Keith Ainsworth: It was like instant drama. It really grabbed you. And you'd be shooting back with your little "choo, choo". But the firepower was pathetic. They're coming down, they're attacking you. They are relentless and you've got "choo choo"

Space Invaders game sound effects.

Sheryl Garrett: You'd have dreams where you'd hear them going like, Dum, dum, dum, dum, Dum, dum, dum, dum.

Dave Lee Travis on a 70's TV show does invaders impression: Ehh, ehh, ehh, ehh.

Steve Punt: And you could see people leaning and kind of trying to get away.

Sheryl Garrett: My thumbs would actually ache after a few screens. I didn't have the thumb muscles for it.

Steve Punt: You'd get really wrapped up in it in a desperately sad way.

Keith Ainsworth: Space Invaders was developed in June 1978 by a bloke called Nishikado in Japan. He worked for a company named Taito Corporation.

Nishikado: The original idea was to create a kind of shooting game with several targets on the screen for the player to shoot. I wanted to have human targets but we saw that might be a bit too violent so we decided to use aliens instead.

Keith Ainsworth: In Japan it was huge. They have a game which is based on ball bearings called Pachinko over there.

70's BBC documentary voiceover: You don't have to do anything, you just sit and watch the little balls. With luck you'll win a small prize. A game for fatalists.

Keith Ainsworth: And over night Pachinko parlours were converted into Space Invader dens.

70's BBC documentary voiceover: To repel the invaders takes skill and concentration. The only prize is your own survival.

Nishikado: The highest I ever reached was the third level. Just the third level, that was all.

This document is copyright 2001 Keith Ainsworth and can be found at the Retrogamer fanzine site: http://retrogamer.merseyworld.com/

If you have a sudden desire to play Space Invaders take a look at those available for a wide variety of computers and consoles for sale here.