Editing 2000s (section)

=== Video games ===
{{See also|2000s in video gaming}}'''Video-game hardware and software'''[[File:PS2-Versions.jpg|thumb|[[PlayStation 2]] was released in 2000 and became the [[List of million-selling game consoles|best-selling gaming console]] of the decade and of all time.]]

[[File:Xbox-console.jpg|thumb|First '''[[Xbox]]''' released in 2001]]
[[File:GameCube-Console-Set.png|thumb|'''[[GameCube]]''' released in 2001 and is the successor to the [[Nintendo 64]]]]

The world of video games reached the [[History of video game consoles (sixth generation)|sixth generation]] of video game consoles including the [[PlayStation 2]], the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], and the [[GameCube]], which started technically in 1998 with the release of Sega's [[Dreamcast]], although some consider the true start in 2000 with the release of Sony's PlayStation 2. The 6th gen remained popular throughout the decade, but decreased somewhat in popularity after its 7th gen successors released technically starting in November 2005 with the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360, however, most people agree that 2006 is a 6th gen year since most games being released still released on 6th gen including the Xbox even though the 360 was already released, and the PlayStation 3 and the Wii didn't release until late 2006 which most people consider to be the true start of the 7th gen. It reached [[History of video game consoles (seventh generation)|7th Generation]] in the form of [[video game console|consoles]] like the [[Wii]], the [[PlayStation 3]] and [[Xbox 360]] by the mid-2000s. The number-one-selling game console of the decade, the [[PlayStation 2]], was released in 2000 and remained popular up to the end of the decade, even after the [[PlayStation 3]] was released. The [[PlayStation 2]] was discontinued in January 2013. The [[Nintendo DS]] launched in [[Japan]] in [[2004]] and by [[2005]] was available globally. All Nintendo DS models combined have sold over 154.02 million units, thus making it the best selling handheld of all time and the second [[List of best-selling game consoles|best selling video game console]] of all time behind the [[PlayStation 2]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Consolidated Sales Transition by Region |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1603.pdf |access-date=July 7, 2022 |publisher=Nintendo Co.}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Schreier |first1=Jason |title=Nintendo DS Line Outsells PlayStation 2, Nintendo Says |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/01/nintendo-ds-sales/ |magazine=Wired |date=4 January 2011}}</ref>

[[Neo Geo]] is a family of video game hardware developed by [[SNK]]. The brand originated in 1990 with the release of an arcade system, the [[Neo Geo MVS]] and its home console counterpart, the [[Neo Geo AES]]. The Neo Geo brand was officially discontinued in 2004.

[[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPGs]], originating in the mid-to-late 1990s, become a popular PC trend and virtual online worlds become a reality as games such as ''[[RuneScape]]'' (2001), ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' (2002), ''[[Eve Online]]'' (2003), ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground]]'' (2003), ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' (2004), and ''[[EverQuest II]]'' (2004), ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar]]'' (2007) and ''[[Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning]]'' (2008) are released. These worlds come complete with their own economies and social organization as directed by the players as a whole. The persistent online worlds allow the games to remain popular for years. ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', premiered in 2004, remains one of the most popular games in PC gaming and is still being developed into the 2010s.

[[Arcade game|Arcade video games]] had declined in popularity so much by the late 1990s, that revenues in the United States dropped to $1.33 billion in 1999,<ref>{{cite news |last=Henry |first=Lydia |date=April 26, 2001 |title=Skee-ball Mania |page=36 |newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZFsxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5114,5262090 |access-date=March 13, 2012}}</ref> and reached a low of $866 million in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 20, 2006 |title=Video killed the arcade star |newspaper=[[East Valley Tribune]] |url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/article_9b22d9ea-1810-5465-8bd9-a4e3204de569.html?mode=story |access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref> Furthermore, by the early 2000s, networked gaming via computers and then consoles across the Internet had also appeared,<ref name="online games">{{cite web |last=Mabry |first=Donald J. |title=Evolution of Online Games |url=http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/s/online-games.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209100942/http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/s/online-games.php |archive-date=February 9, 2008 |access-date=September 21, 2007}}</ref> replacing the venue of head-to-head competition and social atmosphere once provided solely by arcades.<ref name="socialarcades">{{cite web |last=Fuller |first=Brad |title=Awakening the Arcade |url=http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2005/11/awakening-the-arcade.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003012240/http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2005/11/awakening-the-arcade.html |archive-date=October 3, 2011 |access-date=September 21, 2007}}</ref>

