VGC Essays are original articles discussing each title from the Video Game Canon, as well as their place in gaming history, how the community embraced them in the past, and how they might help shape games in the present day.
Sometime in the future, these essays will be updated and collected in The Video Game Canon: A Brief History of Video Games as Told Through 22 Games (this number will change as I complete more essays).
Introduction (or Press Play to Start)
1972
Pong
1978
Space Invaders
1980
Pac-Man
1981
Ms. Pac-Man
1984
Tetris
1985
The Oregon Trail (1985)
1987
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Contra
1988
Madden NFL Football (Series)
1989
Mega Man 2
1990
Super Mario Bros. 3
The Secret of Monkey Island
1991
Street Fighter II
Super Mario World
1992
Super Mario Kart
1993
Doom (1993)
1994
Super Metroid
1995
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
1996
Super Mario 64
Resident Evil (1996)
Tomb Raider (1996)
1997
Final Fantasy VII
1998
Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow
Half-Life
1999
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series)
2000
The Sims
2001
Halo: Combat Evolved
2005
God of War (2005)
2007
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
2009
Batman: Arkham Asylum
2014
Mario Kart 8
2017
Fortnite