Which game do you think is the most important of the 21st century?

[Reed Rothchild | 9,607]

In fact, I would say the defining feature of Gen-Z, when boiled down to one word, is Minecraft 

[tbone3969 | 308]

Tears of the Kingdom.

[DefaultGen | 5,453]

2 hours ago, RH said:

I'm not sure which one to pick, but I think another option is an early, Pay-to-Win gacha style game.  Are these things terrible?  Yes, but whomever invented/perfected the model changed the gaming industry, though for bad.

It is easy to forget more people play mobile slot machine apps than Nintendo Switch. Something like Candy Crush is probably the real answer. Casual/mobile gaming and microtransactions that make billions are probably more influential to the whole industry than big 3D worlds that are fun to play in.

[RH | 4,991]

Just now, DefaultGen said:

It is easy to forget more people play mobile slot machine apps than Nintendo Switch. Something like Candy Crush is probably the real answer. Casual/mobile gaming and microtransactions that make billions are probably more influential to the whole industry than big 3D worlds that are fun to play in.

I think Candy Crush refined that wretched process, but I don't think it set the trend.  I'd have to research, but someone, I'm sure, put the pieces together, probably raked in a few hundred million and then got the attention of all other game makers who then realized this was the next big way to make billions off of the masses.

Candy Crush might have been the first real game with mass casual appeal, though.  I really think it all started with some gacha, but gachas aren't as casual as they seem.  Some of the ones I got deep into, I spent hours on and never spent above my limit.  They all tend to limit your gameplay by making level advancements based off of so many turns you can earn per hour.  Of course, you can pay to unlock more points for more turns but there's always to earn those, or you can wait two hours and try again.  Of course, when these games are new, they sprinkle all kinds of incentives, plus each time you level, however that works, you get all of your points back to play through levels.  This means that for the first 10-20 levels, usually you can play as much as you want, and the point of that mechanic is 100% to get you hooked.

I still have Survivor.io on my phone, but I only open it once every few months.  It was pretty reasonable at the beginning and, IMHO, the first 3 months of any of these games is when it's best to play.  For free, you can usually do pretty well and get out of the game what it has to offer.  I don't know why I keep Survivor.io around but I guess it's because I just don't play it much and I only get the itch to play it every 6-8 weeks, I play it a couple of days and then I'm good.  I probably dropped $20 on that game? Again, I know these things are semi-predatorial, but I also believe in personal responsibility.  I go more than $20 out of that game when I played it a good bit when it launched, so I see no harm.  I'm not going to be dropping $1,000 on it over a few years, though.  If anyone has seriously kept up with that game, even casually, it wouldn't surprise me if they've spent that much as a "low spend" player.

[Hammerfestus | 3,901]

2 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

In fact, I would say the defining feature of Gen-Z, when boiled down to one word, is Minecraft 

It’s still kind of a thing today.  Look at all the themed merch that’s ubiquitous in toy sections.  I’ve got a 13 year old nephew who’s into it.  Just questioned the 6 year old and when I asked where he heard about Minecraft he says just learned about it from “somewhere”.  Says he doesn’t really play it though because it’s too hard to play on his tablet.  He and his buddies were into Roblox.   I think that’s supposed to be similar? but a lot of parents I think put the kibosh on that because it’s really easy for them to get into some weird shit.

[RH | 4,991]

I remember when Microsoft bought Minecraft/Mojang.  I really thought Minecraft was on a downward slope and had reached it's prime.  There was no way they'd make their money back on that one.

In all my predictions about games and business, that one has probably been the most incorrect, ever.  I'm quite shocked at the longevity of that one game.  I mean, I get that they hyper-expanded it, but you're basically running around in a super-blocky world. I'm surprised no one's tried to do the same thing, but with better graphics.  And I'm not talking about anything wild here.  A generative sandbox, even voxel based, can look way better.

And yes, I'm aware of the mods.  I fooled around with many of the high-def ones and such, but certainly we can do way more than what Minecraft has to offer and, yet, still be all the same.

