Sports have been featured in video games for as long as video games have existed. Pong, the very first commercially successful arcade game, was based on tennis, and the list of sports-based video games builds quickly from there. Before 1983, however, there hadn't really been any video games that challenged players to events in different sports all in the same game. That changed with two new games: The Activision Decathlon for home systems, and Konami's Track and Field for arcades.
First known as Hyper Olympic in Konami's home country of Japan, Track and Field collects several Olympic sporting events into one game. Players must excel in each event if they want to continue playing. The events are the 100 Meter Dash, the Long Jump, the 110 Meter Hurdles, the Hammer Throw, and the High Jump. To give players a better feel of playing sports, the game requires hitting two "run" buttons as quickly as possible for speed. Then, for all events except the 100 Meter Dash, an action button must be hit at the right moment, and held down for the right amount of time, for the perfect jump or throw. Players who meet or beat the qualifying statistic may continue to the next event. Up to four people could play together in the original arcade game, allowing for competition among friends as well as against the computer.
Track and Field was successful enough that Atari handled porting the game to several home consoles and computers. These home versions are noteworthy for being among the last games Atari Inc. published before the company split, and also for the special controller included in every box, which mimicked the arcade game's three-button control scheme. These controllers were an excellent alternative to conventional joysticks, which games like The Activision Decathlon still required, and are highly prized among collectors today.
Track and Field spawned many sequels, one of which even had official ties to the Olympic games: Nagano Winter Olympics '98, or Hyper Olympics in Nagano as it was known in Japan. More important to its legacy is the proliferation of multiple-sports titles since Track and Field's release. Games like California Games, Skate or Die and Wii Sports all owe a nod to the original Track and Field.