The internet has been a game-changer for the gaming industry. It’s allowed people to discover new games and independent game developers to get their creations out there, and has also helped to develop a rich gaming community. Twitch, Steam, and gaming forums have simply transformed what was already a thriving industry into one that’s unstoppable.
And there’s another way that the web has benefitted the gaming world, too. It’s allowed for old classics to be given a new lease of life, ensuring that they don’t get left behind as the world transitions to an all-digital landscape. Here are just five games that, without the internet, might have been on their way out.
Solitaire
Solitaire would certainly have been consigned to the history books had it not been for the internet. Most people have played many hours of solitaire all because of the arrival of the internet, albeit in an indirect way. The game was included on Windows computers up until 2012, offering people something to do when they were waiting for their dial-up internet to come online. Since then, the game has been a mainstay on the internet, with many websites providing the game completely free of charge.
Chess
It would be wrong to say that the internet saved chess. The game has been around for more than 1500 years, and it likely would have been around 1500 years into the future even if the internet hadn’t been invented.
But what the internet did do is help to bring chess to new audiences. The game has arguably never been as popular as it is right now, thanks in large part to the many websites and applications where people can learn the basics and play against people from all around the world.
RuneScape
RuneScape has always been an online role-playing game. In that sense, it wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for the internet.
However, conventional logic would say that RuneScape, which was released way back in 2001, should have fallen out of favor. After all, thousands upon thousands of games have been released since then.
But that’s not what happened. RuneScape remains one of the most popular games in the world, and that is thanks to the internet — or more specifically, the people on the internet. The game remains a staple thanks to the thriving internet communities that have ensured RuneScape never falls out of favor. Even now there are more than 65,000 people who play the game every day, despite it being nearly a quarter-century old.
Slots
Slots probably wouldn’t have fallen out of favor anytime soon. They’ve been around since 1894, and even now you’ll find plenty of slot machines in the big Las Vegas casinos.
But the web significantly increased both the number of slot game players and the number of slot games available. Leading websites add new titles each week, ensuring that players can play both the classic slot games as well as the most innovative new games on the market. Land-based casinos rarely update their range of slot games, deciding instead to focus on the classics. With the web, users can choose from games from all eras with just a few clicks of a button.
Arcade Games
The modern gaming world wouldn’t exist without arcade games, which helped to bring gaming to a mass audience. Alas, though there are a few arcades still in existence, the reality is that most of them have long shut their doors. That might have meant that games such as Pac-Mac, Pong, Space Invaders, and Tetris would become classic games that everyone knew about, but never played. Enter the internet, which has ensured that those seminal, influential games could make the transition into the modern world. Today, you can play those games (and many more; in fact, virtually every arcade game) right within your browser. In this sense, the internet hasn’t just given games a new lease of life but has ensured that an important part of gaming history has been preserved in all its glory.