Video games today are incredible. We have massive online worlds, stunning graphics, and complex stories that can keep us hooked for hundreds of hours. But have you ever stopped to think about where all this came from? Just like modern buildings are built on strong foundations, today’s video games are built on the ideas, innovations, and breakthroughs of the past.
Long before we had powerful consoles or gaming PCs, pioneering designers were figuring out what video games could even be. They created simple experiences that, at the time, felt like magic. These classic video games weren’t just fun; they were experiments that introduced concepts, mechanics, and ways of thinking that are still central to game design today. They are the game changing video games that laid the groundwork for everything we play now.
From basic dots on a screen to complex virtual worlds, the journey of video games is one of constant video game innovation and evolution. Understanding these early titans helps us appreciate just how far gaming has come and how their DNA lives on in our favorite modern titles.
Let’s take a trip back in time to look at ten influential video games that fundamentally changed how we play forever.
1. Pong (1972): The Spark That Ignited the Industry
Imagine a world with no video games. No arcades, no consoles, no phones with games on them. That’s the world before Pong. Released by Atari, Pong was incredibly simple: two paddles, a ball, and a score counter, mimicking a game of table tennis. Players twisted a dial to move their paddle up and down and hit the “ball” back to the other side.
While it wasn’t the very first video game ever created (that title is debated), Pong was the first to achieve widespread commercial success and cultural recognition. It wasn’t stuck in a lab; it was put in arcades, and later, brought into homes with the Atari Home Pong console.
Pong’s impact was monumental because it proved that there was a market for interactive electronic entertainment. It showed people that video games could be fun, competitive, and easy to understand. Its success kicked off the arcade industry and sparked the race to bring gaming into people’s living rooms. It established fundamental concepts like player control, on-screen scoring, and competitive multiplayer interaction, making it the absolute foundation of classic gaming history and demonstrating the power of simple, engaging mechanics.
2. Space Invaders (1978): The Dawn of High Scores and Addictive Loops
Enter the arcade in the late 1970s, and you’d find yourself face-to-face with rows of alien invaders slowly descending towards your laser cannon. Space Invaders, a Japanese arcade game, wasn’t just popular; it was a phenomenon that caused coin shortages in Japan because people played it so much!
Space Invaders introduced several key elements that became staples in countless games. It popularized the concept of waves of enemies that get progressively harder, building tension and challenging players to improve. It also made the “high score” a central part of the gaming experience. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about beating the game; it was about competing with others (and yourself) for the highest score recorded on the machine’s leaderboard.
This focus on replayability through scoring and increasing difficulty created an incredibly addictive gameplay loop. It also demonstrated the power of simple graphics combined with compelling challenge. Space Invaders helped cement the arcade as a cultural hotspot and showed game designers the value of a clear objective, escalating challenge, and the enduring appeal of chasing that top score, marking a significant point in the history of video games.
3. Pac-Man (1980): More Than Just Shooting
By 1980, arcades were dominated by space shooters. Then came Pac-Man, a brightly colored character who didn’t shoot anything but instead ate. Navigating a maze while being chased by ghosts (each with their own distinct behavior!) and trying to eat all the dots felt completely fresh and different.
Pac-Man was a groundbreaking game for several reasons. It successfully introduced a protagonist with personality and a clear goal other than destroying enemies. The ghosts’ different AI patterns (one chased directly, one tried to cut you off, etc.) were an early example of enemy behavior complexity. And the power pellets, which temporarily turned the tables and allowed Pac-Man to eat the ghosts, added a brilliant strategic layer and satisfying burst of power.
Pac-Man was a massive hit, appealing to a much broader audience than the typical shoot-em-ups, including many female players. It proved that non-violent, maze-based gameplay could be incredibly successful and influential. Its character design is still iconic today, and its mechanics of navigation, item collection, and avoiding/temporarily countering enemies have appeared in countless games since, making it a truly game changing video game.
