Games that Changed the Gaming Landscape

There are thousands of incredible games, each one leaving its impact on the gaming landscape. But which games have been the most influential in paving the success of future titles? 

We’ll be taking a deep dive to explore all the incredible games that have graced our gaming libraries over the years, highlighting their influence and how they’ve altered the gaming landscape.  

Pong – 1972

First released in 1972 by Atari, Pong is considered to be one of the first computer games. As a table tennis arcade game, it features two paddles and a ‘ball’. Your opponent must miss the ball in order for you to get a point. Be the first to reach ten, and you’ve won! Pong could be played with either two players or one player versus a computer-generated AI.  

At the time, home video consoles and desktop systems weren’t a common sight in the average home. In fact, back in 1972, Intel had only just released its very first commercially produced desktop processor – Intel 4004. As the smallest commercial processor, the Intel 4004 was tiny ground-breaking CPU that had only twelve chips. Regardless of this, it still provided the same level of power as the very first computer in 1946, which took up an entire room. As a result, Pong was initially only available on hefty arcade machines. However, its popularity resulted in Atari creating a dedicated home console, called ‘’Home Pong’’. 

Whilst the gameplay doesn’t appear to be all that exciting in 2023, upon release, Pong was a huge success. The game proved that you could in fact make money from video games, kickstarting the ever-growing gaming industry. Ultimately, paving the way for future popular arcade titles, such as ‘Pac-Man’ and ‘Space Invaders’. 

Doom – 1993

The first instalment in the infamous Doom franchise hit our gaming libraries back in 1993. Developed by id Software, become the last remaining marine recently assigned to the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) Mars facility. After an experiment went wrong and an unexpected portal to Hell opened, Mars has become overrun by demons threatening to find their way to Earth.

The game was noted for its use of 3D graphics and in-depth gameplay that moved away from simple all-out warfare. Instead, Doom implemented a focus on puzzle solving and storyline, along with the classic shoot outs and combat. Unlike first-person shooters seen before it, Doom revolutionised FPS map and level design, thanks to the unique combination of secret rooms, winding corridors, and big open arenas. 

Whilst PC tech wasn’t at the level as it is today, with Intel releasing their first line of Pentium x86 CPUs for low-power and entry-level desktops, there was still a huge modding community for Doom in the late 90s. Fans were utilising the game’s in-depth engine to create their own complex levels. Little has changed in 2023. The games are still being consistently modded, with fans designing new maps, levels, and modes. 

Its huge success and influence on the gaming landscape and long-lasting popularity resulted in the game being re-released for PC in 2019 to mark the 25^th anniversary. Players could experience their favourite moments in Doom all over again, now with improved controls, upgraded modern-day visuals on widescreen monitors, support for controllers, and much more.  

Resident Evil – 1996

Everyone’s favourite survival horror game entered the gaming landscape back in 1996. The very first Resident Evil game was originally launched on the PlayStation and players primarily controlled both Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. As two members of S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Services), they are trapped inside a zombie-infested mansion. In order to escape and survive, players must kill hordes of zombies and complete a series of complex puzzles.  

The game soon became a huge success with nearly four million copies sold in 1997, resulting in Resident Evil later being ported for PC. Its success is primarily based on how the game defined the survival horror genre. This includes implementing terrifying elements of horror, deadly zombies and creatures, along with complex puzzle-solving. These features have steadily become fan-favourites and are at the centre of every other game in the Resident Evil series and survival horror genre. 

What’s more, the game was also noted for its use of cinematic features and how they can be successful additions to video games. This included high-quality 3D rendered cut scenes, voice acting, and immersive live-action openings, which have now been consistently seen in other survival horror titles, such as ‘Silent Hill’. In addition to this, the game also sparked a new-found interest in zombies, with them soon returning into mainstream popular culture. Countless apocalyptic zombie games, films, television shows, and comics all came from the success of Resident Evil. 

The popularity of the 1996 title rapidly led to the future success of all other twenty-four games in the Resident Evil series. Each one continues to focus on the deadly Umbrella Corportation, upholding the classic elements of the original title whilst also adding new unique gameplay features. 

