We want to know which video game you think is the most influential and why. Cast your vote and we'll reveal the results shortly.
To celebrate the enduring influence of video games in the arts and in our wider culture, we’re asking players from around the world to help us decide the Most Influential Video Game of All Time.
‘Most influential game’ can mean different things to different people. Perhaps it’s a game that birthed a genre, one that defined an era, or one that set the standards for storytelling and interactivity. Perhaps it’s a game whose influence crosses into films, TV and music, which we still see today. It could even be a game that’s had a big influence on you, personally, changing the way you look at the world.
Whatever ‘influential’ means for you, we want to hear your choice. Need some inspiration? Some of the biggest names in games are having their say on our socials so follow us on @BAFTA socials to find out more.
You have until Thursday 20th March 5pm GMT to have your say.
I've said before that I genuinely think FarmVille is in with a shout. The trends it started in terms of monetisation, user retention mechanics and analytics driven intrusive big data player behaviour analysis and behaviour prediction was extremely far-reaching, not just in the context of gaming. Not to mention how it got a whole new demographic into video games and showed corporations that games are not necessarily only for gamers. It is very much possible to reach your grandma's wallet too. It heralded things like Candy Crush.
Shit you've got my vote, I was trying to think of the most influential game in a positive light but this is actually it and it's depressing that it is.
Hopefully it wins its deserved title, it would make a loud statement that we're aware of the scummy business practices that have subverted the gaming industry since corpo-ghouls realised it was profitable.
Personally, I'd either say World of Warcraft or Minecraft.
WoW was just such a massive phenomenon (and still is, tbh), basically everyone at least knew about it, and for so many people it basically became more of a second life than second life (old people joke), massively changing the life of these people (me being a part of it). It was basically the place where social outcasts could be social, which was huge. For me, and many others, it was all the friends they had.
And Minecraft... Well. It just wins "influential". I'm not sure if I have to say much about it. WoW is just more influential for me personally, but I feel Minecraft just wins overall very easily.
Stuff like Doom or Mario Bros are great and all, and they were hugely influential, I just feel like their influence was less on a personal level and more of a media level. Like Doom and Mario Bros defined their genre, but it's still "just" a genre, while I'm sure the games and resulting ones had effect on people, I just feel like they're more of a "fun influential" more than a "meaningful influential", idk if that makes sense.
WoW was just such a massive phenomenon (and still is, tbh), basically everyone at least knew about it, and for so many people it basically became more of a second life than second life (old people joke), massively changing the life of these people (me being a part of it). It was basically the place where social outcasts could be social, which was huge. For me, and many others, it was all the friends they had.
If influential means influencing game design / the industry, inspiring other creators by demonstrating novel ideas, I'd probably have to say Doom or Half-Life. Doom really showed what an FPS could be and kicked off such a dominant genre. Half-Life introduced immersive storytelling that greatly influenced FPS and non-FPS games.