4. Donkey Kong (1981): Introducing Platforming and Story
Before Donkey Kong, characters mostly moved left and right on a single plane. Donkey Kong changed that by introducing vertical movement and obstacles to jump over. Players controlled Jumpman (later known as Mario), who had to climb scaffolding, avoid barrels rolled by the titular ape, and rescue his girlfriend, Pauline.
Donkey Kong is considered one of the earliest and most important platforming games. It established the idea of navigating distinct levels filled with hazards to reach a goal. Each screen presented a unique challenge that required timing and precise jumping. It also introduced compelling characters (Mario and Donkey Kong are still gaming icons!) and a simple narrative goal – a damsel in distress – giving context to the action.
This game was a massive success for Nintendo and set the stage for the company’s future dominance in the platforming genre. Its level-based structure and core jumping mechanic became the blueprint for countless games that followed, including the one that would truly perfect the formula. Donkey Kong’s role in defining the platformer makes it a foundational title in the history of video games.
5. Super Mario Bros. (1985): The Side-Scrolling Masterpiece
If Donkey Kong introduced platforming, Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) perfected the side-scrolling platformer format and set the standard for decades. Players guided Mario (or Luigi) through the Mushroom Kingdom, running and jumping across varied landscapes, stomping on Goombas, collecting power-ups like the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower, and discovering hidden secrets in blocks and pipes.
Super Mario Bros. was a masterclass in game design. Its controls were incredibly tight and responsive, making jumping feel natural and fun. The level design was brilliant, gradually introducing new mechanics and enemies while encouraging exploration and rewarding players for finding hidden areas. It also established the conventions of a scrolling screen, warp zones, and boss battles at the end of worlds.
This game wasn’t just popular; it single-handedly revitalized the home console market after a major crash in the early 1980s. Its success proved the viability of console gaming and set a precedent for quality, innovation, and fun. The side-scrolling formula it established has been copied and iterated upon by thousands of games, making it arguably the most influential video game of all time in terms of direct impact on genre design.
6. The Legend of Zelda (1986): Opening Up the Adventure
While many games were linear experiences, The Legend of Zelda on the NES offered something different: a vast world to explore. Players took on the role of Link, an elven boy tasked with rescuing Princess Zelda and defeating the evil Ganon. The game didn’t hold your hand; it dropped you into a large overworld with minimal instructions and encouraged you to explore, talk to characters, find items, and uncover secrets.
The Legend of Zelda essentially defined the action-adventure genre. It combined exploration with combat, puzzle-solving (often using items found in dungeons), and a non-linear structure that allowed players to approach challenges in different orders. The sense of discovery, the importance of using an inventory of diverse items, and the interconnectedness of the game world were revolutionary at the time.
This game encouraged players to think, experiment, and chart their own path. Its influence can be seen in countless adventure games, RPGs, and even open-world titles today, which emphasize exploration, item-based progression, and a sense of a living, breathing world. The freedom and depth offered by The Legend of Zelda marked a significant step in how video games evolved.
7. Tetris (1984): The Universal Puzzle Phenomenon
Created by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union, Tetris is deceptively simple: falling blocks (tetrominoes) of different shapes that players must rotate and fit together to form solid lines, which then disappear. The game gets faster as you play, challenging your spatial reasoning and reaction time.
Tetris is a phenomenon because its core mechanic is instantly understandable by anyone, anywhere in the world, regardless of language or culture. It requires no complex instructions or backstory, just the simple goal of clearing lines. Its infinite gameplay loop (the game only ends when the blocks stack up to the top) makes it endlessly replayable.
Tetris became a global sensation, particularly when it was bundled with the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989, making that handheld console a must-have item. Its success proved the power of abstract puzzle games and the potential for games to appeal to a truly mass market beyond traditional gamers. It established the block-matching puzzle genre and remains one of the best-selling and most enduringly popular games of all time, a pure example of video game innovation through elegant simplicity.