Today, Resident Evil not only boasts a vast gaming series, but also an expansive media franchise. This includes comics, novels, animated sequels, board games, along with live-action films and television shows.  

Want to read more about Resident Evil and its long history?

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Super Mario 64 – 1996

Developed for the iconic Nintendo 64 console, Super Mario 64 hit our screens in 1996 (1997 in Europe). This 3D platform adventure game was the very first 3D Mario game. Players must unravel the secrets of Peach’s castle, solve puzzles to collect precious stars, and ultimately retrieve Peach from Bowser’s grasp. Many popular mechanics and fan-favourite moves were first introduced in Super Mario 64. This includes triple jumping, diving, somersaulting, and many more.  

Super Mario 64 has been noted as the best-selling Nintendo 64 game, with over eleven million copies sold worldwide, as of 2011. The gameplay mechanics and world design helped to set a precedent for the future of all 3D puzzle-platformers. Namely, the open freedom that players had to explore.   

It’s worthy place within the gaming landscape has resulted in the game earning several different re-releases and remakes.

In 2004, it was remastered for the Nintendo DS and included some popular characters such as Yoshi and Luigi. Plus, for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, an emulation of the original 1997 game was included in ‘Super Mario 3D All-Stars’.  

Super Mario 64 is now part of a huge collection of Mario games that continues to grow and expanded into new franchises. The latest of which is the successful ‘The Super Mario Bros’ movie. 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – 1998

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the very first 3D Zelda game and made exclusively available for the Nintendo 64 console. Players would control iconic hero, Link as he ventures across the world of Hyrule, and even time itself, to defeat the King of Evil, Ganondorf. You must go back in time utilising your trusty Ocarina, remove the Master Sword, use it defeat hordes of boss monsters and seal Ganondorf in Hell.  

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been noted for its detailed storyline and characters, along with 3D graphics and time-travel gameplay. All of which paved the way for it to soon become a fan-favourite. In fact, it’s so popular, that the game still holds an average score of 9.7 with IGN. 

One of the most popular gameplay features of this Zelda game is the Ocarina of Time. This incredible instrument allows players to teleport to various locations, manipulate scenery, and even the time of day or weather. Its inclusion in the game and popularity kickstarted the consistent use of instruments throughout the Zelda series.

What’s more, the Ocarina has even earnt itself some noteworthy easter eggs in other Nintendo titles, including ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’, in which players can craft their very own Ocarina of Time! 

Both Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were developed as exclusive titles for the Nintendo 64. 

A hugely popular home game console, it served as a successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Named for its 64-bit CPU, the Nintendo 64 came equipped with advanced 3D graphics and an expansive list of compatible fan-favourite games.  

Half Life – 1998 & 2004:

Half-Life is a series of infamous first-person shooters, developed and published by Valve. The two most notable games of which are ‘Half Life’ (1998) and ‘Half Life 2’ (2004).  

Half Life – 1998

Released in 1998, Half Life takes place in the Black Mesa Research Facility where players take control of physicist, Gordan Freeman. After a failed experiment opens a portal to an open world, players must battle hordes of aliens and government forces to save humanity.  

With Half Life, Valve wanted to create a new type of FPS, focusing on creating features that hadn’t been seen before in the genre. Mainly, the move away from the player being at the centre of everyone’s minds.

Not everyone is out to get Freeman, you’re simply tangled up in plot that is much bigger than you. Survival rests on your ability to think quick on your feet, consistently think of new ways to survive and make game-altering decisions. It’s not just about shooting aimlessly to kill the scary monster. 

What’s more, the players have almost uninterrupted control of the character, and the story is told to us through a series of scripted scenes rather than cut scenes. Something that Valve later developed further in Half Life 2.  

The game’s popularity and Valve’s huge community support resulted in an extensive modding community for the game. This had a notable impact on the gaming landscape, especially since the popular FPS and esports title, ’Counter-Strike’ first began as a mod for the Half-Life engine, GoldScr. 

Half Life 2 – 2004

As the successor to the first game, Half Life 2 was released in 2004 and was in fact, the first game available on Valve’s gaming platform, Steam. Set in the Seven Years Wars, players reunite with Gordan Freeman who has been reawakened from stasis in City 17. Team up with Alyx Vance to help lead a human resistance group against the deadly Combine.  

