Everything needs seven wonders. We always talk about the really amazing and cool stuff coming out, So what are the most defining / mind blowing of these things? Toss in one or seven (not eight, never eight) and justify. Maybe we can define the seven wonders list.

A couple ground rules:
1. It can't be a living person (Miyamoto isn't a wonder, but his creation Mario might be)
2. It can't be Zero Punctuation (too many ZP fanboys 'round these parts to make an objective assesment)
Other than that anything goes: it can be a system, a game, a company, a website, whatever.

I'll get things started:
I nominate
Mario, for obvious reasons, already talked about it a bit.
Nintendo the company: over 150 years old, saved the video game industry in the eighties, dominates the portable market, etc.
World of Warcraft, pretty obvious.
Final Fantasy, do you know what FF is? That's why.

Does it have to be video games?
I nominate Dungeons and Dragons. I cannot think of a single game that has had a more profound impact on virtually every other genre of gaming there is.

The uncrushable hope - The natural phenomena of all gamers thinking that this years line up, in any given year, will be the greatest ever.
The Pyramids of Geezer - the collective worlds government hierarchy that governs the ratings and censorship of the worlds game, despite having no fucking clue about them.

id

Graustein:
Does it have to be video games?
I nominate Dungeons and Dragons. I cannot think of a single game that has had a more profound impact on virtually every other genre of gaming there is.

The peoples republic of Meatloaf seconds this motion.

Dungeons & Dragons is, I think a very good nominee for one of the seven wonders of the gaming world.

juandonde, one word answers just serve to annoy mods,

what's your reasoning for suggesting id, in your position I might have said Quake because of its impact on the game mod community. But id, as a company is nothing special (IMO only, which is just as valid as anyone else's, this is why we need to hear justification)

Glare and brighter than bright lighting. That basically made next gen. That and blurr motion.

mark_n_b:
what's your reasoning for suggesting id, in your position I might have said Quake because of its impact on the game mod community. But id, as a company is nothing special (IMO only, which is just as valid as anyone else's, this is why we need to hear justification)

Whut? id pretty much pioneered an entire genre, multi-player gaming, and numerous graphical/technical achievements. I'd say that's pretty significant.

You would come up with few games that match the significance of Doom and even fewer developers that match the influence of id Software.

Zelda OoT etc. just because they are games that every gamer has playeed.
Kinda like Mario but not as powerful, should still be considered though.

Joeshie:

mark_n_b:
what's your reasoning for suggesting id, in your position I might have said Quake because of its impact on the game mod community. But id, as a company is nothing special (IMO only, which is just as valid as anyone else's, this is why we need to hear justification)

Whut? id pretty much pioneered an entire genre, multi-player gaming, and numerous graphical/technical achievements. I'd say that's pretty significant.

You would come up with few games that match the significance of Doom and even fewer developers that match the influence of id Software.

That's what I'm talking about, see how much more impressive and meaningful that is than:

juandonde:
id

(I made this post without reading any other. I'll go back but I wanted to come up with my own before reading other opinions)

1. Dungeons and Dragons - Without this table top game, video games wouldn't have developed in the same way. RPGs wouldn't even exist!
2. The Video Arcade Classics: Pong/PacMan/Donkey Kong - Classic Characters that together helped consumer begin buying home systems.
3. Nintendo: Revitalized the console business and their innovation has affected everyone and everything in the business. Classic Franchises as Mario, Zelda, Metroid, ect. (GameBoy, Wii)
4. Mario: While should be bundled with Nintendo, Mario has special status b/c of his far reaching effect in the past 4 generations of gaming! Mario's contriubtions can't even be measured!
5. Halo: The Halo Franchise (while not perfect) has proven that video games have reached the same level of profitablity and respect as motion pictures and sports. It's also one of the most popular Multiplayer game, that many other games have adapted to their needs (COD, Resistance, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto)
6. World of Warcraft: Started the MMORPG craze!
7. XBox Live. Created a (mostly) stable, easy to use enviorment for multiplayer gaming, as well as multimedia content and the revitalization of classic games, simple games, casual games, and independant games via the XBox Live Arcade. Spawned the Playstation Network and Wii Channels/Ware.

