Editing 1990s (section)

===Video games===
{{main|1990s in video gaming}}
'''Video game consoles'''

[[Video game console]]s released in this decade include the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]], [[Atari Jaguar]], [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]], [[Sega Saturn]], [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[Nintendo 64]] and [[Dreamcast]]. Portable video game consoles include the [[Game Gear]], [[Atari Lynx]] and [[Game Boy Color]]. ''[[Super Mario World]]'' was the decade's best-selling home console video game, while ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue]]'' was the decade's best-selling portable video game; ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' was the decade's best-selling [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|fifth-generation video game]], while ''[[Street Fighter II]]'' was the decade's highest-grossing [[arcade video game]].

The [[console wars]], primarily between [[Sega]] (Mega Drive, marketed as the [[Sega Genesis]] in [[North America]], introduced in 1988) and [[Nintendo]] ([[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], introduced in 1990), sees the entrance of [[Sony]] with the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] in 1994, which becomes the first successful CD-based console (as opposed to [[ROM cartridge|cartridges]]). By the end of the decade, Sega's hold on the market becomes tenuous after the end of the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] in 1999 and the [[Dreamcast]] in 2002.

[[Arcade game]]s rapidly decreased in popularity, mainly due to the dominance of handheld and home consoles.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wolf |first=Mark J.P. |title=The video game explosion: a history from PONG to PlayStation and beyond |publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-313-33868-7 |location=Westport, Connecticut |page=135 |chapter=Arcade Games of the 1990s and Beyond |oclc=154776597 |quote=The decline of arcade video games would come back in the 1990s, despite attempts to redefine the arcade experience and attract players back to the arcade. |access-date=19 July 2009 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=to5zEwOC9BcC&pg=PA135}}</ref>

'''Video games'''

[[Mario]] as [[Nintendo]]'s [[mascot]] finds a rival in [[Sega]]'s [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] with the release of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' on the [[Sega Genesis|Sega Mega Drive/Genesis]] in 1991. ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' would go on to become one of the most successful [[List of video game franchises|video game franchises]] of the decade and of all time.

Notable video games of the 1990s include: ''[[Super Metroid]]'', ''[[Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]'', ''[[Super Mario World]]'', ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' Versions]], ''[[Pokémon Yellow|Pokémon Yellow Version]]'', ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]'', ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[Gran Turismo (1997 video game)|Gran Turismo]]'', ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'', ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'', ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'', ''[[Radiant Silvergun]]'', ''[[Rayman (video game)|Rayman]]'', ''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'', ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]'', ''[[Soulcalibur (video game)|Soulcalibur]]'', ''[[Star Fox]]'' series, ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' series, ''[[Final Fantasy]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series, ''[[Story of Seasons]]'' series, ''[[Tony Hawk's (series)|Tony Hawk's]]'' series, ''[[Crash Bandicoot]]'' series, ''[[Metal Slug]]'' series, ''[[Resident Evil]]'' series, ''[[Street Fighter II]]'', ''[[Spyro|Spyro the Dragon]]'' series, ''[[Commander Keen]]'' series, ''[[Test Drive]]'' series, ''[[Dance Dance Revolution]]'' series, ''[[Monkey Island]]'' series, ''[[Dune computer and video games|Dune]]'' series, ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' series, ''[[Warcraft]]'' series, ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'', ''[[Tekken]]'' series, ''[[EarthBound]]'', ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game]]'', and ''[[StarCraft]]''.

[[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] becomes the top-selling video game console and changes the standard media storage type from [[ROM cartridge|cartridges]] to [[compact disc]]s (CDs) in home consoles. [[Crash Bandicoot (video game)|''Crash Bandicoot'']] is released on 9 September 1996, becoming one of the most successful platforming series for the Sony PlayStation. [[Spyro the Dragon|''Spyro The Dragon'']], released on 9 September 1998, also became a successful platforming series. ''[[Tomb Raider]]''{{'}}s [[Lara Croft]] became a video game [[sex symbol]], becoming one of the most recognizable figures in the entertainment industry throughout the late 1990s.

''[[Pokémon]]'' enters the world scene with the release of the original ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue|Pokémon Red]]'' and ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue|Pokémon Green]]'' for [[Game Boy]] in Japan in 1996, later changed to ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue|Pokémon Red]]'' and ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue|Pokémon Blue]]'' for worldwide release in 1998. It soon becomes popular in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], creating the term ''Pokémonia'', and is adapted into a popular [[Pokémon (TV series)|anime series]] and [[Pokémon Trading Card Game|trading card]] game, among other media forms.

''[[Resident Evil (1996 video game)|Resident Evil]]'' is released in 1996 and ''[[Resident Evil 2]]''. Both games became the most highly acclaimed [[Survival horror|survival-horror]] series on the PlayStation at the time it was released. It is credited with defining the survival horror genre and with returning zombies to [[popular culture]], leading to a renewed interest in [[zombie film]]s by the 2000s.

'''Video game genres'''

[[3D computer graphics|3D]] graphics become the standard by the decade's end. Although [[First-person shooter|FPS games]] had long since seen the transition to full 3D, other genres began to copy this trend by the end of the decade. The most notable first shooter games in the 1990s are ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]'' and ''[[Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (video game)|Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six]]''.

