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17 articles
Why the North American video game market collapsed in 1983, how E.T. and the Atari 2600 Pac-Man became its symbols, how Japan differed, and how the NES and Nintendo's quality controls revived the market.
How German-style board games (Eurogames) spread worldwide after Catan in 1995, plus the Spiel des Jahres award, Eurogames vs. Ameritrash, crowdfunding, and digital board games.
What battle royale games are, where the name comes from, and how the genre grew from Minecraft and Arma mods into PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends.
Ten space and sci-fi games that left a big mark on gaming history, in release order, with what each one introduced, based on verified facts.
From 1970s boxing games and Karate Champ to Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Smash Bros., and Street Fighter 6: fighting game history and design.
The history and design of first-person shooters, from Maze War and Battlezone through Doom and Half-Life to Overwatch, PUBG and Valorant.
The journey of game music, from 8-bit tunes on a few sound channels to CD audio, adaptive interactive scores and its own Grammy category.
From 1910s mini golf to early Atari and Nintendo golf, Everybody's Golf and Wii Sports, and physics puzzle golf like Desert Golfing and What the Golf?
From bedroom coders and shareware to Steam, console stores, and crowdfunding: a history of indie games and what successful indie hits have in common.
From Super Mario 64 to Baldur's Gate 3: 15 landmark games that shaped 3D, open worlds, online play, and cinematic storytelling, with years and studios.
What "Metroidvania" means, how Metroid, Super Metroid, and Symphony of the Night built the formula, and how indies like Hollow Knight revived the genre.
What MOBA and AOS mean and how the genre grew from the StarCraft map Aeon of Strife to DotA, League of Legends, Dota 2, and mobile, plus key design traits.
The history and design of open-world games, from Elite and The Legend of Zelda to GTA III, The Elder Scrolls, Breath of the Wild, and Elden Ring.
From Sokoban, Tetris, Lemmings and Minesweeper to Bejeweled, match-3, Portal and The Witness: how puzzle games evolved through logic and physics puzzles.
What roguelikes and roguelites are, how they differ, and how the genre grew from 1980's Rogue to NetHack, Mystery Dungeon, Spelunky and Hades.
How RPGs evolved from Dungeons & Dragons through Ultima, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Diablo and World of Warcraft, plus the genre's core design traits.
Tower defense history from Rampart and StarCraft custom maps to Plants vs. Zombies, Kingdom Rush, and Bloons TD, plus how paths, upgrades, and waves work.