Editing History of video games (section)

==2000s==
{{Main|2000s in video games}}
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2007}}
The 2000s (decade) showed innovation on both consoles and PCs, and an increasingly competitive market for portable game systems. The impact of wider availability of the Internet led to new gameplay changes, changes in gaming hardware and the introduction of online services for consoles.

The phenomenon of user-created [[Mod (video games)|video game modifications]] (commonly referred to as "mods") for games, one trend that began during the ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'' and ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]''-era, continued into the start of the 21st century. The most famous example is that of ''[[Counter-Strike (video game)|Counter-Strike]]''; released in 1999, it is still one of the most popular online first-person shooters, even though it was created as a mod for ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' by two independent programmers. Eventually, game designers realized the potential of mods and custom content in general to enhance the value of their games, and so began to encourage its creation. Some examples of this include ''[[Unreal Tournament]]'', which allowed players to import 3dsmax scenes to use as character models, and [[Maxis]]' ''[[The Sims]]'', for which players could create custom objects.

In China, video game consoles were banned in June 2000. This has led to an explosion in the popularity of computer games, especially MMOs.
Consoles and the games for them are easily acquired however, as there is a robust grey market importing and distributing them across the country. Another side effect of this law has been increased copyright infringement of video games.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/gaming/gaming-news/lenovos-kinect-clone-evades-chinese-ban-on-video-game-consoles/article4104133/ |title=Lenovo's Kinect-clone evades Chinese ban on video-game consoles |author=Leslie Hook |date=June 18, 2012 |access-date=August 20, 2012 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |location=Toronto |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608053047/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/gaming/gaming-news/lenovos-kinect-clone-evades-chinese-ban-on-video-game-consoles/article4104133/ |archive-date=June 8, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9263-Console-Revolution |title=Console Revolution |author=Luke Ume |date=December 15, 2011 |access-date=August 20, 2012 |work=The Escapist |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512170149/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9263-Console-Revolution |archive-date=May 12, 2012 }}</ref>

===The changing home console landscape===
{{Main|Sixth generation of video game consoles|Seventh generation of video game consoles}}
Sony's dominance of the console market at the start of the 2000s caused a major shift in the market. Sega attempted one more foray into console hardware with the [[Dreamcast]] in 1998, notably the first console with a built-in Internet connection for online play. However, Sega's reputation had been tarnished from the Saturn, and with Sony having recently announced its upcoming [[PlayStation 2]], Sega left the hardware console market after the Dreamcast, though remained in the arcade game development as well as developing games for consoles. The Dreamcast's library has some groundbreaking games, notably the ''[[Shenmue (series)|Shenmue series]]'' which are regarded as a major step forward for 3D [[Open world|open-world]] gameplay<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 5 Underappreciated Innovators: Five genre-defining games that didn't get their due|author=Scott Sharkey|website=[[1UP.com]]|url=http://www.1up.com/features/top-5-underappreciated-innovators|access-date=April 1, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018143104/http://www.1up.com/features/top-5-underappreciated-innovators|archive-date=October 18, 2012}}</ref> and has introduced the [[quick time event]] mechanic in its modern form.<ref>Adam LaMosca, [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/waypoints/1310-On-Screen-Help-In-Game-Hindrance On-Screen Help, In-Game Hindrance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201191746/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/waypoints/1310-On-Screen-Help-In-Game-Hindrance |date=February 1, 2014 }}, ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]''</ref>

[[File:Xbox-console.jpg|thumb|The [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], Microsoft's entry into the video game console industry]]
Sony released the PlayStation 2 (PS2) in 2000, the first console to support the new [[DVD]] format and with capabilities of playing back DVD movie disks and CD audio disks, as well as playing PlayStation games in a [[backward compatible]] mode alongside PS2 games. Nintendo followed the Nintendo 64 with the [[GameCube]] in 2001, its first console to use optical discs, though specially formatted for the system. However, a new player entered the console picture at this point, [[Microsoft]] with its first [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] console, also released in 2001. Microsoft had feared that Sony's PS2 would become a central point of electronic entertainment in the living room and squeeze out the PC in the home, and after having recently developing the [[DirectX]] set of libraries to standardize game hardware interfaces for Windows-based computers, used this same approach to create the Xbox.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/ |title=The making of the Xbox: How Microsoft unleashed a video game revolution (part 1) |date=November 14, 2011 |website=VentureBeat |access-date=June 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601215722/https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/ |archive-date=June 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The PS2 remained the leading platform for the first part of the decade, and remains the best-selling home console of all time with over 155 million units sold. This was in part due to a number of critical games released on the system, including ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'', ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'', and ''[[Final Fantasy X]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/mar/04/sony-playstation-2-at-20-console-future-of-gaming | title = PlayStation 2 at 20: the console that revealed the future of gaming | first = Keith | last = Stuart | date = March 4, 2020 | access-date = March 15, 2021 | work = [[The Guardian]] }}</ref> The Xbox was able to gain second-place to the PS2 sales, but at a significant lost to Microsoft. However, to Microsoft, the loss was acceptable, as it proved to them they could compete in the console space. The Xbox also introduced Microsoft's flagship title, ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', which relied on the Xbox's built-in Ethernet functionality to support online gameplay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2005/09/26/forbes-xbox-lost-microsoft-4-billion-and-counting/ |title=Forbes: Xbox lost Microsoft $4 billion (and counting) |access-date=July 18, 2007 |author=Cole, Vladimir |date=September 26, 2005 |publisher=Joystiq |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807195611/http://www.joystiq.com/2005/09/26/forbes-xbox-lost-microsoft-4-billion-and-counting/ |archive-date=August 7, 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:Wii-console.jpg|thumb|right|The Nintendo Wii]]

