Since their founding, video games have advanced significantly. They have evolved from pixelated experiments into a billion-dollar franchise that has taken its roots in our culture, technology, and entertainment. Along the way, a few titles have been groundbreaking, influencing how games are made and how we think about them as an art form.
Video games are now a medium of storytelling, competition, and creativity. They have defined new genres, set new standards, and created trends that still continue to influence the gaming industry. Video games have gone through a technological leap over the years. But there are some titles that laid the foundation for the many games that followed it.
Most Influential Video Games
Let’s take a look at seven of the most influential video games of all time and see why they achieved their place in this list.
1. Super Mario Bros (1985)
Developed by Shigeru Miyamoto and his team, Super Mario Bros is a Nintendo classic game. The game was the first to introduce the side-scrolling genre to the world. It set the standard for video game design with its tight controls, imaginative levels, and memorable characters.
In the game, players control Mario or his brother Luigi through the Mushroom Kingdom to try to rescue Princess Toadstool from the evil King Koopa (later renamed Bowser). It is one of the best-selling games of all time and has been re-released with updates many times.
2. Pong (1972)
Pong was one of the entry games in the world of video games. For many people, it is the first video game that they tried playing. Pong helped to establish the foundation of the video game industry. Even the concept of arcade gaming was first made popular by Pong. The game was created more than 50 years ago, but even now the game industry sees it in high regard for introducing a global market to the concept of video gaming.
This game was created by Allan Alcorn, who worked at Atari. It was just a trial game, but his managers were impressed with the game and decided to officially release it. That game then went on to become the world’s first successful video game commercially.
3. The Legend Of Zelda (1986)
The Legend of Zelda set the base for the action-adventure genre of video games. Created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda set up the concept of open-world exploration in video games.
In the game, players control Link as he goes on an action-adventure journey, solves puzzles, and battles enemies to rescue Princess Zelda and conquer the evil Ganon. The game has influenced games over decades to inspire many modern action-adventure games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Assassin’s Creed.
4. Pac-Man
Pac-Man is a game that is soaked in nostalgia. It was the first to introduce the maze-chase genre of video games to the world of video games. Pac-Man also helped promote the idea of having characters with distinguished personalities in video games. It also introduced many of the gameplay elements that are now very commonly seen in maze chase games.
The game influenced many other popular titles of the time, such as Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Ghost ‘n Goblins. The game was initially called Puck Man and was inspired by the shape of a pizza with a missing slice. In the game, players control Pac-Man, who moves through a maze while avoiding contact with ghosts and collecting pellets with the goal of getting more points. Pac-Man was designed by Toru Iwatani.
5. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Grand Theft Auto (GTA 3) is a video game that took the gaming world by storm. It was the first to popularize the open-world genre and some elements of sandbox-style gameplay. It set the stage for a whole series of games of GTA that followed after the success of GTA III. Additionally, it has impacted modern open-world games like Watch Dogs and Sleeping Dogs.
In the game, players take on the role of a criminal and move through an open-world environment set in San Diego. Players get to complete a variety of missions and engage in some illegal activities as part of the criminal underworld. Did you know that the GTA 3’s development team had to create a new video game engine to support the game’s high-performance graphics? Well, the more you know.
6. Tetris (1985)
Tetris is a puzzle video game that became influential as it popularized the genre of puzzle games. It was one of the first games ever to be played on a handheld gaming device. It became very successful due to its appeal to a mass audience of a wide age group and is one of the best-selling games of all time.
The Guinness World Record for the most games ported to other platforms is held by this one. The game is played by rotating and moving falling blocks to form straight lines and clearing these from the screen. It was created by programmer Alexey Pajitnov on his own on an Electronika 60 device.
7. Minecraft (2011)
Minecraft is a sandbox game that was for many people their first experience playing a sandbox-building game genre. Developed and published by Mojang Studios, which is a Swedish video game developer, Minecraft is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It showed the world the creative potential of sandbox-building games. It also introduced many gameplay elements that are now seen in modern games like Roblox, Terraria, and Dragon Quest Builders.
In this game, players get to explore, mine resources, and build structures with the help of blocks in a randomly generated world. It was originally created by Markus “Notch” Persson, who designed the game as a side hobby while he worked as a game developer.
Explore more: The List Of Two-Player Games For Every Mood And Occasion
Conclusion
These seven games above entertained millions across the world. They shaped the industry, influencing how games are made, marketed, and played. The gaming culture it has created is quite strong. Some of the video game characters are rooted in our minds forever. These video games have resulted in establishing new genres and redefined what games can achieve creatively and socially.
These games ultimately represent milestones in gaming history. The legacy they have left continues to inspire new generations of developers and players. If you are a gamer, chances are you have already felt their influence, either directly or indirectly, in the games you love to play today.
