Gee Bee (1978)

Namco's first independently designed video arcade game, Gee Bee combines gameplay elements of pinball and Breakout. There are two paddles, one at the bottom and one in the middle, that stay aligned when moving, so players must pay attention to both when bouncing the ball. There are blocks at the top, sides. and in two tiny compartments on the sides near the bottom. There is also a third, stationary, vertically-oriented paddle in the middle, as well as bumpers to give it a pinball feel. Scoring depends on what objects you hit. This was the first of three similar games designed and developed by Toru Iwatani, the creator of Pac-Man.

• Release Date: October 1, 1978
• Developer: Namco