7 Games that Changed the World (according to Yahoo)

[AgentNein]

What the hell? Where was elite on that list? Elite is probably the most groundbreaking game in history.

Where would we be today without space trading sims?

 

[veloper]

Same as before?

 

[Symp4thy]

Yahoo wouldn't be my first choice to compile a list like this, that is for sure!

I don't know, I don't think it's such a bad thing to have Yahoo compiling a list like this. It's a list of games that changed the world, as in, the REAL world, not the the gaming world. Obviously gamers would pick a very different list. I think it's good to have an unbiased, non-gamer create such a list.

Even if that was the case, the list still fails. Why is there no GTAIII? GTA is the modern Mortal Kombat; it is the definitive whipping boy when it comes to anti-game legislation and all the "games are bad and make innocent people murder" arguments and studies. Every time someone like Jack Thompson goes on a rampage and tries to get stricter regulations on games, GTA is the very first game they mention as the end all, be all "proof" of the game industry's supposed depravity.

Or what about The Sims? The Sims is one of the best selling PC game franchises of all time, and drew in tons of "non-gamers." It was the first game that had a very significant fanbase of female gamers. A girlfriend of one of my friends won't touch any video games we play...Yet she can spend hours playing The Sims. There are a near countless amount of people just like her who were addicted to The Sims back in the day, and probably still are now, who normally wouldn't play video games. This actually applies to pretty much ever "Sim" game, like Sim City.

Or Tetris? Tetris is another one of those games that even non-gamers play all the time. You can buy cell phones with Tetris on them! Tetris was also the Game Boy's killer app, and is generally considered to be one of the main reasons why the handheld was such a huge hit over its competitors. In a way, Tetris is what made the entire Game Boy line what it is today. Tetris is often listed as one of the most popular video games of all time.

Or Super Mario? Indeed, any Mario game. Mario is listed as one of the most recognized characters in the world, up there with Micky Mouse and Buggs Bunny. How did Mario not change the world?

You see my point? Even from a non-gamer perspective, this list is pretty weak.

Oh yes, I definitely agree that it's missing some important ones. It should have been more than 7 games. Maybe 10 or 12.

 

[irrelevantnugget]

I really don't see how GTA3 would make that list.. GTA3 only took the already successful first 3 real GTA games (GTA, GTA: 1969 London, GTA2) to third person view with sub-par graphics. Don't get me wrong, GTAIII is still my favourite out of all the GTA's.

Ok, I've heard of 2D GTA elitism, but this is just ridiculous.

Tell me how topdown gameplay evolving to a third-person style of gameplay (that even spawned the name of a new genre, namely 'grand theft auto-clone'), with a story added on top of that, is relevant to the quality of the games?

 

[new_age_reject]

For once, a list I agree with!
It could do with the Sims actually and Super Mario Bros.

 

[Syphonz]

I really don't see how GTA3 would make that list.. GTA3 only took the already successful first 3 real GTA games (GTA, GTA: 1969 London, GTA2) to third person view with sub-par graphics. Don't get me wrong, GTAIII is still my favourite out of all the GTA's.

Ok, I've heard of 2D GTA elitism, but this is just ridiculous.

Tell me how topdown gameplay evolving to a third-person style of gameplay (that even spawned the name of a new genre, namely 'grand theft auto-clone'), with a story added on top of that, is relevant to the quality of the games?

GTA's biggest selling point is the sandbox material. the 'do the missions whenever you feel like it' GTA3 didn't start this. It began at GTA1. For some reason, nobody in the console era caught on until GTA3 was released, and thus making the phrase grand-theft-auto-clone because you just can't have '3' in there because the come out with a new GTA every damn year anyway.

And 2D GTA elitism? I've never of it; quite frankly I'm amazed there is such a thing. I already stated that GTAIII was my favorite out the entire franchise, how can I be a 2D elitist?

EDIT: And let's be honest here okay? Are you REALLY playing GTA games for their story of all things? Almost all of the GTA's since Vice City would've been better off without the story's imo.

 

[Valiance]

This is obviously written by a non-gamer.

I can't stand to see so much ignorance in one place. Hell, it's like "LOL THIS WAS POPULAR AT SOME POINT" pretty much.

It makes some good points, but I disagree with nearly the whole list. I started typing a response but it will just come off as a huge flame, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[I3uster]

WoW - Huh? Because it copied ideas from a lot of MMOs before, adding little to the genre, except for standard grind. Okay, it has 11 mln people. But half of that are Asians.

Yeah, we all know that asians arent real people...

 

[muffincakes]

This is obviously written by a non-gamer.

I can't stand to see so much ignorance in one place. Hell, it's like "LOL THIS WAS POPULAR AT SOME POINT" pretty much.

It makes some good points, but I disagree with nearly the whole list. I started typing a response but it will just come off as a huge flame, so I'll leave it at that.

You seem to be missing the point here. This isn't the hard-core gamers list of the 7 most popular games in the last year, so it's going to have games that may be a little dated. However, those "popular at some point" games are games that had major impacts on the gaming industry, which is what the article is trying to point out. It's good that you noticed that a non-gamer wrote the article, but calling their point of view ignorant is just showing ignorance of your own.

