Summary

Video gaming is a relatively young medium.

Yet already in its half-century of existence, it has undergone rapid evolution.

Many video game genres are completely unrecognizable now from what they were two or three decades ago.

Amid Evil, Ultra Kill and Cultic Chapter 1

Some changes were massive, such asthe jump to 3D, heralding the start of a new era.

Other changes, however, went quiet and unnoticed.

Here are the best video game genres that have changed throughout history!

on the left is Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West, in the middle is Kiryu from Yakuza 6 and on the right is Sam from Death Stranding

Slowly but surely, video games have changed in subtle ways that we’ve adjusted to naturally.

These changes rarely get brought up, and are taken for granted in modern times.

But it’s worth looking back now that sometimes, gaming didn’t evolve with a quantum leap.

Captain Falcon, Roblox and Kazuma Kiryu split feature image for split image

Sometimes it was as simple as switching a single keybind.

If you’re old-school, this probably fazed you the first time you came across it.

This prevents you from being locked into an animation if you change your mind.

Split image of Lara Croft, Doomguy and Link.

You won’t be able to take your eyes off the stunning animations found in each of these games.

6Press Any Button

It used to be that video games would ask you to press Start.

In the NES days, this was a requirement: the game would not begin unless you pressed Start.

Wolfenstein 3D and Wolfenstein: The New Order.

In thePlayStation era, this requirement began to ease up, and pressing the X button was acceptable too.

Now, however, games ask you to simply press any button to begin.

Pressing the PC or console’s power button will not start the game.

Senua in Hellblade 2 with her eyes above the water, bayonetta blowing a kiss, and the character in ico stood before a shadowy picture and the princess

5Difficulty Names

This is a strange case where gaming might have taken a step back.

Talk about being timeless.

This was in part due to the low resolutions on offer back then.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Origin Scene Of The Press F To Pay Respects Meme

Now, many games feature little to no HUD elements, allowing for amore immersive experience.

Say cheese, and add an hour to your mission time.

A few features, such as posing characters and making the HUD disappear, are taken for granted.

Triple-A Games

Even remasters of old games, like the first three Tomb Raider titles, now include photo modes.

However, asopen-world gameshave increased in scope and detail, the invisible wall has all but vanished.

Once an immersion-breaking feature that simply came with the territory, invisible walls have now disappeared.

Spider-Man

E is often relegated to peeking around corners.

A brief history of meme-kind from the world of video games.