @ 400 kHz, Samples @ 400 kHz
Display	Raster monitor (vertical), 224×256 resolution, 256 out of 768 colors

Donkey Kong (Japanese: ドンキーコング, Hepburn: Donkī Kongu^?) is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Mario (originally named Mr. Video and then Jumpman) must rescue a damsel in distress named Pauline (originally named Lady), from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo's most popular and recognizable characters. Donkey Kong is one of the most important titles from the Golden Age of Video Arcade Games, and is one of the most popular arcade games of all time.

The game was the latest in a series of efforts by Nintendo to break into the North American market. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president at the time, assigned the project to a first-time video game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations, including Popeye, Beauty and the Beast, and King Kong, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside Nintendo's chief engineer, Gunpei Yokoi. The two men broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cutscenes to advance the game's plot, and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay.