Video games were once basic digital novelties that have become cultural forces today, eclipsing cinematic movies for cultural influence. Publishers and developers release thousands of new games every year, but only a very small fraction have redefined video gaming. The most influential video games pioneer new technologies, define genres, and establish cultural phenomena. These are the most influential games in the history of video gaming.
Super Mario Bros
The 1985 Super Mario Bros was the NES game that both saved and reinvented the gaming industry after the crash of 1983. It was one of the most influential games in history because of its groundbreaking side-scrolling level design, intuitive momentum controls, gameplay variety, and scope. Many games before this were repetitive single-screen affairs, but Super Mario Bros changed all that. Super Mario Bros is one of the highest-grossing games in history that made the NES the dominant console of its time.
This was also the game that started the Mario cultural phenomenon. Mario is the Mickey Mouse of gaming today. The plucky plumber has starred in three movies, two of which were CGI films. Super Mario Bros. Movie is the highest-grossing film based on a game.
Doom
Although Doom wasn’t the very first first-person shooter, it was the FPS that set the world ablaze. Doom’s pseudo-3D graphics were quite revolutionary for their time, and its high-speed, visceral demon-blasting action enthralled players the world over. This was also one of the world’s first true global games that popularized the deathmatch online multiplayer mode. The multiplayer aspect added another dimension to Doom beyond blasting away demons. Doom became a heavily cloned game with many other first-person shooters copying the gameplay template it set.
Tetris
Tetris was a puzzle game invented in the former USSR, based on arranging falling blocks into neat lines, which became a gaming sensation in the Western world on a wide variety of consoles and PCs. This is one of the most influential games in history because of its addictive simplicity and universal appeal, transcending language, cultural barriers, and age. Tetris bundled with the Game Boy was the most definitive version that sparked a handheld revolution for gaming on the go in the early 1990s. Today, Tetris remains the cornerstone of the puzzle game genre under the direction of Pajitnov’s Tetris Company.
There are many ways you can play Tetris today, with so many versions of the game. I recommend playing Tetris Effect on PC, consoles, and VR headsets because of its wide variety of game modes and stunning effects. However, Tetris 99 is also a great battle royale variant of the game to play on the Switch.
Minecraft
Minecraft is the highest-grossing video game in history because it turned players into creators. This hugely influential game established the sandbox genre. Minecraft established digital LEGO, giving players unprecedented creative freedom to build their own gaming worlds with unique goals and narratives. Aside from its world-building, Minecraft defined the modern survival genre with its open-world survival mode in which players craft tools and build shelters. It is also the game credited with establishing the Early Access business model utilized by many indie developers today.
Pac-Man
Pac-Man became one of the most influential games in arcades and on consoles during the 1980s. The unique maze-chase gameplay of Pac-Man was quite a revelation that shifted arcade games away from the more prevalent war-themed titles, such as Space Invaders. Pac-Man was the first game to have a true marketing mascot that became a cultural icon and broadened gaming demographics. It also established new industry standards with its power-ups and chase scenarios game design features.
The best way to play the original Pac-Man game today is with the Atari 2600+. The ATARI 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is a special themed edition of that console. That console is bundled with a double cartridge that includes the Pac-Man 2600 and 7800 versions of the game.
Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II revitalized arcade gaming and defined the fighting game genre for coin-op cabinets and consoles. This was the game that perfected the fighting game formula with a diverse roster of characters with unique fighting styles and special moves to master. Street Fighter II established a thriving competitive fighting game community and was a pioneering e-sport game during the 1990s. It set a design template for fighting games like Doom did for first-person shooters, spawning a variety of SF II clones.
To play SF II today, check out Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challenges on the Switch. That remastered version of the Street Fighter II game has its full 16-character roster. It also includes an option for switching between updated HD graphics and the original arcade pixel art visual style.
Half-Life
Half-Life became one of the most influential games in the late 1990s when players were getting tired of Doom clones. This was a profoundly innovative game that revolutionized the first-person shooter genre with its cinematic narrative and environmental storytelling. Its scripted sequences, integrated environmental puzzles, advanced AI, and groundbreaking modability raised the bar for all other first-person shooters that followed.
Aside from starting one of the best PC game series, Half-Life established a big modding community. Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat were two notable game titles that started as Half-Life mods. Valve obtained the rights to Counter-Strike and turned it into one of the biggest multiplayer shooter game franchises.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time established the gold standard for 3D action-adventure RPGs. Many rate Ocarina of Time to be the best game ever because of its revolutionary Z-targeting combat system, masterful 3D world design, and cinematic storytelling that raised the bar for 3D gaming. Many other 3D action games have incorporated the Z-targeting mechanic that Ocarina of Time introduced. The vast open world (for its time) in this Zelda title also set a blueprint for non-linear 3D exploration in many games that followed.
Those eight most influential games have shaped the gaming industry like few others. Doom, Tetris, Half-Life, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Street Fighter II, Pac-Man, Minecraft, and Super Mario were great games that redefined gaming in different ways. They are almost like pillars upon which the modern gaming industry rests.
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