Half Life 2 features an in-depth story campaign that is complete with a detailed apocalyptic world, physics-breaking weaponry, and combat.  

What sets Half Life 2 apart from the first game, is the fact there are no scripted scenes, characters, or cut scenes to guide you through the story. 

It is entirely up to the player and their decisions to put together the story clues rather than cut or opening scenes. Whether this is through a small newspaper clipping detailing the start of the war, or a character dialogue. This showcased that developers could utilise the world mechanics to allow players to piece together the story bit by bit, for greater immersion.  

Not only this, but it also kickstarted a huge craze with physics manipulating weaponry and items. The intelligent gravity gun was emulated in other popular titles released after Half Life 2, including ‘Dead Space’ and ‘Bioshock’. 

Half Life 2’s long-lasting impact on the gaming landscape is not only its new gameplay, storytelling, and world mechanics. It is also its popularisation of Steam. Before Half Life 2, the platform was struggling to gain users as a global gaming distribution platform had never been seen before.  

However, after the game’s release, along with the inclusion of other popular titles such as ‘Counter-Strike’, Steam has evolved to become the centre of PC gaming. Steam has revolutionised how people access games, offering a huge platform for mainstream and indie developers to publish their games to wider audiences. 

The Sims – 2000

The hugely successful life simulation franchise, The Sims, was released back in 2000. Developed by Maxis, co-founder and ‘SimCity’ creator Will Wright, he originally wanted to design the game as a spin off for the ‘SimCity’. However, it soon expanded into an in-depth life simulation in which players control the day-to-day life of their ‘Sims’. These ‘Sims’ require their daily needs met and life goals achieved.  

The original game received a consistent stream of updates and new content, through DLCs, such as ‘Livin Large’, a model that the franchise continues to use today. 

Its rapid success kickstarted life simulation and ‘god’ games becoming more popular. The Sims earned the Game of the Year in 2000 and soon became the best-selling PC game of all time, until The Sims 2 took the title in 2004.  

Its impact on the gaming landscape can be shown through the franchise’s hugely successful life span. It is one of the best-selling PC video game series of all time, having sold more than 11.24 million copies worldwide.  Now at 23-years old, the series consists of numerous long-standing popular titles, including: 

• The Sims 
• The Sims 2  
• The Sims 3  
• The Sims 4  
• The Sims 5 / ‘Project Rene’ (Currently in development) 

The Sims has made a huge influence in the gaming landscape, especially in regards to the importance of representation in video games. In every game, there are no boundaries in relationships, life, or the ability to create who you truly are. This is especially thanks to the recent updates added to The Sims 4, which included options for masculine and feminine frames, the inclusion of pronouns, transition scars, along with medical and hearing aids.  

Halo: Combat Evolved – 2001

The first in a long line of Halo games, Combat Evolved hit our gaming libraries in 2001. The game was originally created as an XBOX Original, along with being ported for both PC and Mac. After crash landing on a mysterious ring world, known as Halo, play as the Master Chief tasked with helping the last remaining humans survive. Team up with trusty AI Cortana as you battle for your survival against the Covenant forces, uncover secrets behind Halo, and protect life in the galaxy.  

Halo Combat Evolved was one of the first FPS games to combine vast open-world spaces and closed-door dungeons. Plus, with in-depth cooperative campaigns, realistic vehicular physics, intelligent AI gameplay, and immersive visuals – it’s no wonder it rapidly became a fan favourite. 

What’s more, due to the limitations of the multiplayer mode in Halo: Combat Evolved, developer, Bungie, ensured to put more focus on multiplayer in the other instalments. In Halo 2, multiplayer was no longer restricted to LAN parties with up to sixteen players. Instead, it offered players gameplay with virtually no restraints along with incredible game altering mechanics, such as grenade and rocket jumping. The popularity of multiplayer in Halo resulted in the game becoming a huge esports title and now has its own dedicated Halo Championship Series. 

Halo was extremely influential in helping arcade FPS shooters evolve, along with becoming more accessible on consoles. In fact, one of the reasons why Halo: Combat Evolved worked so well on the XBOX console, was thanks to its ergonomic controller. The design, shape, and feel of the controller made it perfect for ultra-fast FPS gaming action.  

