The Top Five Video Games of All Time

After pouring through dozens of websites with top video game lists, I have come to the conclusion that these are the Top Five Video Games of all times.

This game was votes ahead of the other games ranked across the internet, which isn’t too shabby for a game that’s 17 years old, now. The “Guinness World Records” listed it at the highest-rated game ever reviewed. It pioneered features that are common in 3D adventure games today and critics have said that the game’s visual presentation has, overall, stood the test of time. Many reasons have been given for this game’s staying power including its classic and simple storyline, the different styles of game-play built in to one game and the straightforward game goals. My favorite, though, that a critic gave for its continued relevance was, “it’s just plain fun.”

This was the game that started it all for me as far as what I consider modern video games. Mario made his flying leap from Donkey Kong and has been flying, running and driving ever since. Released in 1987, this game has been called highly influential by critics and credited with reviving the video game market in the Eighties. And of course, it was designed, in part, by Gaming God, Shigeru Miyamoto. Even though, there have been many games spun-off in this series, the original is still a fan-favorite because it’s just so darn engaging and easy.

This game was so addictive you almost felt like you needed a “Tetris” Anonymous Group. Millions of people could not tear themselves away from this simple concept of a game. There was something hypnotizing about it from its “Dance to the Sugar Plum Fairy” background music to the relentless falling of the tiles. It led some critics to jokingly call it a secret weapon of Russia as it was designed by Russian designer and programmer Alexey Pajitnov. Scientists have done studies and concluded, in some of them, that playing Tetris improves cognitive skills like critical thinking and reasoning.

Starting out as an independently developed and owned game, “Minecraft” was designed by Swedish programmer Markus Persson. He seemed to tap into our innate yearning to explore new worlds and build new things. This is definitely the game for people who loved their Legos and at about 100 million downloads, there are obviously a lot of them. The possibilities to use your imagination and creativity are endless, which appeals to all ages, making it the best-selling PC game of all time. It is one of the first games to really benefit from non-traditional marketing and advertising arenas like YouTube and FaceBook.

Touted as one of the most elaborate and artistic game worlds ever conceived and praised for its compelling storyline is what puts “BioShock” firmly in my top five. It has proven that video games can be considered an artistic medium and, therefore, have artistic value. Not to mention that it actually takes a political ideal and uses it to create an engaging story. Regardless of the critics’ accolades, most of the players simply like this game because the atmosphere of the game sucks them in and it’s also a little creepy. Come on, admit it, we all like being a little creeped out sometimes.