Top 10 Games That Changed The Video Game Industry

10.  Pong - Atari & Arcade

I know young people see this and are gonna tweet at me and the comments won’t be nice, but Pong changed things for gaming. For those who don’t know, Pong is one of the early games that really put arcade gaming on the map. Pong was made by Atari and originally came out in 1972. It’s basically a digital table tennis game.  Without Pong, the arcade market might never have taken off the way it did in the 70s and 80s and even the 90s.

Pong was also one of the first video games really noticed by the media and influenced in our culture. It was even a hit on TV shows in the 90s and early 2000s like Saturday Night Live, That 70's Show, & King Of The Hill. Even over 30 years later, it has been been remade into multiple platforms. For a lot of the old folks, this was revolutionary back in their day. Pong was never the best game, but it holds the a place in the history of video games.

9. World Of Warcraft -PC


Where are all my PC elitists at in here? Whoop Whoop...! Now this beauty of a game has been around forever, it seems. Coming out in 2004, it is known as one of the most addictive games in recent memory. For about 14 years, gaming content is still being made for WoW. This changed a lot in the gaming world as more companies would follow the path in DLC and keep adding to a game years after it was released. By no ends is it the best MMO, or even the first MMO, but it is the most known MMO. You can ask anyone- even causal gamers have heard of World Of Warcraft and have either tried or been tempted to try it once.

From the classic world of the Warcraft game, which came out about 10 years before this brilliant sequel, World of Warcraft was also one of the first games in memory to have a subscription service. This turns a lot of people off, but again it also made it easier for a lot of people to play a game of this kind. Below I have written a list of all the expansions over the years. In 15 years this game will be remembered in the same way we think of Pokemon and Zelda now, as it has changed this industry for MMO's forever.

The Burning Crusade (2007)
Wrath of the Lich King (2008)
Cataclysm (2010)
Mists of Pandaria (2012)
Warlords of Draenor (2014)
Legion (2018)

8. Wii Sports (Nintendo WII)


Wii Sports was released in 2006 with the Nintendo Wii, a crazy time in the video game industry where companies were trying new things. The game was a collection of 5 sports emulations which you controlled with a motion controller. The PS4 controller has motion control which works pretty well, Xbox 360 & Xbox One used the Kinect, but the Wii was the first console with motion control technology. The reason why it sold so well is because even people who didn't play video games would buy the WII just for the Wii Sports game, full of fun to be had with a group of friends or family.

Wii Sports is the 4th bestselling video game in the history and for the Wii, which was a bad device, that is quite impressive. What will it be remembered for? Most likely old people and toddlers hurting themselves trying to do some fake bowling, but it will also be known as the first step to the motion-control games of the future.

7. Shadow of the Colossus - PS2


Shadow of the Colossus was a puzzle/adventure game released in 2005 and in some regions 2006. A game that is so iconic that 12 years later it got a remake for the PS4. Now what made this game different? Was it the first puzzle game? No, this game, for a lot of gamers, was just one of the most emotional storytelling pieces of art that gaming has ever given us. It really showed us the power of music and what it can do in gaming. In many games during this time, you had the hack and slash boss battles that were good but never hit you on the same level as Shadow of Colossus. The goal is to slay giant-like creatures, but without the hacking and slashing. You must climb these somehow innocent creatures and then it goes into full puzzle mode. The moment the creatures would fall and the sad music plays, deep down inside you regret what you just did. 

The remake of this game will give a new generation a love they might have never seen. This game really showed what music can add to a game and how you can tell a story with little dialogue.  It demonstrated how every game doesn't need to be about hack and slash. Shadow of the Colossus will be remembered as one of the greatest games to ever have been made and for the great story telling.


6. Skyrim - PC, PS3, & Xbox 360


Skyrim is the fifth title in the legendary Elder Scrolls series, being released in 2011 and having many remakes, between 2013 -2016. Skyrim was the most complete RPG open world game in many ways and the best version of the Elder Scrolls games. RPG open worlds are very common now and use a lot of the formula of Skyrim. Skyrim is the type of game where you can do anything and you can do it in your own way. This is a game that has so much play ability, because there are so many ways to play it. When I think of RPG, I think of the big open world of Skyrim and how impressive it is to this day.

At the end of the day, Skyrim is gonna be remembered as one of the greatest games in an awesome period for gaming.  A game that is so well done that, since 2012, fans have been wanting a sixth release to the series that they will just eat up. The game was released 7 years ago and still to this day, in early 2017, has a big fan base.

5. Halo : Combat Evolved  - Xbox


Halo is a military science fiction first-person shooter released in 2001 that is an Xbox Exclusive. Now I know this is not the first “shooter” game, but at this time these game were all in all very bad. Halo was known as the game that made multiplayer shooting games extremely popular and highly demanded. Many have called this game the best shooter of its time and it would stay on that level until a few years later when Call Of Duty came to the consoles. Halo will be remembered for its contribution in making shooter games big in modern day gaming. Otherwise, we may never have been given great games like Battlefiled, Destiny ( don't you dare snicker), The Division, or any of the Ghost Recons. Without Halo, the climb for that genre wouldn't be where it is at today.

