A History of Video Games : Innovation Timeline

A history of video games from the 1950s up to now in terms of influence and innovation. Links to video footage of games included.

1950s

1952 - OXO (Alexander Douglas) - This tic-tac-toe game is the first known computer game.

1970s

1972 - Arcade: Pong (Atari) - The first video game to achieve widespread success.
1975 - RPG: dnd and Dungeon - The two first CRPGs (computer role-playing games).
1976 - Adventure: Colossal Cave Adventure (William Crowther and Don Woods) - The very first adventure game.
1978 - Arcade: Space invaders (Taito Corporation) - This highly popular game played an important role in turning video games into a global industry, inspiring dozens of manufacturers to enter the market.

1980s

1980 - Arcade: Pac-Man (Namco) - A classic video game and 1980s pop culture icon, Pac-Man introduced a new video game genre which appeals to both genders.
1980 - Arcade: Battlezone (Atari) - The first true 3D game.
1980 - Adventure: Zork I: The Great Underground Empire (Infocom) - The game that arguably popularized the adventure game genre. It is completely text-based.
1980 - Adventure: Mystery House (Sierra) - The first adventure game with graphics.
1984 - Adventure: King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown (Sierra) - This game pioneered the modern adventure game genre and was one of the first animated adventures. It led to many other successful quest games including the Police Quest, Space Quest and Quest for Glory series.
1985 - Platform: Super Mario Bros (Nintendo) - Popularized the side scrolling genre of video games.
1986 - Action/Adventure: The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo) - Introduced one of the most - if not the most - critically acclaimed game series of all time.
1987 - Adventure: Maniac Mansion (LucasArts) - This game introduced the shift to point-and-click interfaces for adventure games (instead of text input). Its other innovations are multiple possible endings and selectable characters with different abilities.
1989 - Platform: Prince Of Persia (Brøderbund) - The fluid, life-like character motion was a huge leap forward in animation quality.
1989 - Strategy/Simulation: SimCity (Maxis) - The very first sim (simulation) game, pioneering a new genre of video games which are open-ended. Game publishers were initially skeptical that such a game could be successful.

1990s

1992 - RPG: Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (Looking Glass Studios) - An RPG with an advanced 3D engine which brought unparalleled realism. Among the innovations are relatively advanced texture mapping, inclined surfaces, ability to jump and an interactive world with 3D objects that could be picked up and thrown. Its 3D engine was much more advanced than the one used by Wolfenstein 3D, released later in the year.
1992 - FPS: Wolfenstein 3D (id Software) - The game that launched and popularized the First Person Shooter (FPS) genre.
1992 - Strategy: Dune II: The Building Of A Dynasty (Virgin Games) - The game that popularized and set the standard game mechanics for the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre, building the basis for future RTS games such as Warcraft and Command & Conquer.
1992 - Survival horror: Alone in the Dark (Infogrames) - This game popularized the survival horror genre. It was the first 3D survival horror game and the first game known to use interpolated animation.
1993 - Strategy: UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM: UFO Defense) (MicroProse) - X-COM successfully blended different types of game play, mixing tactical combat, base building and research elements, making it a unique game unlike anything seen before.
1993 - Adventure: Myst (Cyan Worlds) - Myst popularized a new style of puzzle-based adventure games.
1993 - FPS: Doom (id Software) - Doom further popularized the FPS genre and pioneered realistic and immersive 3D graphics, networked multiplayer gaming and support for custom expansions.
1996 - FPS: Quake (id Software) - Quake introduced play over the Internet in first-person shooters (FPS) and helped turn Internet multiplayer capability into a de facto requirement.
1997 - MMORPG: Ultima Online (Origin Systems) - Popularized the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) genre, and was the first MMORPG to reach a subscriber base of 100,000.
1997 - RPG: Diablo (Blizzard) - Introduced the point-and-click action RPG sub-genre. The game mechanics of this sub-genre have been copied by many subsequent RPG games.
1998 - Strategy: Starcraft (Blizzard) - Pioneered the use of highly distinct races in strategy games and is often seen as the standard for real-time strategy games. In Korea, StarCraft led to the establishment of a successful pro-gaming scene; games are broadcast on TV and professional gamers have become celebrities.

The new millenium

2004 - MMORPG: World of Warcraft (Blizzard) - Although not particularly innovative, it borrowed the best features of its predecessors and made RPGs more accessible to casual players. It is one of the best selling PC games of all time and the most popular MMORPG with over 10 million subscribers worldwide.
2006 - Arcade: Wii Sports (Nintendo) - The best-selling video game of all time, it introduced many non-gamers to games. It has also become popular in senior centers and retirement homes.

Developers with the most innovative games according to this list:

Blizzard: 3 games - Diablo (1997), Starcraft (1998), World of Warcraft (2004)
id Software: 3 games - Wolfenstein 3D (1992), Doom (1993), Quake (1996)
Nintendo: 3 games - Super Mario Bros (1985), The Legend of Zelda (1986), Wii Sports (2006)
Atari: 2 games - Pong (1972), Battlezone (1980)
Sierra: 2 games - Mystery House (1980), King's Quest (1984)

Summary:

1970s: dnd, Dungeon, Colossal Cave Adventure, Pong, Space invaders
1980s: Battlezone, King's Quest 1, The Legend of Zelda, Maniac Mansion, Mystery House, Pac-Man, Prince of Persia, SimCity, Super Mario Bros, Zork 1
1990s: Alone in the Dark, Diablo, Doom, Dune II, Myst, Quake, Starcraft, UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM), Ultima Online, Ultima Underworld, Wolfenstein 3D
2000s: Wii Sports, World of Warcraft