History of Nintendo
In 1972, the first commercially available video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, had a light gun accessory, the Shooting Gallery. This was the first involvement of Nintendo in video games. According to Martin Picard in the "International Journal of Computer Game Research": "in 1971, Nintendo had -- even before the marketing of the first home console in the United States -- an alliance with the American pioneer Magnavox to develop and produce optoelectronic guns for the Odyssey (released in 1972), since it was similar to what Nintendo was able to offer in the Japanese toy market in 1970s".
Nintendo arcade machines
The company's first electronic video game was an adaptation of the board game "Reversi", released in 1978. Many of Nintendo's first coin-operated, electronic arcade games were slight variations on existing games, known as knockoffs or clones. Later in 1978, Nintendo released a "Breakout" clone, based on the popular arcade game. The company's most famous arcade games would be "Donkey Kong" (1981) and "Mario Bros." (1983).