10 Movies That Directly Influenced Gaming

10. Star Wars

Games Influenced: Space Wars, Lunar Lander, pretty much every sci-fi video game ever.

Let us begin with the obvious one. Star Wars has had an impact on everything, A force so big that people can love (hey original trilogy) hate (howdy prequel trilogy) and be disappointed in (whassup sequel trilogy) all at the same time.

It influenced so much, and the world of gaming is no exception.

It helps that the first film was released just at the point of the first arcade mega boom. Pre-1977, the year of our lord and the release date for A New Hope, cabinet games had you play as cowboys or race-car drivers with options such as Gun Fight and Night Driver. 1978 onwards that all switched to piloting star-fighters and blowing things up with lasers with games like Space Wars, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Galaxian, and Lunar Lander.

Star Wars is a mishmash of genres that features both sci-fi and fantasy elements, from flying ships, swinging swords, blasting lasers, and a little bit of magic, that makes it a beacon of infinite possibilities for game developers to draw inspiration from both officially and unofficially.