By the mid-2000s, only Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft were considered major players in the console hardware space. All three introduced their next generation of hardware between 2005 and 2006, starting with Microsoft's [[Xbox 360]] in 2005 and Sony's [[PlayStation 3]] (PS3) in 2006, followed by Nintendo's [[Wii]] later that year. The Xbox 360 and PS3 showed a convergence with personal computer hardware: both consoles shipped with support for high-definition graphics, higher-density optical media like [[Blu-ray]]s, internal hard drives for storage of games, and had built-in Internet connectivity. Microsoft and Sony also had developed online digital services, [[Xbox Live]] and [[PlayStation Network]] that helped players connect to friends online, matchmake for online games, and purchase new games and content from online stores. In contrast, the Wii was designed as part of a new [[Blue Ocean Strategy|blue ocean strategy]] by Nintendo after poor sales of the GameCube. Instead of trying to compete feature for feature with Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo designed the Wii to be a console for innovative gameplay rather than high performance, and created the [[Wii Remote]], a [[motion detection]]-based controller. Gameplay designed around the Wii Remote provided instant hits, such as ''[[Wii Sports]]'', ''[[Wii Sports Resort]]'', and ''[[Wii Fit]]'', and the Wii became one of the fastest selling consoles in its few years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2009/06/12/nintendo-wii-sets-record-as-fastest-selling-console-in-the-us/ |title=Wii becomes fastest selling console in the United States |author=Melanson, Donald |date=June 12, 2009 |access-date=September 29, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814005736/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/12/nintendo-wii-sets-record-as-fastest-selling-console-in-the-us/ |archive-date=August 14, 2009 }}</ref> The success of the Wii's motion controls partially led to Microsoft and Sony to develop their own motion-sensing control systems, the [[Kinect]] and the [[PlayStation Move]].

A major fad in the 2000s was the rapid rise and fall of [[rhythm game]]s which use special game controllers shaped like musical instruments such as guitars and drums to match notes while playing licensed songs. ''[[Guitar Hero (video game)|Guitar Hero]]'', based on the arcade game ''[[Guitar Freaks]]'', was developed by [[Harmonix]] and published by [[Red Octane]] in 2005 on the PS2, and was a modest success. Activision acquired Red Octane and gained the publishing rights to the series, while Harmonix was purchased by [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]], where they launched ''[[Rock Band]]'', a similar series but adding in drums and vocals atop guitars. Rhythm games because a highly-popular property second only to action games, representing 18% of the video game market in 2008, and drew other publishers to the area as well.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-18/new-rock-band-game-said-to-be-developed-for-latest-consoles | title = New Rock Band Game Said to Be Developed for Latest Consoles | first = Danielle | last = Burger | publisher = [[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] | date = February 19, 2015 | access-date = February 19, 2015 }}</ref> While Harmonix approached the series by adding new songs as downloadable content, Activision focused on releasing new games year after year in the ''Guitar Hero'' series; by 2009, they had six different ''Guitar Hero''-related games planned for the year. The saturation of the market, in addition to the fad of these instrument controllers, quickly caused the {{USD|1.4 billion|long=no}} market in 2008 to fall by 50% in 2009.<ref name="market size">{{cite news|last=Bruno|first=Antony|date=December 18, 2009|title=Sales Of Music Video Games Plummet In 2009|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-2009-games-idUSTRE5BH5DS20091218|url-status=live|access-date=December 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322012948/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-2009-games-idUSTRE5BH5DS20091218|archive-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref> By 2011, Activision had stopped publishing ''Guitar Hero'' games (though returned one time in 2015 with ''[[Guitar Hero Live]]''), while Harmonix has continued to develop ''Rock Back'' after a hiatus between 2013 and 2015.

