Dig Dug

1982 arcade game created by Namco

Original description from the source, not translated.

YEAR 1982

GENRE Action

PLATFORM Microsoft Windows, iOS, Commodore 64, Famicom Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit family, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, MSX, Commodore VIC-20

ABOUT THE GAME

Dig Dug is a 1982 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was released by Atari, Inc. in North America. The player digs underground tunnels in each level to escape and attack enemy characters, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rocks. Dig Dug was planned and designed by Masahisa Ikegami with help from Galaga creator Shigeru Yokoyama. It was programmed for the Namco Galaga arcade board by Shouichi Fukatani, who worked on many of Namco's earlier arcade games, along with Toshio Sakai. Music was composed by Yuriko Keino, including the character movement jingle at executives' request, as her first Namco game. Namco heavily marketed it as a "strategic digging game". Upon release, Dig Dug was well received by critics for its engaging gameplay and kawaii character design. During the golden age of arcade video games, it was globally successful, including as the second highest-grossing arcade game of 1982 in Japan. It prompted a long series of sequels and spin-offs, including the Mr. Driller series, for several platforms. It is in many Namco video game compilations for many systems.

Source: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0 — Dig Dug · retrieved October 19, 2026

PROVENANCE

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