8. Street Fighter II (1991): Revolutionizing the Fighting Game
Arcade fighting games existed before Street Fighter II, but Capcom’s release changed the genre forever and kicked off a massive fighting game craze in the early 1990s. It allowed players to choose from a diverse roster of characters, each with unique fighting styles and, crucially, a set of hidden “special moves” executed with specific joystick and button combinations.
Street Fighter II elevated the fighting game from simple button mashing to a strategic battle of skill, timing, and memorization. Mastering a character’s special moves and learning how to counter opponents required dedication and practice. The competitive multiplayer aspect, allowing players to challenge each other directly in the arcade, created intense head-to-head rivalries and fostered a competitive gaming scene.
The game’s detailed character sprites, iconic stages, and balanced (for the time) roster made each fighter feel distinct and fun to play. Street Fighter II established the core mechanics, control schemes, and competitive focus that are still the foundation of modern fighting games today. Its impact on arcades and console multiplayer gaming makes it a true cornerstone in the development of groundbreaking video games.
9. Doom (1993): Defining the First-Person Shooter
While other games experimented with 3D perspectives, id Software’s Doom popularized and largely defined the first-person shooter (FPS) genre as we know it. Players navigated complex 3D environments from a first-person perspective, blasting demons with an arsenal of weapons, finding keys to unlock doors, and searching for secrets.
Doom was technically groundbreaking for its time, offering fast-paced pseudo-3D graphics that felt incredibly immersive. Its level design, filled with mazes, traps, and monster closets, created a sense of constant danger and excitement. But beyond the game itself, Doom had a massive impact through its support for “modding.” id Software released the game’s engine code, allowing players to create their own levels, graphics, and even total conversions, essentially inventing the concept of user-generated content and community-driven game modification.
Doom’s visceral gameplay, atmospheric graphics, and pioneering support for modding made it a cultural phenomenon. It set the template for countless FPS games that followed and proved the power of giving players tools to create their own content, significantly influencing how video games evolved and fostered player communities.
10. SimCity (1989): Building Worlds and Indirect Control
Before SimCity, most strategy games were about direct control of units or characters. Will Wright’s SimCity offered something different: the chance to build and manage an entire city. Players zoned areas for residential, commercial, and industrial development, built infrastructure like roads and power lines, and dealt with the consequences of their decisions, from traffic jams to pollution to natural disasters.
SimCity popularized the “god game” or city-building simulation genre. Instead of controlling a single character or army, players acted as an unseen mayor, influencing the world through policies and development plans. There was no win state, just the ongoing challenge of creating a thriving metropolis. This open-ended, creative gameplay was a departure from traditional goal-oriented games.
SimCity’s success showed that there was a large audience for simulation and strategy games that emphasized creation, management, and indirect control. It inspired a wave of simulation games across various themes and laid the groundwork for complex management simulators and city-building games we play today. Its focus on systems and player creativity marked a unique path in video game innovation.
From the simple bouncing dot of Pong to the complex urban planning of SimCity, these classic video games represent pivotal moments in the history of video games. Each one introduced ideas, mechanics, or technologies that were revolutionary at the time and are now fundamental parts of modern game design. They taught us how to compete, explore, solve puzzles, fight, build, and interact with digital worlds in entirely new ways. The next time you play a platformer, shoot-em-up, puzzle game, or simulation, remember that its roots likely stretch back to these influential video games that truly changed how we play forever.
Further Reading
Here are some books that explore the history and creation of video games, suitable for young adults interested in learning more:
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (A fictional story, but heavily references classic arcade and video games)
- Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation by Blake J. Harris (Focuses on the console market in the 90s, building on the earlier foundation)
- Pac-Man: Born to Be Wild by Greg Toppo (Explores the cultural phenomenon of Pac-Man)
- The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon–The Story Behind Everything You’ve Ever Played by Steven L. Kent (A comprehensive look at video game history)
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