[[Cross-platform software|Cross-platform]] [[Game engines]] originating in the very late-1990s, became extremely popular in the 2000s, as they allowed development for [[Indie game development|indie games]] for [[digital distribution]]. Noteworthy software include [[GameMaker]] and [[Unity (game engine)|Unity]]. Well-known indie games made in that decade include ''[[I Wanna Be the Guy]]'', ''[[Spelunky]]'', ''[[Braid (video game)|Braid]]'', ''[[Clean Asia!]]'', ''[[Castle Crashers]]'', ''[[World of Goo]]'', ''[[Dino Run]]'', ''[[The Impossible Game]]'' and ''[[Alien Hominid]]''.

In 2003 [[Steam (service)|Steam]], the now leading and largest digital distribution platform for [[PC gaming]] was launched by [[Valve Corporation]].

In the late 2000s, [[Motion controller|motion controlled]] video games grew in popularity, from the PlayStation 2's [[EyeToy]] to Nintendo's successful [[Wii]] console. During the decade 3D video games become the staple of the video-game industry, with 2D games nearly fading from the market. Partially 3D and fully 2D games were still common in the industry early in the decade, but these have now become rare as developers look almost exclusively for fully 3D games to satisfy the increasing demand for them in the market. An exception to this trend is the indie gaming community, which often produces games featuring 'old-school' or retro gaming elements, such as ''[[Minecraft]]'' and [[Shadow Complex]]. These games, which are not developed by the industry giants, are often available in the form of downloadable content from services such as [[Microsoft]]'s [[Xbox Live]] or Apple's [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]] and usually cost much less than more major releases.

'''Prominent video games'''
[[File:Gbasp nes collection.jpg|thumb|[[Game Boy Advance SP]] is upgraded version of the original [[Game Boy Advance]] system and it is the second last [[Game Boy]] handheld]]
The ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series sparked a fad of Mature-rated video games based on including gang warfare, drug use, and perceived "senseless violence" into gameplay. Though violent video games date back to the early 1990s, they became much more common after 2000. Despite the controversy, the 2004 game ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'' became the best selling [[PlayStation 2]] game of all time, with 17.33 million copies sold for that console alone, from a total of 21.5 million in all formats by 2009;<ref name="guinness 2009">{{cite book |title=Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition |pages=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_o9k7/page/108 108–109] |isbn=978-1-904994-45-9 |quote=''GTA: San Andreas'' is the best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time, with a massive 17.33 million copies sold. |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_o9k7/page/108 |author1=Guinness |date=February 2009 |publisher=Guinness World Records}}</ref> as of 2011, 27.5 million copies of ''San Andreas'' were sold worldwide.<ref name="2011sales">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5840484/gta-iv-overtakes-san-andreas-in-lifetime-sales |title=GTA IV Overtakes San Andreas in Lifetime Sales [Correction] |website=Kotaku |first=Owen |last=Good |date=September 15, 2011 |access-date=September 12, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701162931/http://kotaku.com/5840484/gta-iv-overtakes-san-andreas-in-lifetime-sales |archive-date=July 1, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Nintendo-DS-Fat-Blue.jpg|thumb|The [[Nintendo DS]] awakened an interest in casual play that had never really existed before.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/22/18000592/nintendo-ds-mobile-casual-gaming |title=The DS saved Nintendo while destroying handheld gaming as we knew it |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=October 22, 2018}}</ref>]]
[[File:Psp-1000.jpg|thumb|[[PlayStation Portable]] (PSP-1000) [[Sony]] handheld games console]]

The ''[[Call of Duty]]'' series was extremely popular during the 2000s, the diverse shooter franchise released multiple games throughout the 2000s that were positively critically reviewed and commercially successful.