[[File:Nintendo-DS-Fat-Blue.png|thumb|right|The [[Nintendo DS]]]]
Nintendo still dominated the handheld games market during this period. The [[Game Boy Advance]], released in 2001, maintained Nintendo's market position with a high-resolution, full-color LCD screen and 32-bit processor allowing ports of SNES games and simpler companions to N64 and GameCube games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.com/techspecgba|title=Game Boy: Technical Specs|website=Nintendo|archive-date=October 3, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051003203011/http://www.nintendo.com/techspecgba|access-date=July 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The next two major handhelds, the [[Nintendo DS]] and Sony's [[PlayStation Portable]] (PSP) within a month of each other in 2004. While the PSP boasted superior graphics and power, following a trend established since the mid-1980s, Nintendo gambled on a lower-power design but featuring a novel control interface. The DS's two screens, with one being a touch-sensitive screen, proved extremely popular with consumers, especially young children and middle-aged gamers, who were drawn to the device by Nintendo's ''[[Nintendogs]]'' and ''[[Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!|Brain Age]]'' series respectively, as well as introducing localized Japanese [[visual novel]]-type games such as the ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' and ''[[Professor Layton]]'' series to the Western regions. The PSP attracted a significant portion of veteran gamers in North America and was very popular in Japan; its ad-hoc networking capabilities worked well within the urban Japanese setting, which directly contributed to spurring the popularity of Capcom's ''[[Monster Hunter]]'' series.<ref name="pcgamer history">{{cite web | url = http://www.pcgamer.com/how-monster-hunter-rose-from-niche-import-to-an-international-sensation/ | title = How Monster Hunter rose from niche import to an international sensation | first = James | last = Miekle | date = January 30, 2018 | access-date = January 30, 2018 | work = [[PC Gamer]] }}</ref>

===MMOs, esports, and online services===
[[File:The International 2016 picture.jpg|thumb|right|''[[The International 2016]]'', an [[esports]] event]]
{{Main|History of online games}}
As affordable broadband Internet connectivity spread, many publishers turned to online games as a way of innovating. [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game]]s (MMORPGs) featured significant PC games like ''[[RuneScape]]'', ''[[EverQuest]]'', and ''[[Ultima Online]]'', with ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' as one of the most successful.<ref name="bartle muds to mmos">{{cite book | last= Bartle | first = Richard A. | chapter = From MUDs to MMORPGs: The History of Virtual Worlds | editor-last = Hunsinger | editor-first = Jeremy | editor-last2 = Klastrup | editor-first2= Lisbeth | editor-last3 = Allen | editor-first3= Matthew | title = International Handbook of Internet Research | publisher = [[Springer Publishing|Springer]] |year = 2010 | isbn = 978-1402097881 }}</ref> Other large-scale massively-multiplayer online games also were released, such as ''[[Second Life]]'' which focused mostly on social interactions with virtual player [[Avatar (computing)|avatars]] and user creations, rather than any gameplay elements.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Harris|first1=H.|last2=Bailenson|first2=J.N.|last3=Nielsen|first3=A.|last4=Yee|first4=N.|s2cid=1339472|title=The evolution of social behavior over time in second life|journal=Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments|date=2009|volume=18|issue=6|pages=434–448|doi=10.1162/pres.18.6.434|citeseerx=10.1.1.363.6225}}</ref>

Historically, console-based MMORPGs have been few due to the lack of bundled Internet connectivity options for the platforms. This made it hard to establish a large enough subscription community to justify the development costs. The first significant console MMORPGs were ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' on the Sega [[Dreamcast]] (which had a built in modem and aftermarket Ethernet adapter), followed by ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' for the Sony [[PlayStation 2]] (an aftermarket Ethernet adapter was shipped to support this game).<ref name="bartle muds to mmos"/> Every major platform released since the Dreamcast has either been bundled with the ability to support an Internet connection or has had the option available as an aftermarket add-on. Microsoft's Xbox also had its own online service called [[Xbox Live]]. Xbox Live was a huge success and proved to be a driving force for the Xbox with games like ''[[Halo 2]]'' that were highly popular.

The first major [[esports]] (electronic sports) competitions also began in the 2000s. While ''Street Fighter II'' and other fighting games of the 1990s had introduced organized video game competitions earlier, professional esports emerged from [[South Korea]] around 2000, with many of their events around current fighting games and various RTS games like ''[[StarCraft]]'' and ''[[WarCraft III]]''.<ref>{{cite book |title=Korea's Online Gaming Empire |first=Dal Yong |last=Jin |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |year=2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/11/BUG8SQC59E1.DTL |title=League beginning for video gamers |publisher=Sfgate.com |date=June 11, 2007 |access-date=June 4, 2012 |first=Ryan |last=Kim}}</ref> By 2010, numerous international esports tournaments had been established across various game genres.<ref name="FieldOfStreams">{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4719766/twitch-raises-20-million-esports-market-booming |title=Field of Streams: How Twitch Made Video Games a Spectator Sport |work=The Verge |author=Ben Popper |date=September 30, 2013 |access-date=October 9, 2013}}</ref>

