Handheld video game:Epoch's Football Pro Bowl

Dedicated handheld video games appeared on the market in the second half of the 1970s, notably with Mattel's Auto Race and Electronic Football. In 1980, Japanese game developer Gunpei Yokoi designed the Game & Watch series, which helped bring the idea of portable gaming into mainstream popular culture. Several other companies, including Epoch, jumped on the bandwagon and contributed their own designs. Sports-themed games became a staple for nearly every company, as so many gamers were already familiar with their rules and mechanics. Soon it because just as easy to play football, baseball, and soccer while traveling in a car or train as it was in a backyard or park.