Nowadays video games are unquestionably a massive part of pop culture and an endlessly growing force in the entertainment industry with billions in profit, but this wasn’t always the case. It took many years for gaming culture to attract so many die-hard fans worldwide. Here we present the iconic pioneers that paved the way for gaming to go mainstream, and the games still influencing our culture today.
Spacewar! (1962) – A gamer today would probably laugh at the primitive graphics and nonexistent special effects in Spacewar! but this, ladies and gents, is considered by experts and video game historians to be the first video game in history, since it was the first original electronic game not based on an existing board game. Its plot is ridiculously simple compared to modern games, as Spacewar! pits two spaceships against each other, both orbiting a central star.
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Pong (1972) – Pong wasn’t the first arcade game, but it was the first to achieve mainstream popularity. Soon after the release of the first arcade cabinet of Pong, thousands more were sold worldwide with youngsters and adults getting in line to play and enjoy the futuristic experience Pong offered back in the early ’70s. A couple years later, a home version was developed and enjoyed even greater commercial success.
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Pac-Man (1980) – Pac-Man was a landmark in video game history, and arguably the most successful and popular arcade game of all time. One of the highest-grossing video games ever, Pac-Man managed to generate a whopping USD 2.5 billion in quarters within the first 10 years of its release. The most decorated “ambassador” of the golden age of arcade games, Pac-Man is now part of the collection of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, as well as New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
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Tetris (1984) – Tetris is to video games what Elvis Presley is to the music industry: the biggest-selling video game in history, with an astonishing half a billion copies sold in physical and download format. Considered one of the world’s most addictive video games, its name was even borrowed by the field of psychiatry to describe a mental disorder related to compulsive behavior and obsessive thoughts known as the Tetris effect.
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Super Mario Bros. (1985) – In 1981 Mario made his first appearance in another iconic video game, Donkey Kong. Four years later, Super Mario Bros. – the first in the series – was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, but no one could ever imagine what would follow. 32 years later, and after an astonishing 550 million copies of the Mario series sold, IGN (the bible of video games) ranks Super Mario as the best game franchise of all time.
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Street Fighter II (1991) – Street Fighter II is regarded as the most iconic fighting game ever, with millions of fans around the world. More importantly, it was the game that reinvigorated the arcade industry in the early 1990s. Achieving a level of commercial success not seen in a long time, Street Fighter II became the best-selling arcade game since the golden age of arcade video games, and made those outdated coin-operated entertainment machines cool again.
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Doom (1993) – The first-person shooter genre had been around since the early 1970s, but nobody seemed to care or pay attention to it. Then, two decades later, Doom entered our lives and changed it all. Undoubtedly one of the most influential video games out there, Doom popularised the now-omnipresent first-person shooter, while its hero – an unnamed space marine who gamers baptised “Doomguy” – is considered one of the most beloved characters in gaming history.
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Need for Speed (1994) – There have been hundreds of racing video games in the past four decades, but none of them ever managed to reach the status Need for Speed has achieved. With more than 150 million copies sold globally, a Hollywood film inspired by the game, and critical acclaim from most game reviewers, the Need for Speed series has transformed the action-racing genre from a simple field of competition between players into a game with millions of hard-core fans around the world.
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Resident Evil (1996) – Sure, Resident Evil wasn’t the first horror video game to be released, but it was without doubt THE game that legitimised horror in the gaming world. Since its debut in 1996, other games in the series have followed, and it has inspired six Hollywood blockbusters starring Milla Jovovich, in addition to graphic novels and animated films that have made Capcom billions.
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Final Fantasy VII (1997) – You might hear some experts argue that it was Final Fantasy VII’s status as an early PlayStation 1 exclusive that gave Sony the push it needed to compete in and eventually dominate the video game industry. However, the real reason this game is legendary is because Final Fantasy VII was the first in history to push each of its separate components – including music, plot, graphics and character building – to totally new heights.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) – Considered by pretty much everyone to be the best Zelda game, Ocarina of Time is the highest-reviewed game of all time with a Metacritic score of 99/100, and many critics and gamers hail it as the best game, period. But is it the best? Probably not, but the fact that it has one of the largest and most fanatic fan bases clearly shows its vast impact.
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The Sims (2000) – In The Sims, there’s no storyline, no heroes or villains, not even a true goal or purpose. Instead, you get a chance to build your own virtual world from scratch and be whoever you want to be. The original game became a massive success overnight and went on to sell an unexpected 16 million units – 100 times Electronic Art’s original projection of 160,000 units, earning a position in the Guinness Book of World Records.
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Grand Theft Auto III (2001) – This game’s motto was “Go anywhere and do anything,” something that was totally unfamiliar to gamers 16 years ago. Whether you’re a fan or not, there’s no way around the fact that Grand Theft Auto III’s open-ended gameplay elements restructured the way the majority of video games are now made, changing the gaming landscape for good with its immersive open-world sandbox.
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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) – Despite the original Tomb Raider being first released in 1996, it was only when it was repackaged as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001 that the game went from ‘just good’ to icon status. Hollywood went on to produce two blockbusters based on the game’s plot, with the eponymous character portrayed by Angelina Jolie, and the game series eventually sold over 35 million copies worldwide. It’s now widely regarded as one of the main pioneers of the action-adventure genre.
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Call of Duty (2003) – Call of Duty didn’t invent or pioneer the first-person shooter genre, but millions of diehard fans will tell you that it took it to another level. Mainly focused on one of the most horrific and significant events in history, World War II, the Call of Duty series has sold over a quarter billion copies worldwide, its sales in the US alone having generated a whopping USD 15 billion in profit.
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God of War (2005) – God of War was first released in 2005 exclusively for PlayStation 2 and quickly became one of the best-selling games in the world, helping the console to establish its commercial dominance in the mid-2000s. Loosely based on Greek mythology, God of War is set in ancient Greece and the protagonist, Kratos, has become one of the most recognised video game characters ever. A novelisation of the game was published in May 2010, and a film adaptation has been in development for years, with an estimated budget of USD 200 million.
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Wii Sports (2006) – When Nintendo announced the coming of Wii Sports in 2006, no one could have imagined what would follow. In what’s considered one of the most significant revolutions in gaming history, Nintendo incorporated the latest motion-sensing technology to give gamers the kind of freedom they had never experienced before: actually swing a tennis racket or baseball bat, kick a ball, or throw a jab instead of pressing a button. Besides making gaming healthier, Wii Sports became the best-selling game of all time for a single platform, breaking the record of another epic Nintendo game: Super Mario Bros.
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BioShock (2007) – BioShock probably combines action-adventure, horror and first-person shooter better than any other video game in history and also introduces its players to a terrifying but intriguing dystopia: Rapture, a massive underwater city forged by the dreams of Andrew Ryan to escape from the political, social and religious anxieties of a post-World-War-II society. The game has received praise from fans worldwide for its incredible artistry and compelling storytelling, while experts consider it a work of art – a true gem of the industry.
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Assassin’s Creed (2007) – When Assassin’s Creed came out a decade ago, the action-adventure genre experienced a unique resurgence thanks to the smart concept of this game. Blending historical fiction and characters with real events and figures, Assassin’s Creed opened up new horizons in the gaming industry and inspired Hollywood to produce a blockbuster with Michael Fassbender as Aguilar de Nerha, a Master Assassin of the Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins during the 15th and 16th centuries.
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The Last of Us (2013) – You might be wondering how a game that was released only 4 years ago can already be considered a classic. According to IGN, The Last of Us is an “action-adventure survival horror masterpiece” and PlayStation 3’s best exclusive. The game has become one of the most awarded video games of all time, winning over 240 Game of the Year awards since its release. Good enough reasons to call a game a classic, no?