===Browser, casual, and social games===
[[File:QWOP screenshot.jpg|thumb|right|''[[QWOP]]'', a [[browser game]]]]
{{see also|Browser game|Casual game|Social network game}}
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Internet accessibility and new online technologies flourished, such as [[Java (programming language)|Java]] and [[Adobe Flash]]. Though Adobe Flash was initially intended to be a tool to develop fully interactive websites, Flash lost favor in this area but individual developers found ways to use the tool for animations and games, aided by the ease of the development tools for this purpose. The website [[Newgrounds]] was created to help people share and promote their Flash works. Though these [[browser game|Flash games]] lack the complexity of gameplay of games on consoles or computers, they were available for free and sparked creative ideas that would carry forward; for example, ''[[Crush the Castle]]'' directly inspired the popular mobile game ''[[Angry Birds]]'', while the founder of Newgrounds, Tom Fulp, teamed with animator [[Dan Paladin]] to create ''[[Alien Hominid]]'' as a Flash game, which they later built upon into the more complete ''[[Castle Crashers]]'' under the studio [[The Behemoth]].<ref name="gi flash games">{{cite magazine|last=Reeves|first=Ben|date=December 22, 2018|title=How Flash Games Changed Video Game History|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/12/22/how-flash-games-changed-video-game-history|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921205129/https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/12/22/how-flash-games-changed-video-game-history|archive-date=September 21, 2021|access-date=March 15, 2021|magazine=[[Game Informer]]}}</ref>

Flash and other in-browser platforms created a new trend in [[casual game]]s, with limited complexity and designed for shortened or impromptu play sessions.<ref name="gi flash games"/> Many were puzzle games, such as [[Beverage can|Popcap's]] ''[[Bejeweled (video game)|Bejeweled]]'' and [[PlayFirst]]'s ''[[Diner Dash]]'' while others were games with a more relaxed pace and open-ended play. Sites like [[Kongregate]] and developers like PopCap, [[Zynga]] and [[King (company)|King]] emerged as leaders in this area.<ref name="gi flash games"/> Casual games also entered into more mainstream computer games with numerous [[simulation games]]. The biggest hit was ''[[The Sims]]'' by [[Maxis]], which went on to become the best selling computer game of all time, surpassing ''Myst''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/simslivinlarge/news_2857556.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119043947/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/simslivinlarge/news_2857556.html |archive-date=January 19, 2010 |title=The Sims overtakes Myst |access-date=March 15, 2008 |author=Walker, Trey |date=March 22, 2002 |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CNET]] |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

