20 Incredibly Important Video Games That Shaped The Industry

9. World Of Warcraft

Why It Is Important: WoW brought the MMORPG to the mainstream with its user-friendly interface and addictive, rewarding gameplay. Online gaming gradually gained popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the Internet became more readily available and affordable, climaxing in the release of World Of Warcraft in 2004 that took the world by storm. Blizzard didn't re-invent the wheel but instead found numerous ways to streamline the MMO experience. Players could literally run from one side of the map to the other without encountering a single load screen. Furthermore, they were able to recover from death quickly and combat encounters progressed at a much faster pace, reducing tedium and making it ideal to for playing in short bursts. The user-friendly nature of the game combined with its pretty graphics, addictive gameplay and low system requirements turned WOW into the most successful MMORPG ever made, with 12 million subscribers at its peak. The huge number of players created a real sense of community within guilds that was unlike anything else. It has the honour of being the highest grossing video game of all time, raking in over $10 Billion for Blizzard. WOW propelled the MMORPG into the mainstream, creating a diverse community full of people from all walks of life that's still going strong today. It became such a popular culture phenomenon that South Park dedicated an entire episode to it. When you draw the attention of Matt Stone and Trey Parker, you know that you're kind of a big deal.