Sorry, But Tomb Raider set the standard, Lara Croft Tomb Raider was just another rehash of an already gnare defining game.
Yuriy Batya Zagura
Posted at 09:40h, 14 July
Fallout, Angry birds
Vojtěch Červenka
Posted at 15:27h, 14 July
splinter cell – ratchet and clank – gran turismo – halo – killzone – wipeout – tekken – battlefield – vrash bandicoot – spyro and other giants – very subjective but still funny list
Amex Essentials
Posted at 12:45h, 17 July
Thanks for these great suggestions. You’re absolutely right, that these kinds of lists are always subjective, but we’re happy to inspire debate and to put a spotlight on the gaming world, which has had such a huge influence on popular culture.
Diablo should be on the list, and Thief, too (revolutionized the First Person genre).
I mean, there’s a reason 99% of Action Rpgs are called “Diablo clones 😛 “.
Mark T. Henderson
Posted at 04:39h, 17 July
The sad fact is that not the original pictures used but the “modern variants”. This will confuse young people, who will not see how the actual game looked.
Mark T. Henderson
Posted at 04:40h, 17 July
Also, it was Wolfenstein 3D which started it all, not Doom.
Nicolas Quintana Zunino
Posted at 00:12h, 18 July
read properly, they said FPS genre was already two decades old when doom arrived, the game just made it famous to everybody else in the gaming community, not just fans of the FPS. And also no, W3D didn’t start it all, not by far.
Mark T. Henderson
Posted at 03:50h, 18 July
Not to argue, but I never said Wolf was the first. Doom was a success because of Wolf and the lesser known ones like Blake Stone. I meant that they were the breakthrough, and not Doom – it perfected the already layed out path.
Andrei Nartea
Posted at 19:14h, 21 July
YEP.
Mauro Rodrigues
Posted at 23:44h, 17 July
simcity is missing
Davy Haegeman
Posted at 18:48h, 18 July
Simcity, Age of Empires, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Angry Birds, but a pretty nice list though
Amex Essentials
Posted at 07:59h, 19 July
Thanks, Davy, excellent suggestions. The article could easily have been a Top 50!
I think the list is very good, but considering revolution of pop culture by some video games (and within gaming industry) some other classics should/could have made the list:
– Metal Gear Solid (1998)
– Gran Turismo (1997)
– Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1997)
– The Revenge of Shinobi (1989)
– Mortal Kombat (1992)
Dados
Posted at 09:04h, 23 July
Good list but really? Alot of these games didn’t really change pop culture.
A game that dit: Pokemon red and blue in 1996. Love it or hate it, but it acctually changed pop culture all over the world.
Cristy Stanciu
Posted at 20:06h, 23 July
starcraft!, red alert, counter strike, diablo.
Aleksandar Tasevski
Posted at 05:48h, 24 July
Half life is one of top 10 FPS games…
alko
Posted at 08:44h, 25 July
no pokemon
no simcity
no civ
no half life
no ridgeracer/daytona
no ArmA
no Raiden
no SNAKE for java phones… lol 😉
cmon be serious …
Amex Essentials
Posted at 20:51h, 26 July
Haha, thanks, some great suggestions and many gamers will agree with you. It was an impossible choice.
Johnny Smith
Posted at 18:10h, 07 August
most you mentioned are not really iconic in any way, apart maybe from civ
Quintox
Posted at 14:28h, 11 August
Half-Life pioneered story driven FPS, Pokemon’s impact is still strong to this day ( It’s the turn based rpg as to what Super Mario is to platformers ).
The rest I don’t see as iconic either.. good games don’t make them iconic.
alko
Posted at 09:13h, 20 August
pokemon-> pratically defined a 2 (TWO!) generations of gamers on portable consoles.
simcity-> defined a genre back in the days
civ-> defined a genre back in the days
halflife-> disrupted a genre , cannot count innovations that game introducted.
90’s arcade racers-> started 3d era to masses along with 3d fighting games (tekken, virtua fighter ect)
ArmA-> not “popular” but the most important shooter at today on PC .
Raiden-> defined the reinessance of a genre and set new standars
Snake on cell phones-> opened to BILLIONS of people the concept of portable gaming.
first java games and Nintendo DS Nintendogs pratically saved portable gaming where nokia sony and Microsoft failed. (apple never market and promoted iphone as a gaming console , they tried with apple tv instead and failed hard)
Kim Ursin
Posted at 17:15h, 25 July
In Europe the 8-bit computer, C64, Spectrum, Amstrad and later Amiga changed the culture, looking at this list, its very clear that the staff is below 30. A LOT happen in the 80’s and 90’s.
Ballock
Posted at 02:43h, 26 July
Indeed a lot did happen in the 80’s and 90’s. But this is a list of iconic games not systems.
Jorgebuja
Posted at 09:48h, 26 July
Sorry, also a European here, in my late 30’s. Spent hours and hours in front of my Amstrad CPC… and I’m afraid no game from that era has made it to “pop-culture” status as much as those described in the list. Could argue about not including Metal Gear or Pokémon, but Head over Heels or Match Day are certainly not as popular as Lara Corft, Mario or Link.
Fernando Reyes
Posted at 10:14h, 26 July
Zack McKracken on 8-bit Computers had quite an impact on “pop-culture” or Test Drive (early Need-for-speed?).
Metal Gear or Splinter Cell missing in that list is IMHO a shame.
Adura
Posted at 14:20h, 19 August
The staff is more likely below 20. Not even World of Warcraft is on the list. A game which not only created mainstream Online Gaming entirely, something which probably resulted mainstream Internet overall.
It’s not entirely far fetched to theorize that without WoW, this website wouldn’t had existed.
Rabensblut
Posted at 08:21h, 26 July
Prince of Persia, Wolfenstein, Legacy Of Kain : SoulReaver, and Half Life missing?
Amex Essentials
Posted at 20:49h, 26 July
Thanks for the suggestions. Time for a Top 50? 😉
Big Chris
Posted at 12:25h, 01 August
The list was very good but we definitely need a Top 50. And I have repeatedly seen the name of this list’s writer in some of the world’s greatest gaming and pop culture websites. He’s one of my favorites actually. Is he writing for you now? If yes, that’s a high-quality addition to your team.
Amex Essentials
Posted at 15:41h, 02 August
Yes, Theo’s a regular contributor to the site and has a lot of fascinating stories lined up.
Mars Pité
Posted at 23:46h, 26 July
Cannot Avoid Warcraft in 1994 and World of warcraft in 2004
Jānis Zālītis
Posted at 08:37h, 27 July
Medal of Honor!!!???
Manuel Chagas
Posted at 15:01h, 28 July
How come Minecraft is not in as one of the latest entries? Not for pushing technology of games but sheer volume and oh so flexible gameplay!
Innuendo Pozeri Queen
Posted at 19:17h, 28 July
All of you saying “oh this should be here , why that should not be there , this list sucks ” guess what . Those games are cornerstones to today’s gaming . It does not matter if WOW is popular today . You the sucess of video games to them . No matter how you cry that they are wrong , they are not . Doom is the first one , Tetris is the holy grail of video games , Pacman is the Super Arcade game , Street Fighter was and still is the purest duel fighting game , every one of them has its role in todays empire of video games and …
SUper Mario is and will be the most Video Game ever made . EVER !
Christian van Caine
Posted at 16:44h, 01 August
Damn right.
Adura
Posted at 14:18h, 19 August
There are definitely games that were bigger cornerstones to today’s gaming. I agree with the first part of the list, absolutely. Street Fighter, Doom and so on.
But God of War and Bioshock were practically small dots on gaming history, compared to say Assassin’s Creed that’s also on the list, which popularized parkour in real life.