As [[social media]] sites started to grow, the first [[social network game]]s emerged on social platforms. These games, often based on casual game mechanics, typically rely on users to interact with their friends via the social media site as to gain a form of "energy" to continue to play. ''[[Happy Farm]]'', released in China in 2008, is considered the first such major social game.<ref name="wired_influential14">{{cite magazine|last=Kohler |first=Chris |title=14. Happy Farm (2008) |url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/12/the-15-most-influential-games-of-the-decade/2/ |department=The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=September 10, 2011 |date=December 24, 2009 |page=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002143503/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/12/the-15-most-influential-games-of-the-decade/2 |archive-date=October 2, 2011 }}</ref> Influenced by the [[History of Eastern role-playing video games|Japanese console RPG]] series ''[[Story of Seasons (series)|Story of Seasons]]'',<ref name="techgearx1" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Nutt |first=Christian |title=GDC China: Chinese Indie Game Trends and Opportunities |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/gdc-china-chinese-indie-game-trends-and-opportunities |website=[[Gamasutra]] |access-date=September 10, 2011 |date=October 11, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019055602/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25601 |archive-date=October 19, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="wired_farm" /> ''Happy Farm'' attracted 23 million daily active users in China.<ref name="dayoo">{{cite web|url=http://game.dayoo.com/200911/20/68602_100420554.htm |title=外媒關注開心農場：中國擁有最多「在線農民」&nbsp;– 大洋新聞 |publisher=Game. dayoo.com |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013063300/http://game.dayoo.com/200911/20/68602_100420554.htm |archive-date=October 13, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="rww">{{cite web|url=http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/china_social_gaming_landscape_whats_coming_next.php |title=China's Social Gaming Landscape: What's Coming Next |publisher=Readwriteweb.com |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501024742/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/china_social_gaming_landscape_whats_coming_next.php |archive-date=May 1, 2010  }}</ref> It soon inspired many clones such as ''Sunshine Farm'', ''Happy Farmer'', ''Happy Fishpond'', ''Happy Pig Farm'',<ref name="techgearx1">{{cite web|url=http://www.techgearx.com/china%E2%80%99s-growing-addiction-online-farming-games/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20091102084242/http://www.techgearx.com/china%E2%80%99s-growing-addiction-online-farming-games/|archive-date=November 2, 2009 |title=China's growing addiction: online farming games &#124; |publisher=Techgearx.com |date=October 29, 2009 |url-status=usurped|access-date=May 6, 2010}}</ref><ref name="venturebeat">{{cite news|author=Elliott Ng |url=https://venturebeat.com/2009/10/29/china-qq-farm-happy-farm-games/ |title=China's growing addiction: online farming games |work=VentureBeat |date=October 29, 2009 |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507012442/http://venturebeat.com/2009/10/29/china-qq-farm-happy-farm-games/ |archive-date=May 7, 2010 }}</ref> and Facebook games such as ''[[FarmVille]]'', ''[[FarmVille|Farm Town]]'', ''Country Story'', ''Barn Buddy'', ''Sunshine Ranch'', ''Happy Harvest'', ''Jungle Extreme'', and ''Farm Villain''.<ref name="wired_farm">{{cite news|last=Kohler |first=Chris |title=Farm Wars: How Facebook Games Harvest Big Bucks |url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/05/farm-wars/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=September 12, 2011 |date=May 19, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925061929/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/05/farm-wars |archive-date=September 25, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Facebook》到開心農場歡呼收割 |url=http://life.chinatimes.com/2009Cti/Channel/Life/life-article/0,5047,100304+112009090100272,00.html |work=[[China Times]] |access-date=September 12, 2011 |date=September 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324084517/http://life.chinatimes.com/2009Cti/Channel/Life/life-article/0%2C5047%2C100304%20112009090100272%2C00.html |archive-date=March 24, 2012  }} (http%3A%2F%2Flife. chinatimes. com%2F2009Cti%2FChannel%2FLife%2Flife-article%2F0%2C5047%2C100304%2B112009090100272%2C00.html&act=url Translation])</ref> ''Happy Farm'' served as direct inspiration for ''[[FarmVille]]'', which had over 80 million active users worldwide by 2010.<ref name="wired_influential14" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/welcome-to-farmville-population-80-million-1906260.html | title = Welcome To Farmville: Population 80 Million | first = Tim | last = Walker | date = February 22, 2010 | access-date = August 18, 2020 | work = [[The Independent]] | archive-date = July 28, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200728232219/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/welcome-to-farmville-population-80-million-1906260.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>

===Rise of mobile gaming===
{{see also|Mobile game}}
Separately, gaming on mobile devices had limited success until the mid-2000s. [[Nokia]] had installed ''[[Snake (1998 video game)|Snake]]'' onto its line of mobile phones since the [[Nokia 6110]] in 1997.<ref name="Snake">{{cite web |url=http://www.webpronews.com/snake-phone-game-15-2012-02 |website=www.webpronews.com|title=Snake, Classic Phone Game, Turns 15 |last=Walton |first=Zach |date=February 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004133717/http://www.webpronews.com/snake-phone-game-15-2012-02/ |archive-date=October 4, 2015 |access-date=August 22, 2015 }}</ref> Similar manufacturers of phones, [[personal digital assistants]] and other devices also included built-in games, but these were designed to pass the time and not as engaging. As phone technology improved, a [[Japanese mobile phone culture]] grew around 2003 with games ranging from [[Puzzle video game|puzzle game]]s and [[Digital pet|virtual pet]] games that use [[camera phone]] and [[Fingerprint recognition|fingerprint scanner]] technologies to [[3D computer graphics|3D]] games with [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]-quality graphics. Older [[Arcade game|arcade-style games]] became very popular on mobile phones, which were an ideal platform for arcade-style games designed for shorter play sessions. Namco made attempts to introduce mobile games to Europe in 2003.<ref name="bbc_mobile">{{cite news|last=Hermida |first=Alfred |title=Japan leads mobile game craze |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3186345.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=September 22, 2011 |date=August 28, 2003 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202013316/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3186345.stm |archive-date=December 2, 2011 }}</ref> Nokia released its [[N-Gage (device)|N-Gage]], a hybrid phone/handheld game system, in 2003 but had limited success compared to Nintendo's [[Game Boy Advance]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2146487/nokia-holds-fire-mobile-gaming |title=Nokia holds fire on mobile gaming |access-date=January 12, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112091157/http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2146487/nokia-holds-fire-mobile-gaming |archive-date=January 12, 2008 | first = Iain | last = Thomson | date = November 23, 2005 }}</ref>