As an exclusive to the XBOX console, the success of Halo: Combat Evolved helped to significantly popularise the console. Until Halo, Microsoft were struggling to compete with the popular PlayStation. Nearly 26% of all XBOX owners had purchased a copy of Halo and many consider the game to have really made the XBOX console what it is today. 

It’s legacy on the gaming landscape resulted in a long-awaited re-release for PC to mark the franchise’s tenth anniversary in 2011. The game was optimised for PC with modern-day visuals, improved mouse and keyboard controls, and so much more.  

World of Warcraft – 2004

The iconic MMORPG, World of Warcraft, released back in 2004. Set in the fantasy ‘Warcraft’ universe, you can play as a powerful hero tasked with fighting monsters and fantastical creatures to defend the world of Azeroth against a multitude of threats.  

World of Warcraft altered fundamental gameplay aspects of traditional MMORPG games. This included the death system. Players would typically suffer a huge penalty for dying, however WoW changed this. Players were now able to recover and start replaying quickly. Similar to this, downtime after combat was significantly reduced. No matter how intensive the battle is, all character types can quickly return to gameplay. 

Both of these improvements helped to make the game more enjoyable to casual gamers rather than hardcore MMORPG fans, attracting more players to the genre. In fact, it soon became the most popular MMORPG title, reaching a peak of twelve million subscribers in 2010. 

Along with redefining the MMORPG genre, the game revolutionised multiplayer games. The community is huge, with multiple different guilds for fans to join, form friendships, and play together. You can team up with the rest of your guild to take on more complicated quests and boss battles to earn valuable loot and progress your levels even further. 

Another reason, WoW attracts so many gamers is the multitude of in-depth character types. The characters have been designed to attract every type of player, with each class having its own unique look, and gameplay style, along with powerful skills, bonuses, and different abilities.  

The characters, new redefined gameplay, and huge expansive open world all resulted in World of Warcraft becoming a successful game with a long lifespan. In fact, it still receives regular updates and new content added via DLC expansions, with the most recent being ‘Dragonflight’ in 2022.  

Minecraft – 2011

The huge sandbox game, Minecraft, hit our gaming libraries back in 2011. Players can explore a virtually infinite ‘blocky’ three-dimensional world to hunt for raw materials, craft, build, fight hordes of hostile mobs, and even battle other online players.  

Players can select between two different game modes: 

• Survival  
• Creative 

Each one offers a completely different way to play, creating open-ended gameplay. The game is a sandbox at heart, meaning it’s entirely up to the player to decide how they want to play. They can continuously return to Minecraft to try a new build or way of playing the game.  

However, if that doesn’t suit your gameplay style, there are some in-game objectives. Namely, defeat eight different Enderman, collect their eyes, construct an End Portal, and defeat the Ender Dragon.

This is ultimately why Minecraft has become so successful. You are left to your own creativity to explore and play the game however you decide. Whether this is simply building the ultimate castle or destroying the Ender Dragon once and for all. As a result, the game isn’t as taxing as genres such as RPGs, FPS, or MMORGs. You don’t actively have to be engaged in intense gameplay every time you play, perfect for more casual gamers.  

What’s more, content is still actively being refreshed, thanks to consistent updates, new support for ray tracing, and even different spin offs, such as Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Legends. 

lus, thanks to the huge active community, there are multiple different custom-made mods available for players to download. 

This can range from some simple quality of life upgrades, visuals enhancements, completely new gameplay features, and even Bikini Bottom. All of which create more exciting and unique ways for fans to return to the world of Minecraft.  

The games rapid success has resulted it in becoming the best-selling video game in history, with over 238 million copies sold and 140 million active monthly players in 2021. The game has been ported onto nearly every platform from PC, console, to even mobile.  

Thanks to its family friendly design and easy-to-use controls, Minecraft has also been used to introduce children into the world of gaming, inspiring a whole new generation of gamers. It has even gone so far as to earn multiple Kid’s Choice Awards for Favourite Video Game.  