And games that are missing, such as World of Warcraft which created online gaming isn’t mentioned. Neither is StarCraft that created the eSports industry, an industry which is rivaling the music industry today.
Nor is League of Legends mentioned, that sorry to break it to you, is the most played video game in history.
Not even Pokemon is on the list, which is a lot bigger than “God of War” (Who has even played that game, srsly)
Graham Houston
Posted at 21:32h, 28 July
I’ve played them all 😉
Panos Daskalopoulos
Posted at 20:10h, 29 July
I totaly agree
Except for Sims
I hate Sims
Andreu Sánchez
Posted at 17:47h, 30 July
Wait! Is it even a game?!
Fedor Daniel
Posted at 21:42h, 30 July
and Witcher 3 is the latest imho
Amex Essentials
Posted at 11:21h, 31 July
Thanks, great suggestion.
Adura
Posted at 14:12h, 19 August
Witcher 3 is practically unknown, it’s a good game for people who like the series. But I’d say 80-90% of society doesn’t know it exists even.
Evaldas Peciunas
Posted at 07:20h, 31 July
And where Heroes of might and magic 3? where Quake?
Age of Empires? Warcraft? Half life?
Christian van Caine
Posted at 16:43h, 01 August
Fully agree. Many of them are far from the best in their genre, but they were indeed the ones making it fly the first place.
Dimitris
Posted at 17:18h, 01 August
Oh dear God what about Half-Life ??
Adura
Posted at 14:12h, 19 August
Half-Life was overshadowed by Counter-Strike tbh. But not even Counter-Strike is on the list so idkwtf.
Tó
Posted at 18:31h, 01 August
It was only when it was repackaged as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider that the game gained iconic status??
It was repackaged because it already had it…
Adura
Posted at 14:11h, 19 August
The best part is that this is based on nothing. Lara Craft: Tomb Raider is the name of the movie. The repacking I assume they refer to, happened in 2013. And it pretty much tanked.
Amex Essentials
Posted at 15:46h, 02 August
Thanks, these are all great suggestions and it’s hard to make a final selection. This could easily have ended up as a Top 50 or a Top 100.
Adura
Posted at 14:10h, 19 August
Wtf? Each of the games he mentioned are literally top 5 with League of Legends missing.
Sergorn Drakael
Posted at 17:02h, 02 August
That’s a good list but the idea that Tomb Raider only became a classic when “repacked” is ridiculous, it was an instant classic in 1996 a defining game of the PS1 era.
Stefan Lakerveld
Posted at 15:10h, 03 August
Great list, i personally miss Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Half-life/Counterstrike and the FIFA franchise which is now the biggest hype (esports).
Sean Scully
Posted at 15:02h, 04 August
Minecraft, WoW, Half-Life, Command and Conquer/Warcraft/Starcraft, and Diablo are totally missing. These were also era and genera defining games.
Adura
Posted at 14:06h, 19 August
WoW (Birthing online gaming) and StarCraft (birthing eSports) belong on the list. MineCraft was insanely huge and could in a sense be attributed with birthing Indie games perhaps? But the other games are forgotten and left no societal impact.
And I say that while playing D2 LOD actively to this day. And I do agree that it’s the father of a genre and to this day, still the best game of it’s genre. But it’s a dead genre that almost nobody plays anymore. :
Dejan Markovic
Posted at 20:18h, 04 August
Age of empire, Half life, Fifa i Pes,Medal of honor, older for Comodore64, Phoenix, Scramble, Don kin kong, Green beret
Adura
Posted at 14:05h, 19 August
None of these games have left a societal impact, other than Half-Life since Counter-Strike was a mod for that game initially.
Ovidiu Adrian
Posted at 06:36h, 06 August
Medal of Honor – 1999, is far more iconic than COD!
helium
Posted at 12:55h, 06 August
De acord!
Adura
Posted at 14:04h, 19 August
MoH was great. COD with its 360 noscopes created YouTube gaming and celebrities like Pewdiepie. Hence COD has a much bigger societal impact. Even if I agree that MoH overall was the better game at the time.
helium
Posted at 12:54h, 06 August
StarCraft BroodWar, Warcraft II – Reign of Chaos, Commandos – Behind Enemy Lines, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, SOF, Fifa 98 RTWC, Fifa 99, Diablo 2 – LOD, Red Alert 2, Counter-Strike, Mafia, Max Payne 1, Half Life, Tropico, Black and White, Mortal Kombat, Deus Ex, Alpha Centauri, Civilization, Gorky 17, GTA 2, Homeworld, IL-2 Sturmovik, Medal of Honor – Allied Assault, Shogun – Total War, NFS Porsche, THPS 2, etc.
WTF?!?!?!?! Where are they…
Einārs Viziņš
Posted at 14:01h, 07 August
My type of Guy 🙂
Hélder Lima
Posted at 07:58h, 20 August
Metal Gear from far the first spy game (1986) and the begening of cinematic games (1998)!
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:05h, 04 September
All that + Dune
Garu Derota
Posted at 12:54h, 06 August
Elite is still my favorite game. Also The Sentinel will always be one of my favorites. Maniac Mansion changed videogames, too.
Oleg Sudakov
Posted at 13:25h, 06 August
Some choices look really strange to me… Quake is far more iconic than CoD, in my view. And why didn’t you mentiion Fallout, Baldur’s Gate and Skyrim (or any of the Elder Scrolls series)?
darklordish
Posted at 10:28h, 12 August
CoD invented that little thing called progression that everybody uses now. Baldurs game shouldnt be on the list cuz it was heavily influenced by one of the best RPG of all time called Diablo
Adura
Posted at 13:58h, 19 August
Whether or not BG was influenced by Diablo is hard to say. The games are actually extremely different from each other, with BG following a pretty strict D&D scheme.
CoD invented casual gaming and 360 no scopes. But it’s biggest contribution was in fact the 360 noscopes that resulted in YouTube gaming and led to celebrities like Pewdiepie.
None of the other games mentioned had such impacts comparatively.
Mickey Fk
Posted at 20:42h, 06 August
Bioshock and last of us ? Bof….
I think the first Zelda was more iconic than Ocarina of Time.
Ryszard Karpiński
Posted at 08:44h, 07 August
no Witcher 3 on the list? Seriously?…
darklordish
Posted at 10:30h, 12 August
It did nothing for gaming industry. Witcher 3 is just a good game but nothing really special
Christoffel de Gruyter
Posted at 16:27h, 08 August
No World of Warcraft is just odd, I mean really odd. I’m not joking if that game’s revenue is higher than the combination of ALL of the games in this list.
Mikko Ainasoja
Posted at 19:03h, 08 August
I think there should be Zelda, and Heroes of Might and magic, and even Settlers, and maybe dune 2? Hmm… Yes.
Alex Perotti
Posted at 16:11h, 10 August
I don’t think the author really know about gaming history. God of war is a long forgotten game. Nothing compared to the Pokemon series, Monkey Island series and Baldur’s gate series.
Oliver Beslagic
Posted at 20:41h, 09 September
Agreed! They really don’t know much about gaming history. Omission of Monkey Island series is just unforgivable!
Dmitriy Veselov
Posted at 22:29h, 10 August
This is somewhat console biased. Otherwise there would be Half-Life, Portal and a bunch of mmorpgs.
Adura
Posted at 13:54h, 19 August
This list is just trash tbh. Most of these games are pretty whatever in terms of societal impact. God of War is literally, some big guy on PlayStation to every PC Gamer. Most people don’t know it exists at all, ask most non-gamers, they’ve heard of eSport tournaments. Even if they’re old.