Around 2005, the first [[smartphone]]s were available on the market, which offered data connectivity alongside phone services. Carriers licensed games to be made available for sale on a storefront, but this did not catch on due to the disparate storefronts and differences between phone models, and the games could not be as sophisticated as on consoles or handhelds due to limited hardware on the smartphones.<ref name="mayra history">{{cite book | chapter = Mobile Games | first = Frans | last =  Mäyrä | title = The International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication and Society | editor-first1 = Robin | editor-last1 = Mansell | editor-first2= Peng Hwa | editor-last2= Ang  | publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]] | date = 2015 | doi = 10.1002/9781118290743.wbiedcs014 | doi-broken-date = November 1, 2024 }}</ref> In 2007, [[Apple, Inc.]] introduced its [[iPhone]] which was technologically more advanced than other smartphones on the market, and unveiled its [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]] in 2008 through which new apps could be purchased. With the App Store, developers, once signed up as a partner, could then develop and publish their own apps through the store. This allowed developers of any size to participate in the App Store marketplace.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gameacademy.com/the-indie-revolution/ |title=The Indie Revolution: How little games are making big money |date=October 9, 2013 |access-date=January 7, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103021523/https://www.gameacademy.com/the-indie-revolution/ |archive-date=January 3, 2015 }}</ref> Google, which developed the competing [[Android (operating system)|Android]] mobile operating system, released its own version of an app store in 2008, later named as [[Google Play]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |first=Joshua |last=Topolsky |title=Hello, Google Play: Google launches sweeping revamp of app, book, music, and video stores |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/3/6/2848223/google-play-store-rebranded-android-market |website=[[The Verge]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |date=March 6, 2012 |access-date=February 23, 2017}}</ref>

The use of Apple's and Google's app storefronts for gaming applications quickly took off with early successes like ''[[Angry Birds (video game)|Angry Birds]]'' and ''[[Bejeweled (video game)|Bejeweled]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverchiang/2010/12/29/10-years-of-popcap-games-beyond-bejeweled/ | title = 10 Years Of PopCap Games: Beyond Bejeweled | first = Oliver | last =Chiang | date = December 29, 2010 | access-date = August 19, 2020 | work = [[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]] }}</ref><ref name="telecompol iphone">{{cite journal | title = Browsing as the killer app: Explaining the rapid success of Apple's iPhone | first1 = Joel | last1 =West | first2=Michael | last2 = Mace | journal = Telecommunications Policy | volume =34 | pages = 270–286 | year=2010 | issue = 5–6 | doi = 10.1016/j.telpol.2009.12.002 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.493.5940 }}</ref> When Apple introduced in-app purchases (IAP) in October 2009, a number of developers found ways to monetize their mobile games uniquely compared to traditional games, establishing the [[freemium]] model where a game is usually free to download and play but players are encouraged to speed up their progress through IAPs. Games like ''[[Candy Crush Saga]]'' and ''[[Puzzle & Dragons]]'', both in 2012, established this approach as highly-profitable business models for mobile games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/king-com-dumps-advertising-on-its-games/540214 |title=King.com Dumps Advertising on its Games |first=Brandy |last=Shaul |date=June 11, 2013 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |work=[[Adweek]]}}</ref> Many of the social network game developers worked to either integrate a mobile version with their existing version, or completely shift their game to the mobile platform, as mobile gaming became more popular.  A further rise in the popularity of mobile games was from China, where most residents do not own computers and where imported consoles were banned by the government starting in 2000, though eventually eased in 2014 and completely lifted in 2015.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-gamesconsoles/china-suspends-ban-on-video-game-consoles-after-more-than-a-decade-idUSBREA0606C20140107 | title = China suspends ban on video game consoles after more than a decade| last1 = Carsten| first1 =Paul | date = January 6, 2014 | access-date = March 22, 2021 | publisher = [[Reuters]] }}</ref> Instead, most players in China used mobile phones or accessed subscription-based games through [[PC bang|PC cafe]]s. Mobile games also proved popular and financially-successful there as well, with a ten-fold growth of China's video game market between 2007 and 2013.<ref>{{cite book | title = Mobile Gaming in Asia | editor-first1 = D.Y. | editor-last = Jin | date = 2017 | doi = 10.1007/978-94-024-0826-3_6 | publisher = [[Springer Nature|Springer]] | chapter = The Impact of the Rise of Mobile Games on the Creativity and Structure of the Games Industry in China | first = Anthony | last = Fung  | series = Mobile Communication in Asia: Local Insights, Global Implications | pages = 91–103 | isbn = 978-94-024-0824-9 }}</ref><ref name="vgmarket" />

