Things in life change as time goes on. Sometimes they change naturally and other times they are pushed into change by something that is particularly innovative, clever, or popular. This extends to all facets of society but one such industry that seems to be particularly affected by change via an agent is the games industry. Online games, video games, and phone games have become more popular than ever as of late and they are continuously changing. Here are 5 iconic games that changed the games industry.
Candy Crush – Phone Games
Candy Crush Saga is a phone game that most people have heard of. It has become wildly popular around the globe due to its simple and addictive gameplay loop, colorful graphics, and feeling of progression as you beat levels. Candy Crush Saga has over 270 million active monthly users and 9 million people who play the game for more than 3 hours a day. It has spawned a ton of spin-offs, copy cats, and made the phone game a part of technological society. Before Candy Crush there were no ubiquitous phone games on the market, they were the first to really catch the world by storm. Now every app designer dreams of replicating Candy Crush’s success which has brought in billions of dollars of revenue over the years.
Doom – First Person Shooters
Today, games like Halo and Call of Duty are widely played and supremely popular. Call of Duty comes out yearly and Halo is in the midst of a complete modern reshoot. All of this success was created in the 1990s by the Doom franchise. Doom was revolutionary for its first-person perspective, violent shooting mechanics, and evolving enemy variety that grew with you. Before Doom, the idea of controlling an armed protagonist in the first person was not fleshed out. Little did they know that they were changing the entire face of the game industry forever. Now Doom has been brought into the 21st Century with two well-acclaimed remakes and its influence on the gaming industry is spoken about frequently. They were not only revolutionary but also a smashing success.
Book of Ra – Slot Games
The Book of Ra is an extremely popular slot game that has also seen several remakes. It is known for its eye-catching ancient egyptian-style theme and big payouts but the Book of Ra’s claim to fame is the inclusion of the bonus feature and free spins which you can win if you get lucky to open 3 books in a single spin. Nowadays, if you go to a casino, either online or in person, almost every modern slot advertises free spins and bonus games. The Book of Ra, one of the oldest slot games on the market, was one of the pioneers in this department. The game still lures players in with the possibility of winning up to 10 free games in a bonus feature which can reap huge rewards for the daring player. Next time you see a free spin counter on a slot machine, think of the Book of Ra slots game.
Baldur’s Gate – Roleplaying Games
You cannot play a strategy game in 2020 without seeing the influence of Baldur’s Gate. It was one of the first role playing games that really took you into the game world, gave you meaningful decisions, and forced you to play as a certain character. The game spun off dozens of sequels, offshoots, and copy cats in the years directly following its release but now its influence has stretched all the way to today. There is a new Baldur’s Gate being made as we speak and roleplaying games like Skyrim and the Witcher have transcended the gaming genre to cultural touchpoints. None of that would have happened without Baldur’s Gates influence in the 1990s.
Civilization – Strategy Games
Civilization is a series that has been around for decades recently accumulating in the 6th major entry to the series just recently. It is a game that made turn-based strategy a household name and coined the term “one more turn“. Almost every turn-based strategy game on the market today has taken some design features and ideas from the Civilization series. From tech trees, to colonists that use a unit of population to function properly to a progression through the eras of human history, Civilization started it all and they are still going strong today.