Honorbale Mentions
Sony/Playstation (introduced disc format as main game media)
Final Fantasy
Grand Theft Auto (innovation, social debates)
DuelShock Controller (added feeling to the game experience)
ESRB (while not prefect, it helped stifle government intervention in the industry and allows more diverse games to be made)

1. Dungeons and Dragons - From tabletop RPGs came computer RPGs came JRPGs. Just about everyone has some connection to D&D as a gamer.
2. Sid Meier's Civilization - Build an empire to stand the test of time. Many PC gamers really got hooked on the PC once and for all by playing a game in this series.
3. Crysis on max settings (even if you're limited to just screenshots) - Because nothing helps immersion quite like incredible graphics (even if nothing kills it like hitchy framerates.)
4. Bo Jackson - Tecmo Super Bowl. Greatest cyber-athlete of all time.
5. SimCity - Launched Will Wright's career and taught the world that there's more to video games than "save the princess" or "shoot everything in sight."
6. The Havok physics engine - From the Gravity Gun to Portal to its use to power countless games over the past few years, if you want something to make things move the way things should move, Havok makes it possible.
7. Spacewar! - Because who knows if Nolan Bushnell would've discovered the chops to make what became the Atari 2600 without it. A timeless classic - as RAKtheUndead has pointed out, the game is still very much playable and enjoyable even today.

seconded

also i nominate diablo 2 because its just that amazing

edit: seconded to the meatloaf thing forgot to hit the quote button

I think Steam belongs there more than Xbox Live.

Indigo_Dingo:
I think Steam belongs there more than Xbox Live.

Steam is awe-inspiring, I suppose, but I see your opinions as massively skewed by your reputation of intense PS3 enjoyment.

Perhaps I am mistaken.

The KOTOR series: for pumping new blood into an old franchise.

If xbox 360s spead a cure for aids whenever activated and spent all their time helping old ladies across the street while handing wads of cash to orphans Indigo Dingo would find something bad to say about them.
So no, you are not mistaken.

meatloaf231:

Indigo_Dingo:
I think Steam belongs there more than Xbox Live.

Steam is awe-inspiring, I suppose, but I see your opinions as massively skewed by your reputation of intense PS3 enjoyment.

Perhaps I am mistaken.

What the hell are you talking about?

Considering many are predicting Steam to eclipse physical mediums in terms of games (at least on PCs, assuming that the size of PC games does not spike in relation to the speed of the average users modem), I think its more deserving than an organized network - and since the Dreamcast itself had online before the xbox, the organization of said network isn't as much of an accomplishment as (potentially) re-engineering gaming as we know it.

Perhaps something more like Quake for online play, and perhaps Xbox Live for bringing that experience to the consoles? I mean, making it popular, not the first (that honour belongs to the Dreamcast).

As for my mention, I'd like to add Half Life: they pioneered scripted sequences, a staple in many FPSs these days.

stompy:
Perhaps something more like Quake for online play, and perhaps Xbox Live for bringing that experience to the consoles? I mean, making it popular, not the first (that honour belongs to the Dreamcast).

As for my mention, I'd like to add Half Life: they pioneered scripted sequences, a staple in many FPSs these days.

I know that XBox Live isn't the first, with Doom and Quake, and other PC multiplayer games, but in my opinion (as a "consule tard"...I don't do alot of PC gaming) XBox Live seemed to make multiplayer more mainstream WHILE offering DLC for games, TV shows, Movies, and Keeping track of your achievements. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are examples of the power and need of downloadable content, and XBox Live and PSN help distribute what would have taken retail disks to do in the past.

I nominate:

Pokemon - Single biggest craze I've ever seen in gaming.

Nintendo DS - Innovative and introduces more and more people to games.

[/quote]

Indigo_Dingo:

meatloaf231:

Indigo_Dingo:
I think Steam belongs there more than Xbox Live.

Steam is awe-inspiring, I suppose, but I see your opinions as massively skewed by your reputation of intense PS3 enjoyment.

Perhaps I am mistaken.

What the hell are you talking about?

Considering many are predicting Steam to eclipse physical mediums in terms of games (at least on PCs, assuming that the size of PC games does not spike in relation to the speed of the average users modem), I think its more deserving than an organized network - and since the Dreamcast itself had online before the xbox, the organization of said network isn't as much of an accomplishment as (potentially) re-engineering gaming as we know it.

Sorry, I just assumed you were casting down Xbox Live because of it's Xboxy nature. I do agree, Steam is a far better program. I misjudged you, sir. I apologize.

Music 2000:

A cheap and fairly comprehensive misic programme for the PS1.
I lost hours & days composing tunes with this and the way you could use effects and samples was fantastic. Lost most of my tapes of tunes, sadly, as some of them were awesome.