Péter Csákvári
Posted at 08:14h, 11 August
21 is just not enought. Should be about 100 iconic games on the list which changed the pop culture
Goran Gacic
Posted at 11:43h, 11 August
Rome Total War ????? i didn’t see one of best strategy game??? what??? how kids can grow without RTW ??? and what about Heroes??? M&M??? Elder Scroll too…..
darklordish
Posted at 23:08h, 11 August
Starcraft basically created electronic sports and thats not on the list also AoE2 should be here along with WC and Civilization
darklordish
Posted at 10:30h, 12 August
How was MoW more iconic than CoD. CoD completely changed multiplayer online games by inventing progression system and before CoD you always were lone wolf in video game singleplayers now CoD created AI that represent your team mates and tries to do it as realistic as possible.
Adura
Posted at 13:55h, 19 August
Without MoH there wouldn’t have been a CoD. But CoDs biggest impact wasn’t it’s single player or progression systems. It was actually the 360 noscopes, that resulted in the birth of YouTube gaming.
Indie Facet
Posted at 10:43h, 12 August
Gran Turismo, NHL, Tekken, nevite nic…
Alan Kasim
Posted at 15:06h, 12 August
Many of the people commenting here seem to be mistaking the concept of “games that changed pop culture” with “best games ever” and most of the suggestions I’m reading have no place on a list like this (even if they’re good games). That said, the omission of Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokemon Red & Blue, and World of Warcraft is unforgivable. Most of the games on the list didn’t have as much of an impact on pop culture as any of those.
Max Tranquilo
Posted at 15:36h, 12 August
How about Metal gear solid??????? Tekken…Even Pokemon blue and red were changing people into zombies lol:P
Pat Rik
Posted at 19:10h, 12 August
ressident evil 5 ?? really
darthvelez
Posted at 17:04h, 15 August
No way…
Apple Ex
Posted at 15:36h, 02 September
<3 game
Sundel Kurviz
Posted at 16:43h, 13 August
WTF Where is HALF-LIFE ??????????
Elie Sanh Ducos
Posted at 11:33h, 15 August
NO DARK SOULS ? U SUC|< A§§
teros
Posted at 09:48h, 16 August
I can understand that this kind of lists always leave some games out and many players unsatisfied for the choices made. Having said that, i think the addition of Myst (1993) would be necessary as its a game which defined and brought to the surface the whole genre of adventure games.
Amex Essentials
Posted at 13:27h, 17 August
Thanks, well-reasoned suggestion!
Albin
Posted at 15:36h, 16 August
“fanatic fan base” is short for “fanatic fanatic base”
Filip Van Bouwel
Posted at 15:19h, 17 August
You guys forgot StarCraft and World of WarCraft.
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:02h, 04 September
Blizzard all the way 😀
Marcin Raelian
Posted at 21:25h, 18 August
No Shenmue here . Of course because Shenmue is more reality than any foolish games 🙂
Adura
Posted at 14:10h, 19 August
I do agree that it’s probably based on sells data. League of Legends isn’t even mentioned. Which in theory have probably had over 1 billion players, if you count everyone who have tried the game or every created account. Based on that there’s 100+ million active players monthly, it’s reasonable that only 1/10th stuck with the game until now.
Jason O'Sullivan
Posted at 15:41h, 19 August
What about Candy Crush?!? ?
f3d0n4k0z
Posted at 15:22h, 21 August
what about Agent 47 aka Hitman?
Christian Kleinen
Posted at 12:24h, 23 August
Double Dragon made a huge brawler-genre impact. No brawler, no Final Fight, no Golden Axe, no Turtles, no Streets of Rage. Ignoring a whole genre.
Yeah, because Elite (1984) and Half life (1998) were just silly little games that nobody cared for…
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:01h, 04 September
And UT and his engine ,,,,,,
VetBedre
Posted at 22:25h, 25 August
God of war, iconic? Really?
What about Pokemon, Monkey Island, Sim City, and Sid Meier’s Civilization? I’d consider those games truly defining elements of their respective genres.
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:01h, 04 September
yeap
Remus Protasio
Posted at 01:25h, 29 August
Age of empires was left out. This game made developing civilizations really fun.
Stelian Turcu
Posted at 06:02h, 29 August
Zuma changed my life forever .
Tenyo Tenev
Posted at 17:11h, 31 August
World of Warcraft,Mortal Combat,Diablo,Heroes of Might and Magic???
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:00h, 04 September
Agreed
Apple Ex
Posted at 15:35h, 02 September
no Counter-Strike 1.6 really? This game in not iconic for most gamers?
No mmorpg, at least WoW had to be there, no FPS (the most popular series w/e), no DIablo, and no Starcraft, the game that had the insanest role in Korean’s culture.
Stick to top foods or w/e if you’re going to make a stupid list.
Dady Riveira
Posted at 21:10h, 08 September
no Half life?no Crysis?no Splinter cell?no Hitman?no Far Cry 1?wtf guys?
Buuu
Posted at 00:37h, 09 September
Is this a joke ? Where is StarCraft, where is Diablo, where is Warcraft, where is WoW (biggest gaming phenomenon EVER). Where are games like Heroes of Might and Magic, Quake, Half-Life.. This list is UTTER bullshit
Antonio Stradivari
Posted at 11:57h, 09 September
correct brotha
Hugo Miguel Fernandes
Posted at 06:59h, 09 September
It’s realy a joke where is the FIFA, sensible soccer comand and conquer, age of empires , any zx Spectrum game, iss and pro evolution soccer, Tamagotchi, the first Pokémon games and metal gear solid. This person out is favorite games didn’t take the time to reserch. Crappy list and try again
Antonio Stradivari
Posted at 11:57h, 09 September
WHERE is Thief, Deus Ex, RTCW, MOHAA and all the great fathers already mentioned in the comments. This topic’s been made by some young or ignorant dullard, nothing more.
Oliver Beslagic
Posted at 12:28h, 09 September
Weeeeeell, you’re kind of MISSING just the ENTIRE RTS (real time strategy, which includes LEGENDARY Command & Conquer, Age of Empires, Commandos, Cossacks series and many more) and TBS (turn based strategy, including LEGENDARY Sid Meier’s Civilization and Heroes of M&M series) genres! And what about point and click adventures (including ofc. LEGENDARY Monkey Island series, which is probably the funniest game ever made), then sport simulation games (someone mentioned FIFA and ofc. PES) and sport manager games (especially legendary Championship and lately Football manager series)?? Regarding RPG’s, you didn’t even mention the LEGENDARY Elder Scrolls series (especially Morrowind and Oblivion), or the ones that CREATED the genre, like Might&Magic, Baldur’s Gate, Dungeons & Dragons, Diablo, Lands of Lore.. Should I continue? Naaaah, I don’t want to do YOUR JOB for you. This research is highly disappointing, unprofessional and superficial work. It’s a big shame for those who did the research and for all of us game loving addicts. Really, it’s an unbelievable load of c**p written here!!
Matteo Bonanomi
Posted at 22:10h, 15 September
What about Minecraft????
John J Bradley
Posted at 17:41h, 16 September
Missing Donkey Kong, Elite, Afterburner, Kick Off 2, Sonic, Wipeout, and Goldeneye…plus a few more im sure!
Одессит
Posted at 20:24h, 16 September
C&C, Half-Life, Counter-Strike??
Florin Bogdan
Posted at 05:38h, 17 September
Ok, but it should’ve been RTCW instead of CoD.
Patrick van der Hoorn
Posted at 08:37h, 17 September
Doom should have been Wolfenstein 3d. Mario bros picture shouldn’t have been the wiiu version but the proper nes screen. So many mistakes
Peter F. F.
Posted at 20:29h, 21 September
I guess they listed Doom, because that made a much bigger impact, and achieved much greater popularity then Wolfi. They did not stated: the first of its kind. These games are “game changers”. Althought I also miss Counter Strike.