In addition to this, along with getting more children into gaming, Minecraft has been utilised in schools as a way new of teaching about history, science, and much more. In fact, there is a dedicated MinecraftEdu through which teachers have created models of historic events, landmarks, and even cells.  

The Aftermath on the Gaming Landscape

Ultimately, each of these games influenced the gaming landscape in multiple different ways. 

Going back to the very beginning, without Pong, would we have ever had proof that you could in fact make money from a video game? Would the rest of our games on this list exist without this arcade-based tennis game? Pong set the standard for what you could achieve with a video game in 1972, which has only continued to evolve over the years with each of the games on our list.  

Whether this meant utilising brand-new technologies, revolutionising graphics, controls, storyline, or gameplay mechanics, the gaming landscape wouldn’t be what it is today without the likes of Half-Life, Resident Evil, The Sims, Super Mario 64, and many more.  

With the huge number of successful games in recent years, such as Fortnite, Elden Ring, and Stray, only time will tell what influence they leave on the gaming landscape.  

Inspired to Start PC Gaming?

If all these incredible influential video games has got you thinking about kickstarting your own gaming journey – look no further. We’ve included a few of our top gaming PC recommendations down below.  

OcUK Gaming Tanto Configurable PC:

Enjoy incredible gaming experience with the OcUK Gaming Tanto PC. Small, yet mighty this system comes armed with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, for fast processing speeds that is perfect for both and play! Plus, with an NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti, enjoy built-in support for features such as Real-Time Ray Tracing and AI DLSS, for photo-realistic visuals and immersive gameplay.  What’s more, the OcUK Gaming Tanto is a configurable system. This means you can adjust the base hardware specification to better suit your individual preferences. This includes customising the case, upgrading the processor, memory, and graphics card, along with opting for additional storage drives.

OcUK Gaming Tanto

• Configurable gaming PC
• As standard includes an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti
• 32GB DD5 RAM
• Flexible storage options available

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Refract Gaming Jade Pre-built PC:

A part of our pre-built Refract Gaming range, the Jade PC has been fine-tuned for mid-tier gaming and budding content creators. Built utilising high-quality hardware, this system includes an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti GPU. Harness the Zen 4 architecture for ultra-fast processing, multitasking, and workload management. All of which is backed up at least 32GB DDR5 RAM, for quick loading times and near-zero latency. Plus, utilise the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti GPU, built with Ada Lovelace architecture to render all your favourite games in stunning quality, with realistic lighting and shadows.  

With a 1TB SSD, you’ll have all the storage space you need and more for your expanding gaming library, creative projects, and much more. Lastly, to keep all your precious hardware well protected, every PC in the Refract Gaming range includes a three-year warranty, which also covers parts and labour.  

Refract Gaming Jade

• Pre-built gaming PC designed for mid-tier gaming and budding content creators
• Includes an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti GPU
• 32GB DDR5 RAM

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OcUK Gaming Germanium Z7 Gaming PC:

Achieve cutting-edge gaming performance with the OcUK Gaming Germanium Z7 Gaming PC. This high-end system comes equipped with both an Intel 14^th Gen CPU and NVIDIA RTX 40 Series GPU. Harness the new redefined multicore architecture to achieve blisteringly fast speeds, along with intelligent workload management. Both of which are enhanced further thanks to the built-in Intel Thread Director and up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM.  Take advantage of the NVIDIA RTX 4090, built with cutting-edge Ada Lovelace architecture, to unlock hyper-realistic visuals and buttery-smooth frame rates. All thanks to integrated support for Real-Time Ray Tracing and next-gen AI DLSS 3.  

All this incredible hardware is installed within a sleek Phanteks Evolv X ATX Mid Tower Case, in which you can display all your next-gen hardware with pride thanks to the tempered glass side panel.  

OcUK Gaming Germanium Z7

• Configurable gaming PC
• Option to customise the base hardware specification
• Includes an Intel i7 14700KF CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPU
• Up to 32GB DDR5 RAM
• Flexible storage options available

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Your Top Influential Game?

Be sure to let us know if your top influential game made our list or just missed it. Plus, we’d also love to hear what popular modern-day game you think will have a notable impact on the gaming landscape for future gamers.  

*Prices correct at time of writing and PC specs are subject to change.