12 Most Influential Video Games Of The 2000s

8. World Of Warcraft

How many millions of lives were affected by World of Warcraft? How many relationships ruined, children neglected and cans of Red Bull consumed in the twelve years since this - the definitive MMORPG - appeared on the scene?

A lot many, is how many. The MMO genre was already doing well by the time WoW came along, as people were happy to pay monthly subscriptions to inhabit huge fantasy worlds alongside thousands of other actual people. But World of Warcraft perfected the formula, making it accessible to casual players as well as nerdier types. Crucially, while rival games like EverQuest II went for graphical firepower, WoW kept its visuals technically simple but artfully designed, opening itself up to people who didn't necessarily have high-end rigs.

The rest, as they say, is history, as the game transcended the medium to the point of being referenced in countless movies and TV shows ('Make Love Not Warcraft anyone?), and making headlines about how addicted people were to it. With the game now in its twilight years, Hollywood is the next frontier, with the Warcraft movie hitting cinemas this year.