Boulder Dash was originally released in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers. It was developed and published by First Star Software, and spawned a series of sequels, re-releases, and spinoffs. It also did a great deal to establish and influence the mining genre of video games, which can be seen in modern games such as Minecraft, Spelunky, and Terraria.

The game's protagonist, named "Rockford", must dig through caves collecting gems and diamonds and reach the exit within a specified time limit, while avoiding various types of dangerous creatures as well as obstacles like falling rocks and the constant danger of being crushed or trapped by an avalanche, or killed by an underground explosion.