The Konami Code was first used in the release of Gradius (1986), a scrolling shooter for the NES[11] and was popularized among North American players in the NES version of Contra. The code is also known as the "Contra Code" and "30 Lives Code", since the code provided the player 30 extra lives in Contra. The code has been used to help novice players progress through the game.[10][12]