4. Grand Theft Auto 5 - PC, PS3, & Xbox 360

Grand Theft Auto 5 is an Action/Adventure game made by Rockstar games and was released in 2013 with re-releases in 2014 and 2015. Grand Theft Auto is a storied franchise that came from nothing and is now known as one of the bestselling game franchises in history. GTA 5 really impacted the gaming industry right away it seems, as in its first three days, it got over one billion dollars in sales and has shipped over 85 million copies in five years. This game has had its fair share of controversy, but has always stayed in good faith for gamers. GTA 5 did something that no game did before it- having the most complete open world of a real life city that has ever existed, a story that many call one of the most unique and well-acted scenes in the history of gaming, and their multiplayer has been one of the best things in gaming for years. One of the first games to have a great multiplayer and a great story based mode, I feel it really defined what an open world game could be.

3. Minecraft - PC

Well, you guys knew it would be here and I can feel the angry comments coming, but let me explain, first. Minecraft is a sandbox video game developed by  Swedish game designer Markus "Notch" Persson, and later fully developed and published by Mojang. So this is indie developed game and at the time, Indie games were never mainstream, as no one ever cared about them until one day in late 2011 when this gem was finally released. This game got a big traction from Youtubers and streamers and it showed  all the fun you could have. The fanbase is for kids, but it can be a great game for adults as well. Minecraft would end up also getting a release on Playstation and Xbox, and in 2018 was reported to have sold over 144 million copies. The reason why it deserves to be on this list is simple. It paved the way for Indie games to get noticed and just in the last year, we’ve had great Indie titles released that all have big fan bases like Cuphead, Player Unknown, Battlegrounds, and Fortnight. Without Minecraft exploding, those games would just be little blips. Minecraft proved that with little money and not being a AAA game, it can still be good. Minecraft is a pioneer and will be remembered for years to come for what it has done for gaming.


2. Mario - Nintendo

One of the most well-known games in the history of Video Games, many people’s first game and many people’s favorite platform gaming. Now, there have been quite a few Mario games over the years and those will be listed down below. This isn’t about one game, but just about the figure of Mario, a character  who Nintendo was really built on. He made his video game debut in 1981 in the arcade game "Donkey Kong", and has been a pop culture icon since that time. Mario generated so much fame, he had a crappy movie about him, appearances in TV shows, and even has his own music video. Mario outlasted Spyro, Donkey Kong, Sonic (The Good Version where it didn't sleep with humans, yeah that is a thing, don’t google it). Mario really helped gaming come back from the great gaming crash in 1983. Kids born today know who he is and with his recent title releasing on the Nintendo Switch, I feel we got another good 30 years with that plumber and I for one am grateful.


Let's not even forget what Mario  64 did to the gaming industry,  Mario 64 changed the way gaming was even in 1996 and was was ahead of its time. Mario is the cash cow of one of the most dominant and well gaming companies in the 1980s and 1990s, Now with the Switch back it seems Mario is gonna help rebuild that once great company like he did in the 80s.




Super Mario Bros. -1985
Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels -1986
Super Mario Bros 2 -1988
Super Mario Bros 3 - 1988
Super Mario Land - 1989
Super Mario World -1990
Yoshi - 1991
Super Mario Land 2 : 6 Golden Coins - 1992
Mario's Time Machine -1993
Wario Land : Super Mario 3 - 1994
Hotel Mario -1994
Yoshi's Island - 1995
Mario Clash - 1995
Super Mario 64 - 1996
Yoshi's Story -1997
Luigi Mansion -2001
Super Mario Sunshine -2002
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 - 2003
Super Mario 64 DS - 2004
New Super Mario Bros - 2006
Super Mario Galaxy - 2007
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games - 2007
New Super Mario Bros Wii - 2009
Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 2010
Super Mario 3D land - 2011
New Super Mario Bros 2 - 2012
New Super Mario Bros U - 2012
New Super Luigi U - 2013
Super Mario 3D World - 2013
 Mario Gold World Tour - 2014
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker - 2014
Super Mario Maker -2015
Super Mario Run -2016
Mario Sports Superstar - 2017
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle -2017
Super Mario Odyessy - 2017


1. Doom - PC


Doom is a first person shooter developed by ID Games. It was released on PC in 1993 and is known as the first ever first person shooter, the one that created the whole genre. The original Doom has been remade many times, from 1994- 2012. Without this game, the genre never would have existed. Since its release, this game has spawned films, novels,  numerous sequels, and some pretty good expansion packs. It has sold over 10 million copies, which is quite good for a game that was released in 1993. This game changed this industry the most because of the genre and fanbase it built. Today, the market, which was created by a small budget game made twenty-five years ago, is dominated by first person shooters. A game no one should ever forget due to what it has brought to the great art of video games and is the pioneer of the craze video gaming has become since the 2000s.





3 Honorable Mentions:


Mass Effect Trilogy
Portal
Left For Dead







Conclusion: After the video game crash in 1983 we could of lost this art form all together, but with the help of these 10 games and many more we are a new era of gaming. A era that will not die for the foreseeable future, This is Ty the ultra gamer signing off.