With the decade entering its final stretch, we thought it would be a good time to look back at the games that shaped the industry’s course over the past 10 years. To that end, these are the 10 most influential games of the 2010s.
Minecraft
Survival and world building sims might be the norm nowadays, but that’s almost entirely thanks to the success of the runaway hit Minecraft.
Gaining a massive following during its early access days that only increased from there, the game boasted a simple design framework: Using whatever materials they can find, players craft items and structures and survive as long as possible.
This is done in randomly generated, pixelated worlds full of plains to traverse, caves to delve into and mountains to scale, as well as a smattering of hostile creatures like shambling skeletons and exploding Creepers.
That’s really all there is to it. Or at least, it would be if not for the way the item and structure crafting allows players to build to their heart’s content.
So long as they have the materials, players can build whatever they want. Towers that reach the sky, titanic recreations of iconic characters or entire worlds are all fair game, as long as they have the patience and the vision to craft them.
It was and is groundbreaking, and it’s no surprise so many games have tried to tap into the same niche as this influential game since its release.
