Nostalgic video games that created the gaming community

Have you ever felt like you needed to connect with friends or family? Gaming is an impactful and joyful way to bring together many people, whether it’s friends, family, or even people you just met. The first video game was created all the way back in 1958. It was a computerized version of the sport tennis, which marked the big beginning of the gaming industry and gaming community. The gaming community, as a whole, is a community revolving around these online or physical video games. It consists of fandoms from each different and individual game that comes out to date. So, here are 6 video games that have shaped the world of gaming for time to come.

1. Asteroids (Atari, 1979)

The world of arcade games would never have existed if it wasn’t for Asteroids.In this game, you are tasked to save your spaceship from destruction by blasting all the incoming Asteroids, hence the name. You can’t really beat the game considering it’s an arcade game, but you could try and beat the high score. You can find more about the history here.

This allowed so many other arcade games to come to life, such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and even pinball. Arcade games allowed many people to come together to watch someone play, or play the same game together. 

2. Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985)

This was Mario’s second debut as a platforming icon, right after the original Mario Bros on arcade machines in 1983. It changed how different companies made their games for a very long time. Platformer games are a genre of games that consist of the player having to run and jump through different obstacles to finish the levels in the game. Some examples of this would be Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, ect.

Super Mario Bros. brings a nostalgic feel to anyone who’s ever played it, creating memories for families and friends. The 2 player mode allowed player 2 to control Luigi after player 1, Mario, dies, making it easier for two people to have fun together at one time. The story for this game is Mario and his brother Luigi trying to stop the evil King Koopa (known today as Bowser) from capturing Princess Peach, and then saving all the Toads.

For further knowledge: How Mario Changed (And Keeps Changing) Gaming | Fandom

3. Sonic The Hedgehog 1 (SEGA Genesis, 1991)

When Sonic The Hedgehog first came to stores on the SEGA Genesis, it blew so many peoples minds with its fast paced action, and its really fun platforming. In this fast platformer, you play as the blue blur himself, Sonic The Hedgehog, hence the name again. In this game your speed is the key to stopping Dr. Robotnik and freeing all the little animals that have been roboticized by him and are being used to destroy South Island. 

4. Doom (personal computers, 1993)

The first Doom game created new opportunities for shooting games, blowing the minds of many gamers with technology that made the player feel like they were the hero, and not just controlling him. For this game, the character you play as is named “Doomguy” who is a space marine, and he was on a mission on mars when suddenly, a portal to hell opens up and leads to demons trying to invade the planets. Over time, the Doom games began to implement more things like themes for wars between Heaven and Hell. For more information on Doom, its sequels, and how it changed PC gaming, look here.

5. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64, 1996)

Mario 64 introduced the world to 3D gaming by putting Mario in a new environment with memorable levels. As a gamer, playing this game felt like a whole new experience. I didn’t get to play it on release, but my first time playing through, finding stars and looking for secrets, was extraordinary. Collecting all 120 stars was such a well earned victory, and so was finding Yoshi at the top of the castle. This game is a great choice for people of all ages, even children 5 and up!

6. Minecraft (PC, 2011)

From being just a regular sandbox game, to a cultural phenomenon, Minecraft has shaped the gaming community with its educational features, social interactions, and the overall calming environment that it has. People feel that Minecraft is one of the best sandbox games because the player really basks in all its beauty. A sandbox game is a game where the player gets a whole world to play around in and decide what to do with. It allows players to do things like create games, build worlds, or even recreate monumental real life things. Other examples of sandbox games are Roblox and Garry’s Mod. If you have a really good PC, you can get add-ons called shaders which put more depth into your Minecraft world and make it look ten times more beautiful. There isn’t really a story to Minecraft, but players are free to interpret their own story using their imaginations. Some players say the only big achievement in Minecraft is beating the Ender Dragon in a place called ‘The End,’ and taking its egg for completion.