GC 07: Tetris Named "Most Influential Game Ever"

The 2007 Leipzig Games Convention is not all trailers, demos and multiplayer experiences, as there are more original events to attend. For example, the "Telespiele 1972-2007" exhibition featured some of the most influential games of all times. By influential, I don't mean the God of War-style standard, followed by copycats, but those titles that had an impact on all industries and technologies, from medicine to advertising.

Over 20 games experts had to choose the winner from a list of 150 nominations and a list was made, showing the most influential games in history from the seventies to the modern day. Here it is (in chronological order):

1972 Pong (Dexterity/Arcade)

1978 Space Invaders (Dexterity/Arcade)

1979 Pac-Man (Dexterity/Arcade)

1980 Ultima (Role

Play)

1984 Elite (Space Trading Simulation)

1985 Tetris (Dexterity/Puzzle)

1985 Super Mario Bros. (Jump'n'Run)

1986 The Legend of Zelda (Action/Adventure)

1987 Maniac Mansion (Adventure)

1989 SimCity (City Building Simulation)

1991 Civilization (Strategy)

1993 Doom (First-Person Shooter)

1996 Tomb Raider (Action/Adventure)

1999 Counter-Strike (First-Person Shooter)

2000 The Sims (Relationship Simulation)

2004 World of WarCraft (Online Role Play)

Tetris was the most mentioned game, followed by oldies like Pong, the 1993 Doom and the beloved Pac-Man. Seeing WoW go head to head with Pac-Man, makes us realize that a certain game's graphics don't matter, when its gameplay rocks. Still, games like Tetris or Pac-Man deserve any award that they can get, for making it over the years and being able to remain hit titles. I bet that our grandsons will also be playing Tetris, but I can't say the same thing about WoW... Time will tell, but one thing is for sure: there hasn't been one game in the last 20 years, as influential as Tetris was and is.