Bethesda Game Studios lead Todd Howard has named what he sees as the "most important" and "influential" games of all time, and his picks range from Tetris to Doom.
Speaking to the BAFTA Games Awards in a recent Q&A, Howard answers first with what he thinks are the two most important games to ever exist – Tetris and Pac-Man, according to the Bethesda head. "First I think," begins Howard, "the two most important games of all time are Tetris and Pac-Man for what they do for gaming overall and [for] bringing so many people to it." As for the most influential games, his choices are a bit different.
Todd Howard gives his picks (multiple, naturally) for the Most Influential Game of All Time! And what a combo @bethesda 👏 Don't miss out, have your say and vote now!https://t.co/mSbfZizOJ1 See that link ☝️ click to cast your vote 😉 pic.twitter.com/Qjb6LwpdGsMarch 17, 2025
"For influential, I'm gonna go with Super Mario Bros. and Doom," admits the lead, going on to explain why. "Two games where, if you trace things games are doing today, you can trace so much of that back to those games, both Super Mario Bros. and Doom." He makes a solid point with all four of his picks – after all, Tetris alone has sold over 520 million games total worldwide, on over 50 platforms and in more than 200 countries.
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As for gems like Super Mario Bros. and Doom, it goes without saying that their legacy lives on over three decades later.
Doom: The Dark Agesis currently in the works, and the Super Mario series has seen no shortage of spin-offs or recent releases, with
Super Smash Bros. Ultimatestill receiving new content regularly and standalone games like
launching just at the tail end of last year.
Wondering what our picks would be? Here are some of the
best video gamesof all time.
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Anna Koselke
Staff Writer
After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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