The first video game ever created was Tennis for Two in 1958, and while it was an important milestone in the history of the medium, it’s less well-known than the ones that followed. Even 1962’s Spacewar! was significant in the industry’s development, but it isn’t well-known outside of gaming historians. We wanted to take a look at some of the most significant video games in history, based on their overall impact on the industry and their role in taking it in new directions. These include some of the most important games ever made, but we couldn’t detail all of them, so we’ve limited ourselves to ten, and they’re arranged chronologically.
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1) Computer Space (1971)
Computer Space is a game that owes its existence to Spacewar!, serving as a spiritual sequel or derivative of the earlier game. While Spacewar! was important, Computer Space is significant because it’s the first commercial coin-operated video game ever made. It was released in 1971 in a custom fiberglass cabinet, giving it a retro-futuristic look. It’s also the first video game to appear in a movie, showing up in 1973’s Soylent Green, probably because it looked futuristic, seeing as the science fiction film is set in the far-off future of 2022. While not a huge success, it proved the viability of commercializing video games, effectively establishing the industry.
2) Pong (1972)
After Computer Space proved that video games could make money, Allan Alcorn came up with Pong. Many people incorrectly believe that Pong was the first video game, and while that’s not true, it is accurate to call Pong the first commercially successful video game. It was a hit wherever its cabinet found a home (long before arcades existed), and it didn’t take long for home versions to follow. A flood of clones soon followed as more companies wanted to cash in on the growing trend, proving that Pong’s influence was widespread. While Computer Space proved that people would pay to play video games, Pong demonstrated the potential for substantial profit.
3) Pac-Man (1980)
There were plenty of popular and important games released in the 1970s, but in 1980, a new game came along and turned the industry around. Pac-Man is a relatively simple maze game, especially by today’s standards, but it’s also challenging and incredibly addictive. People gathered around these cabinets in arcades, pumping in quarters to try and beat one another’s high scores. Pac-Man is the most profitable arcade game ever made, but that’s not why it’s listed here. The game is important due to its influence, as it brought video games to the masses. Before, options were somewhat limited, but the success of Pac-Man brought gaming to the world in ways no other title had before, making it one of history’s most important titles.
4) Super Mario Bros. (1985)
The video game industry suffered a major crash in North America in 1983, leading some experts to declare that it was a dying fad. It almost was until a little Japanese company called Nintendo released its home console in the West. The Nintendo Entertainment System turned it all around, and one of the major reasons for its success was its pack-in game, Super Mario Bros. It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say that Super Mario Bros. is one of the most important platformers in video game history, as it truly helped to establish the home console market, showing that video games were in no way a fad, and the ongoing success of the Mario franchise is a testament to that as well.
5) Tetris (1989)
White Tetris was first developed in 1984; it would take another five years for it to cross from the Soviet Union to the West. When it did, the first major port came courtesy of the Nintendo Game Boy, and there’s no denying that Tetris was one of the main reasons for the console’s success. Tetris was the most popular game in 1989, but more than that, it effectively defined the puzzle genre for gamers, making it incredibly influential. It also showed that a monochrome game could beat out higher-quality color options if the title warrants it, and Tetris is a fantastically programmed game. It may be somewhat simple, but it’s incredibly challenging and is easily one of the most culturally significant games ever made.
6) Street Fighter II (1991)
Fighting games weren’t new when Capcom released Street Fighter II, but that didn’t stop it from being a genre-defining game-changer. It took everything about previous titles and amped them up to 11, including some of the core gameplay mechanics that continue to appear in fighting games more than 35 years after the game’s release. Not only was Street Fighter II a significant game for fans of the fighting genre, but it’s also one of the best-selling and most popular games of all time. It launched competitive tournaments, saw multiple re-releases as Capcom tweaked the format, and remains one of the most important games introduced in the 16-bit era.
7) Doom (1993)
If you’re a fan of first-person shooters, take a moment to say “Thank you” to Doom. Or, to be more appropriate, you could thank its programmers, John Carmack, John Romero, and Dave Taylor. FPSs weren’t new when Doom came out in 1993, but it completely took over the genre, making it one of the most influential video games of all time. Seeing as FPS games are pretty dominant these days, ranging across multiple genres, it’s fair to say that Doom had a lot of influence. The franchise continued to evolve after the first title’s release, and these, too, were influential, but the OG takes the lead as one of the most important games ever developed.
8) Half-Life (1998)
Valve may be best known for its Steam platform these days, but when it entered the scene, it did so with Half-Life. The game is an FPS, so it wasn’t novel in that regard, but it did prove that FPS titles didn’t have to feature a lackluster story. The game features a rich worldbuilding narrative that makes it far more compelling than your standard late-1990s FPS. While they had stories, Half-Life offered one that was significantly more detailed, showing that the genre didn’t need to be flat — it could be expansive and tell a tale that kept players coming back for more. Its influence can be seen in just about every narrative-heavy title that followed it, which is a lot.
9) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
There are many great games in The Legend of Zelda franchise, and one of the all-time best is easily Ocarina of Time. That’s not why it’s on here, but it’s worth mentioning. The reason Ocarina of Time is one of the most significant video games ever made is how well it’s designed and how its influence can be seen in every 3D action-adventure game released since. It set a standard that every game hopes to achieve, and few come close to even approaching, while also innovating in several areas of gameplay mechanics. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is effectively a template of how it’s done.
10) Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Playing a video game as a bad guy has always been fun, and while the Grand Theft Auto franchise didn’t invent it, it certainly mastered the concept. The third mainline game in the franchise was a genre-defining masterpiece that popularized the concept of doing whatever you wanted to in a game with little to no consequence. While some decried this as contributing to the delinquency of minors, others realized that it’s far better to live out your fantasies on digital people than those in the real world. Grand Theft Auto III was hugely controversial, but it took the industry in a new direction, showing that video games didn’t only have to be made for children, as there’s a huge market for adults.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few significant games that weren’t included, as they also have merit, and I don’t want to get roasted in the comments. Some of the others that I considered included Dark Souls, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, World of Warcraft, Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, The Sims, Half-Life 2, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario 64, Minecraft, Everquest, Pokémon Red and Green, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and so many more, my fingers would bleed by typing them all in.
What do you think is the most significant game in history? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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