Coupled with the growth of mobile games was the introduction of [[microconsole]]s, low-cost home consoles that used the Android operating system as to take advantage of the large library of games already made for mobile devices.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://fortune.com/2014/10/16/android-tv-video-games-google/ | title = How Android TV is a (video) game changer | first=  John | last = Gaudiosi | date = October 16, 2014 | access-date = June 21, 2021 | work = [[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] }}</ref> However, mobile gaming also displaced the handheld console market: both the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and the [[PlayStation Vita]] (both 2011 releases) had major drops in sales from their predecessors, the [[Nintendo DS]] and [[PlayStation Portable]] respectively (both 2004 releases), following the rapid growth of mobile gaming. Sony has since exited the handheld console arena.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/24/22545198/playstation-vita-10-year-anniversary-sony-handheld | title = 'The Little Handheld That Could': Examining The Vita's Impact A Decade Later | first=  George | last= Yang | date = June 24, 2021 | access-date = June 24, 2021 | work = [[The Verge]] }}</ref>

Since 2007, the fast growing mobile market in African countries such as [[Video games in Nigeria|Nigeria]] and [[Video games in Kenya|Kenya]] has also resulted in a growth in mobile game development. Local developers have taken advantage of the recent increase in mobile internet connection in countries where [[broadband]] is rarely available and console games are costly, though locally developed applications have difficulty competing against millions of western applications available on the [[Google Play Store]]<ref name="Aljazeera">{{cite web|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/28/nigeria-gaming.html |title=Video game culture takes hold across Nigeria |publisher=Aljazeera America |last=Vourlias |first=Christopher |date=December 28, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010082432/http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/28/nigeria-gaming.html |archive-date=October 10, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="The Guardian Africa">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/26/african-videogames-nigeria|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|title=African videogames level up|last=Mark|first=Monica|date=September 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Polygon">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/7/3/4483276/kenya-games-industry|title=Big Game: The Birth of Kenya's Game Industry|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|last=Moss|first=Richard|date=July 3, 2013}}</ref>

===The AAA video game industry and the emergence of indie games===
{{see also|AAA (video game industry)|Indie game}}
Video games began seeing increasing larger budgets for development entering the 2000s; ''Final Fantasy VII'' had an estimated {{USD|40-45 million|long=no}} budget excluding marketing,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/a/final-fantasy-7|title=Final Fantasy 7: An oral history|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|date=January 9, 2017|access-date=February 2, 2018}}</ref> while the first ''Shenmue'' game was estimated to cost {{USD|47–70 million|long=no}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/02/shenmue-sega-classic-14-years-too-late |title=Shenmue – discovering the Sega classic 14 years too late |last=Diver |first=Mike |date=May 2, 2015 |website=The Guardian |access-date=June 30, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626163813/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/02/shenmue-sega-classic-14-years-too-late |archive-date=June 26, 2015 }}</ref> Larger developers began approaching games comparable to Hollywood [[filmmaking]], not only considering the aspects of development, distribution, and marketing, but incorporating budgets for both in-game cinematography, including professional actors and licensed properties, and larger promotional elements. These new approaches further extended game budgets.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/22/business/news-and-analysis-video-game-makers-go-hollywood-uh-oh.html | title = Video Game Makers Go Hollywood. Uh-Oh. | first = Evelyn | last = Nussenbaum | date = August 22, 2004 | access-date = March 20, 2021 | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref> Similar to [[blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] films, the video game industry began calling these high-budget games and the publishers and developers behind them "AAA" or "triple A" by the late 1990s and early 2000s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Demaria |first1=Rusel |last2=Wilson |first2=John |title=High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games |date=2002 |edition=1st |publisher=McGraw-Hill Osborne Media |isbn=0-07-222428-2}}</ref>

As a result of the larger budgets and better technology, new narrative-driven games emerged to incorporate larger stories as more direct components of gameplay, such as by eliminating pre-rendered cut scenes in favor of scenes carried out within the game's engine.<ref name="gamasutra gameplay narrative">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-uneasy-merging-of-narrative-and-gameplay | title = The Uneasy Merging of Narrative and Gameplay | first = Ara | last=  Shirinian | date = January 26, 2010 | access-date = March 20, 2021 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref> Incorporation of narrative into action games partially led to the waning of the adventure game genre by the early 2000s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/01/history-of-graphic-adventures/ |title=A truly graphic adventure: the 25-year rise and fall of a beloved genre |date=January 26, 2011 |access-date=November 10, 2015 |first=Richard |last=Moss |work=[[Ars Technica]] |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102012924/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/01/history-of-graphic-adventures/ |archive-date=November 2, 2015 }}</ref> Examples of influential games from this period include ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', ''[[Portal (video game)|Portal]]'', ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'', ''[[BioShock (video game)|BioShock]]'', ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'', and ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'',<ref name="gamasutra gameplay narrative"/> as well as the first entries in the long-running series ''[[Call of Duty]]'' and ''[[Assassin's Creed]]''.<ref>{{cite journal | last= Parker | first =  Felan | title= Canonizing BioShock: cultural value and the prestige game | journal = [[Games and Culture]] | volume = 12 | issue= 7–8 | year = 2017 | pages = 739–763 | doi =  10.1177/1555412015598669 | s2cid = 148319261 }}</ref>