Andi “CRIMSON” Rain
Posted at 21:14h, 21 September
Obviously Doom was more influential than… well, anything really. I don’t know a person who hasn’t played Doom. Don’t know anybody who played Wolfenstein.
Marco Viana
Posted at 16:21h, 17 September
Match Day II for Spectrum, Chuck Egg and so on…
Mirza Fenrir Olovcic
Posted at 19:27h, 17 September
Console peasants!!!!
George Roberts
Posted at 12:40h, 24 September
cant say ive ever heard that before how original
Madryoch
Posted at 22:51h, 21 September
What about Agony, Shadow Of the Beast, Another World, Larry, Bubble Bobble, Moonstone and lots of other old games… or Mass Effect Series, Might and Magic, Elder Scrolls, Fallout damn where to stop …
Muz
Posted at 11:31h, 27 September
Good choices.
I’d swap Need for Speed with Outrun though and I also want to give a shout out to the Fallout series.
Also sport sims seem to have been ignored so maybe a mention of something like Sensible Soccer would have been a good idea.
Callum Johnathon Hunter
Posted at 18:45h, 28 September
No Sonic Game which I find a little odd and as for Wii Sports that didn’t really change anything
Michael Bonello
Posted at 11:00h, 30 September
No MOBAS like Dota 2 or League of Legends?? largest price pool in e-sports with winnings of $21M with largest viewership of any computer game ever??
Starcraft? not even mentioned -> longest lasting competitive rts game ever?
No strategy games like Civilization/Age of Empires
No MMORGPs like World of Warcraft?
Nothing on sports games. Where is Half-life? Inspiration for games like Bioshock etc?
A lot has been left out unfortunately…
Bill
Posted at 11:32h, 03 October
Space invaders and Asteroids – early shoot Em ups. Double Dragon – influenced every scrolling beat Em up ever since! Super mario kart – sequels still popping out today! Also Strider, though that’s just a personal favourite – dramatic soundtrack and memorable set pieces and moments.
Joseph Eshenroder
Posted at 06:40h, 19 November
Elder scrolls anyone? Morrowind perhaps?
Brett Morin
Posted at 03:06h, 23 November
Call of Duty is listed and not Half Life2??? Who made this list?
From captivating retrospectives to celebrations of spectacular creativity, these art exhibitions deserve a spot on your cultural bucket list for the coming months
From fantasy to romance and Oscar-worthy drama, these are the bestselling books and underrated titles you should read right now – before they hit the big screen
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From nail-biting thrillers to steamy romance and twisted short fiction, these books were made for devouring on a plane, in a beach chair or wherever your summer takes you
Simic Milos
Posted at 10:53h, 12 JulyCivilization 2 ?
Amex Essentials
Posted at 11:06h, 12 JulyGreat suggestion, thanks!
Alexis Fernandes
Posted at 14:09h, 12 JulySonic the Hedgehog?
Tiago Nêveda
Posted at 18:46h, 12 Julymetal gear solid?
Бане Здравковић
Posted at 19:26h, 12 JulyHeroes of might and magic?
Big Mouth
Posted at 21:10h, 13 JulySorry, But Tomb Raider set the standard, Lara Croft Tomb Raider was just another rehash of an already gnare defining game.
Yuriy Batya Zagura
Posted at 09:40h, 14 JulyFallout, Angry birds
Vojtěch Červenka
Posted at 15:27h, 14 Julysplinter cell – ratchet and clank – gran turismo – halo – killzone – wipeout – tekken – battlefield – vrash bandicoot – spyro and other giants – very subjective but still funny list
Amex Essentials
Posted at 12:45h, 17 JulyThanks for these great suggestions. You’re absolutely right, that these kinds of lists are always subjective, but we’re happy to inspire debate and to put a spotlight on the gaming world, which has had such a huge influence on popular culture.
Hilto
Posted at 22:31h, 14 JulyNot a single RPG?
Issus
Posted at 23:51h, 14 JulyNo World of Warcraft?
Thierry Wybauw
Posted at 21:17h, 15 JulyResident-Evil 🙂
Nicola Zunino
Posted at 06:02h, 16 Julylol… Metroid? Baldur’s Gate? Civilization?
OMG guys….
Milos Gu
Posted at 11:05h, 16 JulyPrince of persia and heroes might of magic?
Garret
Posted at 02:44h, 17 JulySome weird choices, some solid ones though.
Diablo should be on the list, and Thief, too (revolutionized the First Person genre).
I mean, there’s a reason 99% of Action Rpgs are called “Diablo clones 😛 “.
Mark T. Henderson
Posted at 04:39h, 17 JulyThe sad fact is that not the original pictures used but the “modern variants”. This will confuse young people, who will not see how the actual game looked.
Mark T. Henderson
Posted at 04:40h, 17 JulyAlso, it was Wolfenstein 3D which started it all, not Doom.
Nicolas Quintana Zunino
Posted at 00:12h, 18 Julyread properly, they said FPS genre was already two decades old when doom arrived, the game just made it famous to everybody else in the gaming community, not just fans of the FPS. And also no, W3D didn’t start it all, not by far.
Mark T. Henderson
Posted at 03:50h, 18 JulyNot to argue, but I never said Wolf was the first. Doom was a success because of Wolf and the lesser known ones like Blake Stone. I meant that they were the breakthrough, and not Doom – it perfected the already layed out path.
Andrei Nartea
Posted at 19:14h, 21 JulyYEP.
Mauro Rodrigues
Posted at 23:44h, 17 Julysimcity is missing
Davy Haegeman
Posted at 18:48h, 18 JulySimcity, Age of Empires, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Angry Birds, but a pretty nice list though
Amex Essentials
Posted at 07:59h, 19 JulyThanks, Davy, excellent suggestions. The article could easily have been a Top 50!
Zaštićeni Svedok
Posted at 17:17h, 19 JulyManic Miner, Hobbit, Elite, Scramble, Vanguard, Circus Charlie, Armagedon, Crazy Kong…
Benjámin Kurilla
Posted at 08:05h, 20 JulyGordon Freeman and the Half-Life series.
Raul Raadik
Posted at 18:45h, 21 JulyUbisoft’s Prince of Persia
Valdis Starostins
Posted at 22:36h, 21 JulyLooking at Need for Speed, i feell so old
Richard Lynch
Posted at 06:50h, 22 JulyFallout series?
Alexandre Graça
Posted at 03:53h, 23 JulyI think the list is very good, but considering revolution of pop culture by some video games (and within gaming industry) some other classics should/could have made the list:
– Metal Gear Solid (1998)
– Gran Turismo (1997)
– Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1997)
– The Revenge of Shinobi (1989)
– Mortal Kombat (1992)
Dados
Posted at 09:04h, 23 JulyGood list but really? Alot of these games didn’t really change pop culture.
A game that dit: Pokemon red and blue in 1996. Love it or hate it, but it acctually changed pop culture all over the world.
Cristy Stanciu
Posted at 20:06h, 23 Julystarcraft!, red alert, counter strike, diablo.
Aleksandar Tasevski
Posted at 05:48h, 24 JulyHalf life is one of top 10 FPS games…
alko
Posted at 08:44h, 25 Julyno pokemon
no simcity
no civ
no half life
no ridgeracer/daytona
no ArmA
no Raiden
no SNAKE for java phones… lol 😉
cmon be serious …
Amex Essentials
Posted at 20:51h, 26 JulyHaha, thanks, some great suggestions and many gamers will agree with you. It was an impossible choice.
Johnny Smith
Posted at 18:10h, 07 Augustmost you mentioned are not really iconic in any way, apart maybe from civ
Quintox
Posted at 14:28h, 11 AugustHalf-Life pioneered story driven FPS, Pokemon’s impact is still strong to this day ( It’s the turn based rpg as to what Super Mario is to platformers ).
