Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is a landmark video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and first released by Nintendo in 1981. The original arcade game introduced players to a narrative where a carpenter named Jumpman, who would later become known as Mario, must rescue his girlfriend Pauline from a giant, barrel-throwing ape named Donkey Kong. This game is often credited with establishing the platformer genre and introducing several key elements that would become staples in video gaming, such as multi-stage levels and jump-based mechanics.