''[[The Sims]]'' series developed by [[Maxis]] became one of the most popular [[life simulation games]] series with over 200 million copies sold worldwide since the series' [[The Sims (video game)|first game]] was released in 2000.<ref name="Hall of Fame Inductees">{{Cite press release |title=2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees Announced |date=2016-05-05 |publisher=Strong National Museum of Play |url=http://www.museumofplay.org/press/releases/2016/05/2688-2016-world-video-game-hall-fame-inductees-announced/ |last1=Rhinewald |first1=Shane |last2=McElrath |first2=Noelle |access-date=2017-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202010533/https://www.museumofplay.org/press/releases/2016/05/2688-2016-world-video-game-hall-fame-inductees-announced |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Gears of War (series)|Gears of War]]'' was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful [[third-person shooter]] franchise that released two games during the mid-late 2000s. [[Gears of War (video game)|Gears of War 1]] was released in 2006 and was the first installment to the franchise, it was universally critically acclaimed and went on to sell over 5 million copies. The second installment to the franchise ''[[Gears of War 2]]'' was released in 2008 and received widespread critical acclaim and also went on to sell over 5 million copies.

''[[Manhunt 2]]'', a controversial stealth-based [[psychological horror]] [[video game]] published by [[Rockstar Games]], was suspended by [[Take-Two Interactive]] (Rockstar's parent company) when it was refused classification in the United Kingdom, Italy and Ireland, and given an Adults Only (AO) rating in the United States. As neither [[Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony]], [[Microsoft]] or [[Nintendo]] allow AO titles on their systems, it made Rockstar bring the game down to a Mature (M) game and release in October 2007.

The sixth generation sparked a rise in first person shooter games led by ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', which changed the formula of the first person shooter. ''[[Halo 2]]'' started [[online console gaming]] and was on top of the [[Xbox Live]] charts until its successor, ''[[Halo 3]]'' (for Xbox 360), took over. Some other popular first-person shooters during the 2000s include the [[Medal of Honor]] series, with ''[[Medal of Honor: Frontline]]''{{'}}s release in 2002 bringing the first game in the series to 6th generation consoles.

''[[Dance Dance Revolution]]'' was released in Japan and later the United States, where it became immensely popular among teenagers. Other dance games like [[Just Dance (video game series)|Just Dance]] was released in 2009 and went on to be the most popular game from Nintendo all over the world. Another music game, ''[[Guitar Hero]]'', was released in North America in late 2005 and [[Cultural impact of the Guitar Hero series|had a huge cultural impact]] on both the music and video games industries. It became a worldwide billion-dollar franchise within three years, spawning several sequels and leading to the creation of a competing franchise, ''Rock Band''.

'''Gaming industry'''

Worldwide, arcade game revenues gradually increased from $1.8 billion in 1998 to $3.2 billion in 2002, rivalling [[PC game]] sales of $3.2 billion that same year.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chou |first1=Yuntsai |title=G-commerce in East Asia: Evidence and Prospects |journal=Journal of Interactive Advertising |date=September 2003 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=47–53 |doi=10.1080/15252019.2003.10722081 |s2cid=167052950}}</ref> In particular, arcade video games are a thriving [[Video gaming in the People's Republic of China|industry in China]], where arcades are widespread across the country.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jou |first=Eric |title=The Wonderful and Seedy World of Chinese Arcades |url=http://kotaku.com/5894415/the-wonderful-and-seedy-world-of-chinese-arcades/gallery/1 |website=Kotaku |access-date=April 9, 2012 |date=March 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308130752/http://kotaku.com/5894415/the-wonderful-and-seedy-world-of-chinese-arcades/gallery/1/ |archive-date=March 8, 2013}}</ref> The US market has also experienced a slight resurgence, with the number of video game arcades across the nation increasing from 2,500 in 2003 to 3,500 in 2008, though this is significantly less than the 10,000 arcades in the early 1980s. As of 2009, a successful arcade game usually sells around 4000 to 6000 units worldwide.<ref>{{cite book |title=Digital sport for performance enhancement and competitive evolution : intelligent gaming technologies |year=2009 |publisher=Information Science Reference |location=Hershey, PA |isbn=978-1-60566-406-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kags8xC1xzsC&pg=PA260 |editor1=Nigel K. Li Pope |editor2=Kerri-Ann L. Kuhn |editor3=John J.H. Forster |access-date=March 14, 2012 |page=260}}</ref>

Japanese media giant [[Nintendo]] released 9 out of the 10 top selling games of the 2000s, further establishing the company's dominance over the market.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 25, 2010 |title=Top 10 Best Selling Video Games (2000–2010) Mutiplatform<!--sic--> |url=http://top-10er.blogspot.com/2010/03/top-10-best-selling-video-games-2000.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316124732/http://top-10er.blogspot.com/2010/03/top-10-best-selling-video-games-2000.html |archive-date=March 16, 2012 |access-date=February 6, 2016}}</ref>