The rest I don’t see as iconic either.. good games don’t make them iconic.
alko
Posted at 09:13h, 20 Augustpokemon-> pratically defined a 2 (TWO!) generations of gamers on portable consoles.
simcity-> defined a genre back in the days
civ-> defined a genre back in the days
halflife-> disrupted a genre , cannot count innovations that game introducted.
90’s arcade racers-> started 3d era to masses along with 3d fighting games (tekken, virtua fighter ect)
ArmA-> not “popular” but the most important shooter at today on PC .
Raiden-> defined the reinessance of a genre and set new standars
Snake on cell phones-> opened to BILLIONS of people the concept of portable gaming.
first java games and Nintendo DS Nintendogs pratically saved portable gaming where nokia sony and Microsoft failed. (apple never market and promoted iphone as a gaming console , they tried with apple tv instead and failed hard)
Kim Ursin
Posted at 17:15h, 25 JulyIn Europe the 8-bit computer, C64, Spectrum, Amstrad and later Amiga changed the culture, looking at this list, its very clear that the staff is below 30. A LOT happen in the 80’s and 90’s.
Ballock
Posted at 02:43h, 26 JulyIndeed a lot did happen in the 80’s and 90’s. But this is a list of iconic games not systems.
Jorgebuja
Posted at 09:48h, 26 JulySorry, also a European here, in my late 30’s. Spent hours and hours in front of my Amstrad CPC… and I’m afraid no game from that era has made it to “pop-culture” status as much as those described in the list. Could argue about not including Metal Gear or Pokémon, but Head over Heels or Match Day are certainly not as popular as Lara Corft, Mario or Link.
Fernando Reyes
Posted at 10:14h, 26 JulyZack McKracken on 8-bit Computers had quite an impact on “pop-culture” or Test Drive (early Need-for-speed?).
Metal Gear or Splinter Cell missing in that list is IMHO a shame.
Adura
Posted at 14:20h, 19 AugustThe staff is more likely below 20. Not even World of Warcraft is on the list. A game which not only created mainstream Online Gaming entirely, something which probably resulted mainstream Internet overall.
It’s not entirely far fetched to theorize that without WoW, this website wouldn’t had existed.
Rabensblut
Posted at 08:21h, 26 JulyPrince of Persia, Wolfenstein, Legacy Of Kain : SoulReaver, and Half Life missing?
Amex Essentials
Posted at 20:49h, 26 JulyThanks for the suggestions. Time for a Top 50? 😉
Big Chris
Posted at 12:25h, 01 AugustThe list was very good but we definitely need a Top 50. And I have repeatedly seen the name of this list’s writer in some of the world’s greatest gaming and pop culture websites. He’s one of my favorites actually. Is he writing for you now? If yes, that’s a high-quality addition to your team.
Amex Essentials
Posted at 15:41h, 02 AugustYes, Theo’s a regular contributor to the site and has a lot of fascinating stories lined up.
Mars Pité
Posted at 23:46h, 26 JulyCannot Avoid Warcraft in 1994 and World of warcraft in 2004
Jānis Zālītis
Posted at 08:37h, 27 JulyMedal of Honor!!!???
Manuel Chagas
Posted at 15:01h, 28 JulyHow come Minecraft is not in as one of the latest entries? Not for pushing technology of games but sheer volume and oh so flexible gameplay!
Innuendo Pozeri Queen
Posted at 19:17h, 28 JulyAll of you saying “oh this should be here , why that should not be there , this list sucks ” guess what . Those games are cornerstones to today’s gaming . It does not matter if WOW is popular today . You the sucess of video games to them . No matter how you cry that they are wrong , they are not . Doom is the first one , Tetris is the holy grail of video games , Pacman is the Super Arcade game , Street Fighter was and still is the purest duel fighting game , every one of them has its role in todays empire of video games and …
SUper Mario is and will be the most Video Game ever made . EVER !
Christian van Caine
Posted at 16:44h, 01 AugustDamn right.
Adura
Posted at 14:18h, 19 AugustThere are definitely games that were bigger cornerstones to today’s gaming. I agree with the first part of the list, absolutely. Street Fighter, Doom and so on.
But God of War and Bioshock were practically small dots on gaming history, compared to say Assassin’s Creed that’s also on the list, which popularized parkour in real life.
And games that are missing, such as World of Warcraft which created online gaming isn’t mentioned. Neither is StarCraft that created the eSports industry, an industry which is rivaling the music industry today.
Nor is League of Legends mentioned, that sorry to break it to you, is the most played video game in history.
Not even Pokemon is on the list, which is a lot bigger than “God of War” (Who has even played that game, srsly)
Graham Houston
Posted at 21:32h, 28 JulyI’ve played them all 😉
Panos Daskalopoulos
Posted at 20:10h, 29 JulyI totaly agree
Except for Sims
I hate Sims
Andreu Sánchez
Posted at 17:47h, 30 JulyWait! Is it even a game?!
Fedor Daniel
Posted at 21:42h, 30 Julyand Witcher 3 is the latest imho
Amex Essentials
Posted at 11:21h, 31 JulyThanks, great suggestion.
Adura
Posted at 14:12h, 19 AugustWitcher 3 is practically unknown, it’s a good game for people who like the series. But I’d say 80-90% of society doesn’t know it exists even.
Evaldas Peciunas
Posted at 07:20h, 31 JulyAnd where Heroes of might and magic 3? where Quake?
Age of Empires? Warcraft? Half life?
Christian van Caine
Posted at 16:43h, 01 AugustFully agree. Many of them are far from the best in their genre, but they were indeed the ones making it fly the first place.
Dimitris
Posted at 17:18h, 01 AugustOh dear God what about Half-Life ??
Adura
Posted at 14:12h, 19 AugustHalf-Life was overshadowed by Counter-Strike tbh. But not even Counter-Strike is on the list so idkwtf.
Tó
Posted at 18:31h, 01 AugustIt was only when it was repackaged as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider that the game gained iconic status??
It was repackaged because it already had it…
Adura
Posted at 14:11h, 19 AugustThe best part is that this is based on nothing. Lara Craft: Tomb Raider is the name of the movie. The repacking I assume they refer to, happened in 2013. And it pretty much tanked.
Amex Essentials
Posted at 15:46h, 02 AugustThanks, these are all great suggestions and it’s hard to make a final selection. This could easily have ended up as a Top 50 or a Top 100.
Adura
Posted at 14:10h, 19 AugustWtf? Each of the games he mentioned are literally top 5 with League of Legends missing.
Sergorn Drakael
Posted at 17:02h, 02 AugustThat’s a good list but the idea that Tomb Raider only became a classic when “repacked” is ridiculous, it was an instant classic in 1996 a defining game of the PS1 era.
Stefan Lakerveld
Posted at 15:10h, 03 AugustGreat list, i personally miss Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Half-life/Counterstrike and the FIFA franchise which is now the biggest hype (esports).
Sean Scully
Posted at 15:02h, 04 AugustMinecraft, WoW, Half-Life, Command and Conquer/Warcraft/Starcraft, and Diablo are totally missing. These were also era and genera defining games.
Adura
Posted at 14:06h, 19 AugustWoW (Birthing online gaming) and StarCraft (birthing eSports) belong on the list. MineCraft was insanely huge and could in a sense be attributed with birthing Indie games perhaps? But the other games are forgotten and left no societal impact.
And I say that while playing D2 LOD actively to this day. And I do agree that it’s the father of a genre and to this day, still the best game of it’s genre. But it’s a dead genre that almost nobody plays anymore. :
Dejan Markovic
Posted at 20:18h, 04 AugustAge of empire, Half life, Fifa i Pes,Medal of honor, older for Comodore64, Phoenix, Scramble, Don kin kong, Green beret
Adura
Posted at 14:05h, 19 AugustNone of these games have left a societal impact, other than Half-Life since Counter-Strike was a mod for that game initially.