 

[Xanadu84]

You guys are all taking this as game enthusiasts, whereas the article says that there talking about the games that have made its mark on mainstream, popular culture. Were talking about things that everyone knows about, even those people who refer to a PSP as a Gameboy, or those people who if you referred to an X Box as a Nintendo, wouldn't notice. I'm not talking about people who couldn't remember Dune, Im talking about people who would find Sonic the Hedgehog or Master Chief too obscure to recognize. Things that a random elderly person on the street would know about. From that perspective, the list is pretty good. Pong and Pac Man are synonymous with the very birth of the video game, so simple and straightforward I would say it is even more iconic as a popular culture image then Mario. Mario should be on the list as well, but they probably just wanted to include things that are identifiable for more reasons then sheer age and ubiquity. Doom is identifiable as an incarnation of controversy in games because of violence. GTA3 might have been a better choice here, but both Doom and GTA3 fill the needed niche nicely. DDR and Guitar Hero strongly represent new school gaming, and gaming that appeals to non-enthusiasts. In the hobby of gaming, they may not be as big and distinctive as other games, but for the public at large, both DDR and Guitar Hero are almost a separate hobby altogether. World of Warcraft certainly has arguments against it in terms of how innovative it is, or how much it brought to the Genre of MMOs, but it definitely beats all competition in terms on how identifiable in pop culture it is. I know that there are people who know nothing about gaming who will refer to any video game from Half Life to Assasins Creed as World of Warcraft, because its just so massive. Wii Sports is a questionable choice. But I guess there thinking about how Wii Sports is identifiable with the Wiis new mainstream-friendly approach, and how that approach has really merged with the mainstream.

Personally, I would remove Wii Sports, added Mario, and replace Doom with GTA3. I think that list would be a good sample of how mainstream people see Video Games. I would do something completely different if I wanted a list of best, most innovative, or most influential, but they wanted to put a spotlight on pop culture identity, and I think they did a fair job. There writing for the culture at large, not us highly educated game connoisseurs.

 

[Xanadu84]

I really don't see how GTA3 would make that list.. GTA3 only took the already successful first 3 real GTA games (GTA, GTA: 1969 London, GTA2) to third person view with sub-par graphics. Don't get me wrong, GTAIII is still my favourite out of all the GTA's.

Ok, I've heard of 2D GTA elitism, but this is just ridiculous.

Tell me how topdown gameplay evolving to a third-person style of gameplay (that even spawned the name of a new genre, namely 'grand theft auto-clone'), with a story added on top of that, is relevant to the quality of the games?

GTA's biggest selling point is the sandbox material. the 'do the missions whenever you feel like it' GTA3 didn't start this. It began at GTA1. For some reason, nobody in the console era caught on until GTA3 was released, and thus making the phrase grand-theft-auto-clone because you just can't have '3' in there because the come out with a new GTA every damn year anyway.

And 2D GTA elitism? I've never of it; quite frankly I'm amazed there is such a thing. I already stated that GTAIII was my favorite out the entire franchise, how can I be a 2D elitist?

EDIT: And let's be honest here okay? Are you REALLY playing GTA games for their story of all things? Almost all of the GTA's since Vice City would've been better off without the story's imo.

I will say that I have had no interest in the GTA series since 2. I loved 2, when it went 3d, I stopped caring. In a way, I guess that's 2d Elitism, but then again, I don't insult the changeover, or people who like the 3d games: Its just a style of play that appealed to me in 2d, and not in 3d. That's fine, there's plenty of other good, well executed games that I don't like.

 

[axia777]

Pong - Yes
Pac-Man - Yes
Doom - HELLS Yes
DDR? - HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!! No....
World of Warcraft - Yes
Guitar Hero - No
Wii Sports - WTF? Hell no.

Where is Super Mario Brothers?

Where is Ultima On-line?

There are many more games than that could go on this list.

 

[BBLIZZARD]

Everquest should be in WoW place because WoW is an Everquest rip-off(well, all MMOs are rip offs of each other) even though they all suck. DDR shouldn't have been in there, because it's fallen into the realm of obscurity and really never was a big seller, and pac-man shouldn't have been there as well because it never really inspired any games to be made. I mean yeah it's a well known name but arcades would have thrived without it. On a side note, has anyone ever actually seen a pacman machine? I've only seen ms.pacman arcade cabinets

 

[axia777]

Everquest should be in WoW place because WoW is an Everquest rip-off....(snip)

Actually I think you are right. Everquest did make it first for the MMO world. Ultima On-Line was big, but Everquest was HUGE.

 

[InsanityWave]

Where the hell was Golden eye, that defined FPS gaming basicly.

 

[axia777]

Where the hell was Golden eye, that defined FPS gaming basically.

Doom defined FPS. Wolfenstein started it, but Doom perfected it. Goldeneye was just the first really great console FPS.

 

[ABN THUG 210]

WTF is Wii Sports doing there? The only game I agree with in that list is DooM. How was Mario not included?

 

[axia777]

WTF is Wii Sports doing there? The only game I agree with in that list is DooM. How was Mario not included?

Also the Legend of Zelda.

 

[PirateKing]

I don't really agree with DDR. Or Wii Sports.
I can't believe Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time aren't on the list.