I'm just bitter that Microsoft bought Mojang and immediately killed Scrolls.

Edited May 2 by RH

[The Count | 536]

Some good mentions with GTA3, Wii Sports, and Minecraft. I'll also suggest Guitar Hero/Rock Band, and Wii Fit for consideration. Tough to say, but I'd vote Minecraft. Every kid these days plays or has played it. The merchandise is everywhere.

[fox | 1,685]

3 hours ago, tbone3969 said:

Tears of the Kingdom.

You don’t get TotK without Shadow of the Colossus.  You see that same DNA in Dark Souls, God of War, and others.

[Sumez | 2,997]

5 hours ago, RH said:

Did the Wii experience translate well past Wii Sports?  Not for most games, but it did for a few.  Regardless, everyone including their Mom, Dad, Grandparents and Dog had a favorite game on the Wii Sports disc and it was literally a global phenomenon. 

Eh same for Angry Birds and a bunch of other momentary fads

[Sumez | 2,997]

5 hours ago, wongojack said:

Diablo is definitely a similar game, and it also emphasized its multiplayer community for years.  There would never be a WOW without Diablo.

I'll believe you when you said you haven't played Diablo or MMORPGs much, because they really aren't similar at all

[Sumez | 2,997]

2 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

It is easy to forget more people play mobile slot machine apps than Nintendo Switch. Something like Candy Crush is probably the real answer. Casual/mobile gaming and microtransactions that make billions are probably more influential to the whole industry than big 3D worlds that are fun to play in.

But is Candy Crush important? Or is it just commercially successful

People here seem to conflate those a lot. "Important" is more subjective

[Brickman | 4,043]

Minecraft is a good one and probably my second choice. I also thought MS were crazy when they paid what they did for it but they have made that game into a whole other beast. My nephews are hooked on it and they’re 6 and 7 so they’ve managed to extend it to another generation of kids. 

[wongojack | 229]

4 hours ago, Sumez said:

I'll believe you when you said you haven't played Diablo or MMORPGs much, because they really aren't similar at all

Of course they are.  WOW continues the format started by Diablo of having a PC based RPG that focuses more on action and less on stats and managing details.  This created a broader appeal for Diablo than other RPGs and then that was further revised into the MMO format.

Found this in less than 10 seconds:  How WoW has been influenced by Diablo (blizzardwatch.com)

 

Edit - I see the reaction, and I realize my response above is a bit too much of an overreaction.  I should have said something like - I don't really know how much the gameplay and other elements are related, but there are definitely opinions you can find online that suggest the games are similar.

Edited May 3 by wongojack

[Tulpa | 3,548]

44 minutes ago, Sumez said:

But is Candy Crush important? Or is it just commercially successful

People here seem to conflate those a lot. "Important" is more subjective

Commercially successful is important in and of itself, because it influences a lot of what comes next. 

[CT | 100]

One more vote for GTA3.

Although a mobile game might make the most sense. Flappy Bird came to mind, maybe not the most important but memorable for sure. And the guy deleted the game when it was still mega popular. Who here remembers people selling phones will Flappy Bird on it for thousands of dollars on eBay?

[Sumez | 2,997]

9 hours ago, Tulpa said:

Commercially successful is important in and of itself, because it influences a lot of what comes next. 

But is the things it influenced something that holds any importance to you?
It's certainly not important to the advancements of human civilization, or similar effects on our daily lives. It's not gonna cure cancer or end wars, that goes without saying, the subject is video games.

So what matters is, do you feel that an influx of hundreds of thousands of match-three gacha games - existing mostly as a business model, moreso than a creative endeavour - hold any relevance to the recreational pastime that interests -you-?

Personally I find it extremely unimportant at least. No matter how succesful it was.

Edited May 3 by Sumez

[Rhuno | 116]

I like both Halo and GTA 3 as options. GTA 3 is probably more influential, for better or for worse, on the industry as a whole. I think the original Halo might be the best game ever made, but it's sphere of influence is largely limited to the FPS genre.