The violent nature of fighting games like [[Capcom]]'s ''[[Street Fighter II]]'', [[Sega]]'s ''[[Virtua Fighter (arcade game)|Virtua Fighter]]'', and [[Midway Games|Midway]]'s ''[[Mortal Kombat (1992 video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'' prompted the video game industry to accept a [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|game rating system]]. Hundreds of knockoffs are widely popular in the mid-to-late 1990s. ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' (1993) bursts onto the world scene, and instantly popularizes the [[First-person shooter|FPS]] genre. ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' (1998) builds upon this, using gameplay without [[Level (video games)|levels]] and an immersive [[First-person narrative|first-person perspective]]. Half-Life became one of the most popular FPS games in history.

The [[real-time strategy]] (RTS) genre is introduced in 1992 with the release of ''[[Dune II]]''. ''[[Warcraft: Orcs & Humans]]'' (1994) popularizing the genre, and ''[[Command & Conquer]]'' and ''[[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]]'' in 1995, setting up the first major real-time strategy competition and popularizing multiplayer capabilities in RTS games. ''[[StarCraft]]'' in 1998 becomes the second best-selling computer game of all time. It remains among the most popular multiplayer RTS games today, especially in [[South Korea]]. {{citation needed|date=December 2022}} ''[[Homeworld]]'' in 1999 becomes the first successful 3D RTS game. The rise of the RTS genre is often credited with the fall of the [[turn-based strategy]] (TBS) genre, popularized with ''[[Civilization (video game)|Civilization]]'' in 1991. ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'' was introduced (in North America) in 1990 for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] and remains among the most popular video game [[Final Fantasy|franchises]], with many new titles to date and more in development, plus numerous spin-offs, sequels, films and related titles. ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', released in 1997, especially popularized the series.

[[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game]]s (MMORPGs) see their entrance with ''[[Ultima Online]]'' in 1997. However, they do not gain widespread popularity until ''[[EverQuest]]'' and ''[[Asheron's Call]]'' in 1999. MMORPGs become among the most popular video game genres until the [[2010s]].

The [[List of best-selling video games|best-selling games]] of the 1990s are listed below (note that some sources disagree on particular years):

* 1990: ''[[Super Mario World]]''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Welch|first=Hanuman|date=23 April 2013|title=The Best Selling Video Game Of Every Year Since 1977|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/the-best-video-games-to-come-out-every-year-since-the-atari-2600/|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Complex|language=en|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112230159/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/the-best-video-games-to-come-out-every-year-since-the-atari-2600/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 1991: [[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|''Sonic the Hedgehog'']]<ref name=":0" />
* 1992: ''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]''<ref name=":0" />
* 1993: ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]''<ref name=":0" />
* 1994: ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]''<ref name=":0" />
* 1995: [[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island|''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Islan''d]]<ref name=":0" /> or ''[[Mortal Kombat 3]]''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Webb|first=Kevin|date=2019-09-12|title=The best-selling video game of every year, from 1995 to 2018|url=https://www.businessinsider.nl/best-selling-video-game-every-year-2018-11/|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Business Insider|language=}}</ref>
* 1996: ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue]]''<ref name=":0" /> or ''[[Super Mario 64]]''<ref name=":1" />
* 1997: [[Gran Turismo (1997 video game)|Gran Turismo]]<ref name=":0" /> or ''[[Mario Kart 64]]''<ref name=":1" />
* 1998: ''[[Pokémon Yellow]]''<ref name=":0" /> or ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]''<ref name=":1" />
* 1999: ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]''<ref name=":0" /> or ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]''<ref name=":1" />
<gallery widths="190" perrow="5">
File:Neo-Geo-AES-Console-Set.jpg|'''[[Neo Geo]] AES''' released in 1990. The console was supposed to bring an experience similar to [[Arcade games]] to be played.
File:USA-SNES - JPN-SuperFamicom.png|'''[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]''' (SNES) released in 1990 and is the successor to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]
File:Sega-Mega-Drive-EU-Mk1-wController-FL.jpg|The European PAL version of the '''[[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]]''' launched in 1990, later becoming the highest-selling [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|fourth-gen]] console in Europe.
File:Game-Boy-FL.jpg|Nintendo's '''[[Game Boy]]''' was a popular handheld game console during the 1990s.
File:Atari-Jaguar-CD-wController.jpg|The '''[[Atari Jaguar]]'''  released in 1993, becoming part [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth-gen]] of video game consoles.
File:N64-Console-Set.png|The '''[[Nintendo 64]]''' was released in 1996. ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' was the best-selling game of the decade.
File:PSX-Console-wController.png|The '''[[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]''' was released in the mid-1990s and became the [[List of million-selling game consoles|best-selling gaming console]] of its time.
File:Diana Maria (cropped).jpg|The game '''''[[Tomb Raider (1996 video game)|Tomb Raider]]''''', launched in 1996, became particularly popular during the decade and as a result [[Lara Croft]]'s character eventually became a cultural icon in the video game industry
File:Mittelgrosse_lan-party.jpg|Private '''[[LAN parties]]''' were at the peak of their popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s when broadband Internet access was unavailable or too expensive for most people
</gallery>