Ovidiu Adrian
Posted at 06:36h, 06 AugustMedal of Honor – 1999, is far more iconic than COD!
helium
Posted at 12:55h, 06 AugustDe acord!
Adura
Posted at 14:04h, 19 AugustMoH was great. COD with its 360 noscopes created YouTube gaming and celebrities like Pewdiepie. Hence COD has a much bigger societal impact. Even if I agree that MoH overall was the better game at the time.
helium
Posted at 12:54h, 06 AugustStarCraft BroodWar, Warcraft II – Reign of Chaos, Commandos – Behind Enemy Lines, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, SOF, Fifa 98 RTWC, Fifa 99, Diablo 2 – LOD, Red Alert 2, Counter-Strike, Mafia, Max Payne 1, Half Life, Tropico, Black and White, Mortal Kombat, Deus Ex, Alpha Centauri, Civilization, Gorky 17, GTA 2, Homeworld, IL-2 Sturmovik, Medal of Honor – Allied Assault, Shogun – Total War, NFS Porsche, THPS 2, etc.
WTF?!?!?!?! Where are they…
Einārs Viziņš
Posted at 14:01h, 07 AugustMy type of Guy 🙂
Hélder Lima
Posted at 07:58h, 20 AugustMetal Gear from far the first spy game (1986) and the begening of cinematic games (1998)!
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:05h, 04 SeptemberAll that + Dune
Garu Derota
Posted at 12:54h, 06 AugustElite is still my favorite game. Also The Sentinel will always be one of my favorites. Maniac Mansion changed videogames, too.
Oleg Sudakov
Posted at 13:25h, 06 AugustSome choices look really strange to me… Quake is far more iconic than CoD, in my view. And why didn’t you mentiion Fallout, Baldur’s Gate and Skyrim (or any of the Elder Scrolls series)?
darklordish
Posted at 10:28h, 12 AugustCoD invented that little thing called progression that everybody uses now. Baldurs game shouldnt be on the list cuz it was heavily influenced by one of the best RPG of all time called Diablo
Adura
Posted at 13:58h, 19 AugustWhether or not BG was influenced by Diablo is hard to say. The games are actually extremely different from each other, with BG following a pretty strict D&D scheme.
CoD invented casual gaming and 360 no scopes. But it’s biggest contribution was in fact the 360 noscopes that resulted in YouTube gaming and led to celebrities like Pewdiepie.
None of the other games mentioned had such impacts comparatively.
Mickey Fk
Posted at 20:42h, 06 AugustBioshock and last of us ? Bof….
I think the first Zelda was more iconic than Ocarina of Time.
Ryszard Karpiński
Posted at 08:44h, 07 Augustno Witcher 3 on the list? Seriously?…
darklordish
Posted at 10:30h, 12 AugustIt did nothing for gaming industry. Witcher 3 is just a good game but nothing really special
Christoffel de Gruyter
Posted at 16:27h, 08 AugustNo World of Warcraft is just odd, I mean really odd. I’m not joking if that game’s revenue is higher than the combination of ALL of the games in this list.
Mikko Ainasoja
Posted at 19:03h, 08 AugustI think there should be Zelda, and Heroes of Might and magic, and even Settlers, and maybe dune 2? Hmm… Yes.
Alex Perotti
Posted at 16:11h, 10 AugustI don’t think the author really know about gaming history. God of war is a long forgotten game. Nothing compared to the Pokemon series, Monkey Island series and Baldur’s gate series.
Oliver Beslagic
Posted at 20:41h, 09 SeptemberAgreed! They really don’t know much about gaming history. Omission of Monkey Island series is just unforgivable!
Dmitriy Veselov
Posted at 22:29h, 10 AugustThis is somewhat console biased. Otherwise there would be Half-Life, Portal and a bunch of mmorpgs.
Adura
Posted at 13:54h, 19 AugustThis list is just trash tbh. Most of these games are pretty whatever in terms of societal impact. God of War is literally, some big guy on PlayStation to every PC Gamer. Most people don’t know it exists at all, ask most non-gamers, they’ve heard of eSport tournaments. Even if they’re old.
Péter Csákvári
Posted at 08:14h, 11 August21 is just not enought. Should be about 100 iconic games on the list which changed the pop culture
Goran Gacic
Posted at 11:43h, 11 AugustRome Total War ????? i didn’t see one of best strategy game??? what??? how kids can grow without RTW ??? and what about Heroes??? M&M??? Elder Scroll too…..
darklordish
Posted at 23:08h, 11 AugustStarcraft basically created electronic sports and thats not on the list also AoE2 should be here along with WC and Civilization
darklordish
Posted at 10:30h, 12 AugustHow was MoW more iconic than CoD. CoD completely changed multiplayer online games by inventing progression system and before CoD you always were lone wolf in video game singleplayers now CoD created AI that represent your team mates and tries to do it as realistic as possible.
Adura
Posted at 13:55h, 19 AugustWithout MoH there wouldn’t have been a CoD. But CoDs biggest impact wasn’t it’s single player or progression systems. It was actually the 360 noscopes, that resulted in the birth of YouTube gaming.
Indie Facet
Posted at 10:43h, 12 AugustGran Turismo, NHL, Tekken, nevite nic…
Alan Kasim
Posted at 15:06h, 12 AugustMany of the people commenting here seem to be mistaking the concept of “games that changed pop culture” with “best games ever” and most of the suggestions I’m reading have no place on a list like this (even if they’re good games). That said, the omission of Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokemon Red & Blue, and World of Warcraft is unforgivable. Most of the games on the list didn’t have as much of an impact on pop culture as any of those.
Max Tranquilo
Posted at 15:36h, 12 AugustHow about Metal gear solid??????? Tekken…Even Pokemon blue and red were changing people into zombies lol:P
Pat Rik
Posted at 19:10h, 12 Augustressident evil 5 ?? really
darthvelez
Posted at 17:04h, 15 AugustNo way…
Apple Ex
Posted at 15:36h, 02 September<3 game
Sundel Kurviz
Posted at 16:43h, 13 AugustWTF Where is HALF-LIFE ??????????
Elie Sanh Ducos
Posted at 11:33h, 15 AugustNO DARK SOULS ? U SUC|< A§§
teros
Posted at 09:48h, 16 AugustI can understand that this kind of lists always leave some games out and many players unsatisfied for the choices made. Having said that, i think the addition of Myst (1993) would be necessary as its a game which defined and brought to the surface the whole genre of adventure games.
Amex Essentials
Posted at 13:27h, 17 AugustThanks, well-reasoned suggestion!
Albin
Posted at 15:36h, 16 August“fanatic fan base” is short for “fanatic fanatic base”
Filip Van Bouwel
Posted at 15:19h, 17 AugustYou guys forgot StarCraft and World of WarCraft.
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:02h, 04 SeptemberBlizzard all the way 😀
Marcin Raelian
Posted at 21:25h, 18 AugustNo Shenmue here . Of course because Shenmue is more reality than any foolish games 🙂
Adura
Posted at 14:10h, 19 AugustI do agree that it’s probably based on sells data. League of Legends isn’t even mentioned. Which in theory have probably had over 1 billion players, if you count everyone who have tried the game or every created account. Based on that there’s 100+ million active players monthly, it’s reasonable that only 1/10th stuck with the game until now.
Jason O'Sullivan
Posted at 15:41h, 19 AugustWhat about Candy Crush?!? ?
f3d0n4k0z
Posted at 15:22h, 21 Augustwhat about Agent 47 aka Hitman?