[Tulpa | 3,548]

10 hours ago, Sumez said:

But is the things it influenced something that holds any importance to you?
It's certainly not important to the advancements of human civilization, or similar effects on our daily lives. It's not gonna cure cancer or end wars, that goes without saying, the subject is video games.

So what matters is, do you feel that an influx of hundreds of thousands of match-three gacha games - existing mostly as a business model, moreso than a creative endeavour - hold any relevance to the recreational pastime that interests -you-?

Personally I find it extremely unimportant at least. No matter how succesful it was.

Sure, but to some, like Wiz, Super Mario Bros 3 is unimportant. I mean, if it's down to personal preference, anything goes. There's probably some games that you feel strongly about and qualify as "important" that I can't give two shits about, and vice versa. Then the thread becomes "what games do you like?"

Candy Crush is unimportant to most of us here in and of itself, but objectively, it did influence mobile games and beyond to some degree. In that sense, it is objectively important. 

Edited May 3 by Tulpa

[doner24 | 1,197]

It’s WoW, Minecraft, Candycrush, or GTA3 without question. All other answers are invalid. 

[a3quit4s | 4,129]

I dunno man I see a couple in this list like Minecraft for sure, I’ve never played it personally but that doesn’t stop me from recognizing its impact on gaming and society in general. GTAIII set a standard from what we expect from games that is still being adhered to today; not just the gameplay open world stuff - the dialogue, music, and that feeling you could be watching a movie instead of playing a game. Halo for sure had an impact on me, especially from a multiplayer perspective and what was possible on console for multiplayer. Halo 2 gave rise to Xbox Live and that impact lives on today though and I think CounterStrike before Halo set the standard for first person shooters for me. I feel like Metal Gear Solid 4 should at least be spoken about here and also StarCraft 2 which laid the foundation for esports imo. I don’t think I could just settle on one game there are so many that had huge impacts 

Edited May 4 by a3quit4s

[JamesRobot | 5,843]

Fortnite

[Brickman | 4,043]

3 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

I dunno man I see a couple in this list like Minecraft for sure, I’ve never played it personally but that doesn’t stop me from denying its impact on gaming and society in general. GTAIII set a standard from what we expect from games that is still being adhered to today; not just the gameplay open world stuff - the dialogue, music, and that feeling you could be watching a movie instead of playing a game. Halo for sure had an impact on me, especially from a multiplayer perspective and what was possible on console for multiplayer. Halo 2 gave rise to Xbox Live and that impact lives on today though and I think CounterStrike before Halo set the standard for first person shooters for me. I feel like Metal Gear Solid 4 should at least be spoken about here and also StarCraft 2 which laid the foundation for esports imo. I don’t think I could just settle on one game there are so many that had huge impacts 

Yeah all those games are definitely important. I’m actually surprised no one has mentioned a COD game yet.

[Sumez | 2,997]

14 hours ago, Tulpa said:

Candy Crush is unimportant to most of us here in and of itself, but objectively, it did influence mobile games and beyond to some degree. In that sense, it is objectively important. 

Well I disagree I don't think something being influential says anything about its importance. In that case, wouldn't you just be asking "what is the most influential game"?

what I think is important is definitely also not the same as it being my favorite 

Edited May 4 by Sumez

[Tulpa | 3,548]

12 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Well I disagree I don't think something being influential says anything about its importance. In that case, wouldn't you just be asking "what is the most influential game"?

what I think is important is definitely also not the same as it being my favorite 

Well, then it depends on the definition of "Important." A game that influences other games and changes the direction of video games is "Important" to a lot of people. Hard to think of a game that is "important" that isn't also "influential." In fact, pretty much every game mentioned is "influential", therefore, also "important."

God, you got me sounding like Dave now. Thanks a lot!

[Sumez | 2,997]

Haha yeah I'd say influence is definitely a matter in importance, i just think if what you influenced was a massively successful predatory business model, it's probably not very important to anyone outside of the few people who made a lot of money on that