Editing History of video games (section)

===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>