[[File:Fez (video game) cover art.png|upright|thumb|right|''[[Fez (video game)|Fez]]'', one of the early successful indie games]]
Hobbyist and homebrew game development had been in place since the first home computers in the late 1970s and 1980s, with the shift to shareware by individuals and small development teams in the 1990s, but the importance of console gaming and the rise of 3D game technology had made it initially difficult for individual developers to participate competitively in game development. The growth of AAA games with large budgets further made publishers risk-averse to support smaller games with non-standard or more experimental gameplay.<ref name="pcgamer indie"/>

Independent games, or indie games, gained a significant share of the market in the latter half of the 2000s that continued into the 2010s, and generally seen as a result of the industry looking for innovation beyond the safe, non-risky approaches that AAA development had centered on.<ref name="pcgamer indie"/> Interest in indie games grew out from the booming Flash game industry of the mid-2000s which had drawn attention to individual and small developers normally overlooked by the media.<ref name="gi flash games"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/tracing-the-sprawling-roots-of-flash-preservation/ | title = Tracing the Sprawling Roots of Flash Preservation | first= Khee Hoon | last=  Chan | date = March 18, 2021| access-date = March 18, 2021 |work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] }}</ref> Further, smaller developers were highlighted by the rapid growth in the mobile game industry, allowed them to complete equally on mobile app stores with larger developers.<ref name="gi flash games"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/28/17911372/there-are-too-many-video-games-what-now-indiepocalypse | title = There are too many video games. What now? | first = Steven | last = Wright | date = September 28, 2018 | access-date = October 15, 2019 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref> [[Crowdfunding]] through sites like [[Kickstarter]] became a viable pathway for indie developers to gain funding in the late 2000s, explosively growing in popularity into the mid-2010s,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://variety.com/2019/gaming/columns/the-changing-face-of-video-game-crowdfunding-1203165542/ | title = The Changing Face of Video Game Crowdfunding | first = Michael | last=  Futter | date = March 18, 2019 | access-date = March 18, 2021 | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref> while [[early access]] distribution, where players purchase a not-yet-final version of a game to help play, test and provide feedback, was successfully demonstrated with ''[[Minecraft]]'' in 2009 and used as a model for some indie games since.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/33961/Minecraft_Draws_Over_33_Million_In_Revenue_From_18M_Paying_Customers.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110408063046/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/33961/Minecraft_Draws_Over_33_Million_In_Revenue_From_18M_Paying_Customers.php | url-status = dead | archive-date = April 8, 2011 |title= Minecraft Draws Over $33 Million In Revenue From 1.8M Paying Customers |publisher= [[Gamasutra]] |date= April 6, 2011 |access-date= October 16, 2013 |first= Kyle |last= Orland }}</ref> On personal computers, [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] opened up their digital content platform [[Steam (service)|Steam]] to allow indie games to be listed alongside triple-A games, and several other similar digital storefronts.<ref name="pcgamer indie">{{cite web | url =http://www.pcgamer.com/from-shareware-superstars-to-the-steam-gold-rush-how-indie-conquered-the-pc/ | title = From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC | first = Richard | last = Cobbett | date = September 22, 2017 | access-date = September 25, 2017 | work = [[PC Gamer]] }}</ref> Microsoft launched the [[Xbox Live Arcade]] (XBLA) in 2004 which they used to publish games for the Xbox and later the Xbox 360 from smaller publishers and independent teams. Sony and Nintendo followed suit with similar indie game publishing programs in the early 2010s.<ref name="indies on consoles">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/how-indies-made-an-impact-on-a-generation-of-game-consoles | title = How indies made an impact on a generation of game consoles | first = Mike | last = Rose | date = November 19, 2013 | access-date = August 26, 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/magazine/15videogames-t.html?pagewanted=all | title = Can D.I.Y. Supplant the First-Person Shooter? | work = [[The New York Times]] | first = Joshuah | last = Bearman | date = November 15, 2009 | access-date = September 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150906121102/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/magazine/15videogames-t.html?pagewanted=all | archive-date = September 6, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref> Several indie games gained the media spotlight in this period, including ''[[Super Meat Boy]]'', ''[[Fez (video game)|Fez]]'', and ''[[Braid (video game)|Braid]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94025221 |title=Xbox's 'Braid' A Surprise Hit, For Surprising Reasons |first=Heather |last=Chaplin |date=August 27, 2008 |work=NPR |access-date=February 4, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5724989/why-minecraft-is-so-damn-popular |title=Why Minecraft Is So Damn Popular |work=[[Kotaku]] |first=Luke |last=Plunkett |date=January 4, 2011 |access-date=February 4, 2011}}</ref>