Christian Kleinen
Posted at 12:24h, 23 AugustDouble Dragon made a huge brawler-genre impact. No brawler, no Final Fight, no Golden Axe, no Turtles, no Streets of Rage. Ignoring a whole genre.
Komecoso
Posted at 13:28h, 23 AugustYeah, because Elite (1984) and Half life (1998) were just silly little games that nobody cared for…
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:01h, 04 SeptemberAnd UT and his engine ,,,,,,
VetBedre
Posted at 22:25h, 25 AugustGod of war, iconic? Really?
What about Pokemon, Monkey Island, Sim City, and Sid Meier’s Civilization? I’d consider those games truly defining elements of their respective genres.
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:01h, 04 Septemberyeap
Remus Protasio
Posted at 01:25h, 29 AugustAge of empires was left out. This game made developing civilizations really fun.
Stelian Turcu
Posted at 06:02h, 29 AugustZuma changed my life forever .
Tenyo Tenev
Posted at 17:11h, 31 AugustWorld of Warcraft,Mortal Combat,Diablo,Heroes of Might and Magic???
George Cristian Matei
Posted at 16:00h, 04 SeptemberAgreed
Apple Ex
Posted at 15:35h, 02 Septemberno Counter-Strike 1.6 really? This game in not iconic for most gamers?
Phil Linstead
Posted at 12:44h, 03 SeptemberEerrmm Sonic the Hedgehog?
Petr Keldy Tengler
Posted at 15:32h, 03 Septemberwhere is Diablo II ?
where is Morrowind ………..
or Baldurs Gate ? Gothic ? Fallout ?
Paulus Fischer
Posted at 19:03h, 03 SeptemberQuake 1, first polygon 360°-shooter.
Eugen Neacsu
Posted at 06:29h, 05 Septemberwhat about fifa ?
Eugen Neacsu
Posted at 06:31h, 05 Septemberwarlords 3, heroes of might and magic
Eugen Neacsu
Posted at 06:33h, 05 SeptemberLineage 2 , guild of wars
Pedro Moniz Teixeira
Posted at 18:43h, 07 SeptemberNo mmorpg, at least WoW had to be there, no FPS (the most popular series w/e), no DIablo, and no Starcraft, the game that had the insanest role in Korean’s culture.
Stick to top foods or w/e if you’re going to make a stupid list.
Dady Riveira
Posted at 21:10h, 08 Septemberno Half life?no Crysis?no Splinter cell?no Hitman?no Far Cry 1?wtf guys?
Buuu
Posted at 00:37h, 09 SeptemberIs this a joke ? Where is StarCraft, where is Diablo, where is Warcraft, where is WoW (biggest gaming phenomenon EVER). Where are games like Heroes of Might and Magic, Quake, Half-Life.. This list is UTTER bullshit
Antonio Stradivari
Posted at 11:57h, 09 Septembercorrect brotha
Hugo Miguel Fernandes
Posted at 06:59h, 09 SeptemberIt’s realy a joke where is the FIFA, sensible soccer comand and conquer, age of empires , any zx Spectrum game, iss and pro evolution soccer, Tamagotchi, the first Pokémon games and metal gear solid. This person out is favorite games didn’t take the time to reserch. Crappy list and try again
Antonio Stradivari
Posted at 11:57h, 09 SeptemberWHERE is Thief, Deus Ex, RTCW, MOHAA and all the great fathers already mentioned in the comments. This topic’s been made by some young or ignorant dullard, nothing more.
Oliver Beslagic
Posted at 12:28h, 09 SeptemberWeeeeeell, you’re kind of MISSING just the ENTIRE RTS (real time strategy, which includes LEGENDARY Command & Conquer, Age of Empires, Commandos, Cossacks series and many more) and TBS (turn based strategy, including LEGENDARY Sid Meier’s Civilization and Heroes of M&M series) genres! And what about point and click adventures (including ofc. LEGENDARY Monkey Island series, which is probably the funniest game ever made), then sport simulation games (someone mentioned FIFA and ofc. PES) and sport manager games (especially legendary Championship and lately Football manager series)?? Regarding RPG’s, you didn’t even mention the LEGENDARY Elder Scrolls series (especially Morrowind and Oblivion), or the ones that CREATED the genre, like Might&Magic, Baldur’s Gate, Dungeons & Dragons, Diablo, Lands of Lore.. Should I continue? Naaaah, I don’t want to do YOUR JOB for you. This research is highly disappointing, unprofessional and superficial work. It’s a big shame for those who did the research and for all of us game loving addicts. Really, it’s an unbelievable load of c**p written here!!
Matteo Bonanomi
Posted at 22:10h, 15 SeptemberWhat about Minecraft????
John J Bradley
Posted at 17:41h, 16 SeptemberMissing Donkey Kong, Elite, Afterburner, Kick Off 2, Sonic, Wipeout, and Goldeneye…plus a few more im sure!
Одессит
Posted at 20:24h, 16 SeptemberC&C, Half-Life, Counter-Strike??
Florin Bogdan
Posted at 05:38h, 17 SeptemberOk, but it should’ve been RTCW instead of CoD.
Patrick van der Hoorn
Posted at 08:37h, 17 SeptemberDoom should have been Wolfenstein 3d. Mario bros picture shouldn’t have been the wiiu version but the proper nes screen. So many mistakes
Peter F. F.
Posted at 20:29h, 21 SeptemberI guess they listed Doom, because that made a much bigger impact, and achieved much greater popularity then Wolfi. They did not stated: the first of its kind. These games are “game changers”. Althought I also miss Counter Strike.
Andi “CRIMSON” Rain
Posted at 21:14h, 21 SeptemberObviously Doom was more influential than… well, anything really. I don’t know a person who hasn’t played Doom. Don’t know anybody who played Wolfenstein.
Marco Viana
Posted at 16:21h, 17 SeptemberMatch Day II for Spectrum, Chuck Egg and so on…
Mirza Fenrir Olovcic
Posted at 19:27h, 17 SeptemberConsole peasants!!!!
George Roberts
Posted at 12:40h, 24 Septembercant say ive ever heard that before how original
Madryoch
Posted at 22:51h, 21 SeptemberWhat about Agony, Shadow Of the Beast, Another World, Larry, Bubble Bobble, Moonstone and lots of other old games… or Mass Effect Series, Might and Magic, Elder Scrolls, Fallout damn where to stop …
Muz
Posted at 11:31h, 27 SeptemberGood choices.
I’d swap Need for Speed with Outrun though and I also want to give a shout out to the Fallout series.
Also sport sims seem to have been ignored so maybe a mention of something like Sensible Soccer would have been a good idea.
Callum Johnathon Hunter
Posted at 18:45h, 28 SeptemberNo Sonic Game which I find a little odd and as for Wii Sports that didn’t really change anything
Michael Bonello
Posted at 11:00h, 30 SeptemberNo MOBAS like Dota 2 or League of Legends?? largest price pool in e-sports with winnings of $21M with largest viewership of any computer game ever??
Starcraft? not even mentioned -> longest lasting competitive rts game ever?
No strategy games like Civilization/Age of Empires
No MMORGPs like World of Warcraft?
Nothing on sports games. Where is Half-life? Inspiration for games like Bioshock etc?
A lot has been left out unfortunately…
Bill
Posted at 11:32h, 03 OctoberSpace invaders and Asteroids – early shoot Em ups. Double Dragon – influenced every scrolling beat Em up ever since! Super mario kart – sequels still popping out today! Also Strider, though that’s just a personal favourite – dramatic soundtrack and memorable set pieces and moments.
Joseph Eshenroder
Posted at 06:40h, 19 NovemberElder scrolls anyone? Morrowind perhaps?
Brett Morin
Posted at 03:06h, 23 NovemberCall of Duty is listed and not Half Life2??? Who made this list?