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Since the creation of OXO and Tennis for Two in 1952 and 1958, video games have witnessed massive growth and transformation. Spanning over half a century, many innovations in this industry have led to some memorable and era-defining moments due to the release of some particularly note-worthy titles. Ranging from a game genre to monetization, these innovations have seen both the ups and downs of this industry.
With that being said, we look at a list of games that caused ripples across the world and why they are relevant even in 2024.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.
5 games that paved the path for the current video games industry
1) Doom
Widely considered the father of modern FPS games, DOOM (1993), published by ID Software, is a game where players assume the role of a space marine, battling through masses of undead humans on the moon of Mars and then later in Hell.
Even though the environment was presented in 3D, the game was essentially dubbed 2.5D because the enemies were in a 2D perspective. Doom also had multiplayer modes available, where players could complete the campaign together or face each other in a deathmatch format.
DOOM (1993) was the inspiration for Quake, often cited as one of the best video games ever made. Unlike the Doom Engine in DOOM (1993), Quake had a Quake Engine that offered real-time 3D rendering and early support for 3D acceleration.
2) Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 was the first 3D Super Mario video game that captured the world's attention by introducing a three-dimensional environment in a Super Mario playstyle set in an open world. In the game, Mario is on a mission to save Princess Peach from Bowser, who has invaded the princess' castle and hidden its defensive power sources.
Super Mario 64 received critical acclaim as a wildly anticipated title due to its gameplay and visuals. It is the best-selling Nintendo 64 game, and for all the right reasons.
Its influence on future 3D platform video games is undebatable because of its innovative and dynamic camera. This led to an industry-wide step forward towards making game environments three-dimensional and further innovations like real-time 3D rendering with support for 3D acceleration.
3) ZT Online
ZT Online is a Chinese MMO that first introduced the concept of loot boxes in the form of treasure chests to video games. To be opened, these chests required keys, which, in turn, needed to be purchased by players.
Even though the cost of the latter was incredibly cheap for its time, players voiced concerns that opening such chests was equivalent to gambling because the chances of dropping good items from the chests were as low as their price.
This monetization method caught the attention of publishers worldwide because players started spending large sums of money on drops of items in the game, leading to an industry-wide adoption of the loot box system that corrupted the essence of video games by involving gambling in them.
Over time, this led to several lawsuits against big-time publishers, who were eventually asked to drop the system entirely and/or mention the drop rate of items in demand in the games.
4) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1983 to 1985 was historically a terrible time for the gaming industry because of what is now known as the video game crash of 1983. Owing to numerous factors, the crash sent waves across the industry as the games produced were in surplus. It was a time when video game consoles were easily available and competing against each other.
Games during this period were noticeably unfavorable, and Pac-Man, ported by Atari, was widely criticized for its disgraceful state. Atari had overestimated the title's sales by a wide margin, which led to them suffering a significant financial loss along with having to dump millions of Pac-Man games in a landfill.
Later, Atari released the now infamous video game E.T., which many regard as the reason that led to the company's death.
With some initial success, Atari developed hostile relations with retailers due to updates in its contract to get exclusive rights with a select few distributors. This led to a widespread cancellation of orders of E.T., which were initially ordered more than expected to be sold. Coupled with the financial stress of a film license, the surplus or orders returned became the final nail in the coffin for Atari.
5) Minecraft
Sandbox games center around creativity without any specific end goal. This term was coined after being inspired by a sandbox that children play with in parks where they can create anything. Such games have freedom of progression and create an exciting new experience for players every time.
Even though the early sandbox games were Elite (1984) and SimCity (1989), the most well-known and definitive sandbox game that established pillars of the genre was Minecraft.
Developed by Mojang Studios, it has seen tremendous success, selling over 300 million copies to date. The iconic blocky world and environments are widely recognizable. There are two different modes for players with varying interests.
This procedurally generated gameworld offers a variety of content ranging from user-made to servers. Minecraft has received critical acclaim and awards for all the right reasons.
