Whether MMORPG, shooter or beat ’em up, jumping is one of the core mechanics in many games and even founded a whole genre. But what was the first game where you could jump?
Hardly any other mechanic is as important across genres and used in so many different ways as jumping. We jump into shooters, into MMORPGs, into beat ’em ups, and even into some sports games.
Jumping is not only used in the different titles to overcome blockades or the like, but is also often an important part of movement in fights against the AI or even against other players.
But the fact that we can jump in video games at all today is thanks to a cartoon hero that most of you probably know.
A gorilla revolutionizes gaming
What was the first game where you could jump? The internet has been in agreement for years, 1981’s Donkey Kong was the first game where you could really jump. But was the first game to have a jump mechanic?
Alongside Super Mario, Pikachu, Crash Bandicoot and Zelda, Donkey Kong is one of the greatest icons in video game history and one of the most successful slot games to date. On the way to help a young woman in need, the player has to climb the different levels of the obstacle course as well as jump over barrels that Donkey Kong throws at us and which then roll along the playing surface.
When it comes to just jumping, which is the movement of pushing your legs off the ground, Steeplechase is the first game that allowed you to jump.
Steeplechase is a game that appeared on the Atari in 1975. However, in Steeplechase you cannot jump freely or determine the direction. You race along a linear racetrack like on rails and press the button that triggers the jump.
Which game had more influence on today’s jumping? In Donkey Kong, jumping is more elaborate. It’s not just a push of a button anymore, it’s like a real mechanic. We jump in different directions and use the movement to pass the level.
So the influence of the iconic gorilla on the jumping mechanics could be considered greater than the influence of Steeplechase – at least if we look at subsequent titles like Super Mario Bros. or Crash Bandicoot.
However, even though it’s significantly more limited in performing a jump, steeplechase still deserves a mention among the games that established jumping in the video game world. It is not certain which title was ultimately decisive for jumping.
For anyone who wants to get nostalgic again and watch a Donkey Kong gameplay, we include a video from the YouTube channel Carls493. The version shown there is an emulation of the Japanese slot machine game.
Jumping evolved and established an entire genre
What genre did jumping create? The world of video games offers a wide range of different genres. Many are dominated by the jumping mechanic, but one relies on it: the Jump ‘n’ Round games.
In jump ‘n’ run games you have to do exactly what the title suggests – jump and run. One game in particular was created within this genre and founded what is probably the best-known franchise in the video game industry: The “Super Mario” franchise was created around Super Mario Bros.
The legendary platformer Super Mario Bros. came out in 1985 and took jumping in video games to a whole new level. Not only that: Super Mario began his journey there and subsequently established himself as the protagonist of numerous games.
Lost Ark, Rainbow Six and Co. – Games that do without jumping
Which games do without jumping? Some of the biggest games in the world use the jumping mechanic, which players love and sometimes overuse. These include huge shooter series like Call of Duty and Battlefield, but also MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and beat ’em ups like Street Fighter. But there are also examples of successful games that do without jumping altogether.
Among the MMORPGs, Lost Ark is probably the biggest game in which players cannot jump. It’s similar in Diablo Immortal.
But there is also an offshoot of the shooters that has been successful for years and does not have a built-in jump mechanism: Rainbow Six Siege.
While Ubisoft’s tactical shooter lets you jump over objects and even be roped onto a roof, you can’t stand in an open space and just hop in the air or leap forward if there’s no surmountable obstacle nearby.
What do you think of the jumping mechanics in games? In your opinion, could shooters like CoD or MMORPGs like WoW do without jumping because you consider it unnecessary or is jumping a mechanic that you don’t want to do without?
If you are interested in other interesting trivia about gaming and technology, MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann will tell you where the mouse on the PC actually got its name from.
Why is a mouse for the PC actually called a mouse?