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The 1970s
All video games were very simple. The main goal of them was to collect points and gain a higher score than other players, which was due to the nature of the games being built for arcade machines. It was also included to increase replayability as players would strive to achieve the highest score possible. Most games were either singleplayer, 2-player cooperative or 2-player competitive. -
Pong
{Specific release date is unkown} Nolan Bushnell and Allan Alcorn of Atari developed this arcade table tennis game. This was one of the first games to ever reach mainstream popularity. Many other companies started to copy Pong's gameplay but eventually started building their own games. -
Gun Fight
{Specific release date is unkown} This arcade western shooter game was developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. In this 2-player competitive game two cowboys are in a duel, whichever player shoots the other cowboy first wins. -
Space Invaders
{Specific release date is unkown} Like "Gun Fight", this game was also developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. Space invaders was a very successful game in its time and inspired many other arcade shooters. -
The 1980s
Games started to hit the mainstream as previous games had gained widespread popularity. A result of this caused many game developers to emerge, such as Nintendo and Konami, most of which are still present today. Home consoles were also starting to be developed, with the success of the NES much competition was raised in the games industry. Most games were either singleplayer, 2-player cooperative or 2-player competitive. Games also started to remove their scoring systems. -
Pac-Man
Developed by Namco, this game was and still is very popular. It has become an icon of popular 1980s culture, and the character of "Pac-Man" has been included in over 30 spinoff games. -
Donkey Kong
This is one of the earliest examples of a platforming game. Developed by Nintendo, this game and its characters became synonymous with the video game industry and Nintendo's later games. -
Super Mario Bros.
Another game deveoped by Nintendo. This game has become one of the most iconic games of all time. It popularised the side-scrolling platforming genre, and lead many other companies to creating games of the same genre, such as Sonic the Hedgehog. -
Contra
Contra, developed by Konami, was a very popular run-and-gun arcade and NES game. This was one of the most popular games in the 1980s as it utilised side-scrolling platforming and multidirectional shooting. Many other shooters were inspired by the fast paced action of this game. -
Metal Gear
Developed by Hideo Kojima and Konami, this stealth-action game became popular with many gamers as previously the stealth genre barely existed. This game is most notable for its more intricate storyline, sense of humor, and exploration of philosophical and politcal themes. -
Street Fighter
This was the first 2-player competitive fighting game developed by Capcom. It isn't as popular as Street Fight II, however it introduced many conventions now used in fighting games; six-button controls, special moves and button combos. -
The 1990s
As technological power increased, more games started to become 3D rendered. At this point scoreboards were becoming uncommon. This occurred because most gamers are now featuring storylines, be it complex like Metal Gear Solid or fairly simple like Banjo-Kazooie. This decade also birthed the famous Firstperson Shooter (FPS) genre with Doom. Games started introducing cinematics and cutscenes to further improve storytelling. -
Wolfenstein 3D
This is one of the first FPS games in the genre. Developed by Id Software, this game was highly praised and critically acclaimed. It helped popularise the FPS genre and also built conventions with its basic run-and-gun archetype. -
Mortal Kombat
Created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, this game was originally released on arcade machines but were later ported to home systems. This game features extreme violence and gore, which led to the creation of the ESRB rating system. This game, alongside Street Fighter, is one of the most famous and popular fighting games. -
Doom
Another of Id Softwares games. It combined a refined version of the combat system from Wolfenstein 3, with large levels in a horror themed environment. It further popularised the FPS genre and also featured an online mulltiplayer mode and mod support. It is still to this day played by many people due to the modding community being strong. -
Duke Nukem 3D
Developed by the now bankrupt 3D Realms, this game features the same engine Doom used. Alongside Doom, this is also one of the games that popularised the FPS genre. It has also been named on of the most important games of all time, as it covered many contraversial topics, such as extreme violence, erotic elements, and a questionable portrayal of women. -
Fallout
Developed by Interplay Entertainment, this open world role-playing game featured a post-apocalyptic, retro-futuristic setting. This game was critically acclaimed and spawned many sequels and spinoff games. This is due to the realistically simulated world the game put the player into. -
Metal Gear Solid
Another of Hideo Kojima's games. With the release of the Playstation 1, the MGS series became 3D rendered. This is another very popular game of its time, some consider it to be the best Playstation game ever made, alongside Oddworld. This game featured an intricate and emotional storyline, cutscenes and cinematics and unique stealh gameplay. -
Half-Life
Valve's debut game. This was one of the first FPS games to feature fully scripted events. As a result of the game's high praise many games copied its formula. Almost every modern FPS has used its formula, including the latest Battlefield and Call of Duty games. -
Silent Hill
Developed by Team Silent, this is one of the most iconic games for the survival horror genre. It moved away from cheap fear elements such as shock scares, and created an emotionally draining experience. It was one of the first psychological horror games. One of the ways it achieved this was by making the protagonist a normal person, instead of a battle hardened marine. -
System Shock 2
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Planescape: Torment
Developed by the now defunct Black Isle Studios, this game is considered the best written game of all time. The dialogue system featured failure states, meaning the player could fail a conversation by saying something that could be misconstrued as offensive. However, it was not as commercially successful as other games, but it has become a cult classic among many gamers. -
The 2000s
Technology rapidly increases especially in late 2000 as Crysis is released with revolutionary graphical enhancements, such as Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) and realistic water simulation. Indie games also started becoming mainstream as developing a game became a more tempting job opportunity, shown by Braid. Developing games was also more accessible than before. Horror games were becoming more popular and games regulary featured storylines. Adventure and platformer games almost died out. -
Halo: Combat Evolved
Developed by Bungie, this is one of the most recongised FPS games. It featured an online multiplayer mode which became extremely successful. It was also highly praised for it's story, combat system and the multiple strategies players could employ. -
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The third game in the Elder Scrolls series, developed by Bethesda Game Studios. This open world fantasy was highly publicised and won over 60 awards. The game's lore is extremely detailed and the world is massive with many quests and storylines, which never feel repetitive. -
Doom 3
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Half-Life 2
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World of Warcraft
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Shadow of the Colossus
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S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
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Crysis
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Mass Effect
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Braid
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Minecraft (Alpha Release)
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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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Papers, Please