[[Sega Corporation]], usually styled as '''SEGA''', is a Japanese [[multinational corporation|multinational]] video game software developer and an [[arcade game|arcade software]] and [[Video game arcade cabinet|hardware]] development company headquartered in [[Japan]], with various offices around the world. Sega previously developed and manufactured its own brand of [[video game console|home video game consoles]] from 1983 to 2001, but a restructure was announced on January 31, 2001, that ceased continued production of its existing home console ([[Dreamcast]]), effectively exiting the company from the home console business.<ref name="SegaRestructure">{{cite web |title=Sega announces drastic restructuring |first=Shahed |last=Ahmed |website=[[GameSpot]] |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2680518.html |date=January 31, 2001 |access-date=September 20, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914162404/http://www.gamespot.com/news/2680518.html |archive-date=September 14, 2009}}</ref> In spite of that, SEGA would go on to produce several videogames such as ''[[Super Monkey Ball]]'' franchise, the [[Sega Ages 2500#Sega Ages 2500 (PlayStation 2)|Sega Ages 2500]] PlayStation 2 games,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hardcore Gaming 101: Sega Ages |url=https://hg101.kontek.net/segaages/segaages.htm |access-date=2020-07-07 |website=hg101.kontek.net}}</ref> ''[[Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA (video game)|Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA]]'', ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]'', ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'', ''[[Rez (video game)|Rez]]'', ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', ''[[Virtua Fighter 4]]'', ''[[After Burner Climax]]'', ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]'', ''[[Sonic Pinball Party]]'', ''[[Bayonetta (video game)|Bayonetta]]'', ''[[Jet Set Radio]]'', ''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'', ''[[Thunder Force VI]]'', ''[[Shenmue II]]'', ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'', ''[[Yakuza 2]]'', ''[[Gunstar Super Heroes]]'', ''[[Astro Boy: Omega Factor]]'', ''[[OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast]]'' and ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SEGAbits presents The Top 100 SEGA Games |url=http://segabits.com/blog/2017/05/09/segabits-presents-the-top-100-sega-games/ |access-date=2020-07-05 |website=SEGAbits presents The Top 100 SEGA Games |date=May 9, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>

'''Game of the Year'''

''from the [[Game Developers Choice Awards]] starting in 2001 (awards are given to games of the previous calendar year).''
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* 2000 – ''[[The Sims (video game)|The Sims]]''
* 2001 – ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''
* 2002 – ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''
* 2003 – ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground]]''
* 2004 – ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''
* 2005 – ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''
* 2006 – ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''
* 2007 – ''[[Portal (video game)|Portal]]''
* 2008 – ''[[Fallout 3]]''
* 2009 – ''[[Uncharted 2: Among Thieves]]''
}}'''Best selling games of every year'''

''In some years, sources disagree on the best-selling game.''
* 2000: ''[[Pokémon Stadium]]''<ref name=":3">{{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> or ''[[Pokémon Crystal]]''<ref name="Best97">{{Cite web |last=Welch |first=Hanuman |date=April 23, 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/ |url-status=live |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/ |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |access-date=2021-06-29 |website=Complex |language=en}}</ref>
* 2001: ''[[Madden NFL 2002]]''<ref name=":3" /> or ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''<ref name="Best97" />
* 2002: ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Best97" />
* 2003: ''[[Madden NFL 2004]]''<ref name=":3" /> or ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground]]''<ref name="Best97" />
* 2004: ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Best97" />
* 2005: ''[[Madden NFL 06]]''<ref name=":3" /> or ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''<ref name="Best97" />
* 2006: ''[[Madden NFL 07]]''<ref name=":3" /> or ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''<ref name="Best97" />
* 2007: ''[[Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock]]''<ref name=":3" /> or ''[[Wii Sports]]''<ref name="Best97" />
* 2008: ''[[Rock Band (video game)|Rock Band]]''<ref name=":3" /> or ''[[Wii Play]]''<ref name="Best97" />
* 2009: ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]]''<ref name=":3" /> or ''[[Wii Sports]]'']<ref name="Best97" />