The tallest point in Jerusalem in Assassin's Creed. It really is an amazing display of just how far technology has come in the past few years.

Silent Hill series - provides an experience that no other entertainment medium could adequately replicate; is unafraid to explore mature themes; features ground-breaking audio/visual presentation, plot & characterization; proves that games can thrive on (rather than be hampered by) ambiguity; proves that games don't have to be fun to be good.

Metal Gear Solid 2 - the most notable example of a sequel succeeding triumphantly despite delivering exactly the opposite of what fans of the original game wanted. This is an especially notable achievement in the games industry because of its incredibly franchise-driven nature.

That's all for now.

1. Pong
2. Mario
3. Lara Croft
4. Grand Theft Auto
5. World of Warcraft

(that's the history of most iconic games/characters in a nutshell I think, the basis
but pretty mainstream)

potential others:

Dungeons & Dragons
Pokemon
Metal Gear Solid
Nintendo
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Sims/Simcity
Goldeneye 007
Ico
Portal

Guitar Hero. In hindsight, it's unbelievable they had so much trouble getting the idea off the ground.

Dynamic Lighting. Omgss flashlights stop monsters!

I think The Sims deserves to be in there. It's an amazing franchise that has definitly stood the test of time, that has a charm that everyone can enjoy.

Nintendo is a no-brainer. They introduced most of the things that we see as standard in the games industry, like analogue sticks, D-pads, two handed controller designs (When the market was flooded with consoles using paddles and joysticks) and all kinds of other things.

I think (No matter how much I hate it) WoW has to be in there. It has created a whole other universe, that millions of people treat as if it was their first life. I can't ever see the craze going down.

I agree with The_Deleted. Music 2000 had me at 10 years old, sitting creating complex intricate music, and without it, I wouldn't be a musician. It sparked so much creativity in me, and from the first day I played it, I knew I wanted to be a musician.

xBox Live has to be in there too. I've never owned a Microsoft console, because I don't like them. But I have to hand it to them, they really took online gaming to a new level. Sure, the internet at that time had become much more advanced and fast, and the gaming market was just waiting for any console to take advantage of that, but Microsoft got there first.

And my last is Ocarina of Time. The N64/PS1 generation was when storytelling in games could be given much more emotion and length, with the invention of 3D gaming. And Ocarina of Time was, and still is the most incredible story ever told in gaming. You could tell instantly you were playing something very different, and very special.

Hmmm...theres some very deservin' games and whatnot that would belong on a list like this, however some of them really stand out in my mind. Most of them have been stated already, but I feel that one may end up bein overlooked.

Blizzard Entertainment - While some people have already pointed out WoW, I think it would be more accurate to say Blizzard as a whole. Starcraft is the single most played RTS of all time...there is no denyin' this. World of Warcraft has several million subscribers across the world. Diablo 2, despite its dated appearance, is one of the most played online games today. It would not be much of a stretch to say that Blizzard has shaped much of the online gamin' community as it is seen today.

Daikatana probably belongs in there as a profound lesson to everyone what -not- to do.

There's been a lot of really good content added in here. I'm trying to separate the "wondrous" from the "excellent" this isn't easy.

So far there are two items that I think need to make the list, they are the only two I am completely sold on thus far:

1. Dungeons & Dragons I don't think anyone can deny the global impact of this pen and paper classic and the effect it has had on gamers, gaming culture, and game design. When you think that this came out of a Tolkien loving drug culture decades ago, this is truly one of the wonders of the gaming world.

2. World of Warcraft Now people have made the note that Blizzard as a company has made huge impacts in gaming and titles like Starcraft and Diablo have been bandied about. But more than the company, the fact that WoW is populated by millions of people 24-7 is something no game has ever managed to achieve. It is not the size of the game-world, it's not the graphics, it's not the game-play, it's the sheer population that makes this title the wonder it is.

Blizzard might get a double billing on this list because of the fact that Starcraft has entire Television networks dedicated to it and the professional Starcraft circuit in Korea. And this is a game that came out in the 90's. That's pretty impressive.

EsotericLB:
Daikatana probably belongs in there as a profound lesson to everyone what -not- to do.

Maybe the mythic cement block of millions of ET 2600 cartridges in Alamogordo, New Mexico. This is definitely one of the hugest urban myths (urban facts) of gaming history. The Bermuda triangle lore of gaming culture.

I picked up a couple of the Hanafodu cards that Nintendo sold when they started up (You may know it as Koi Koi from 42 all time classics) off of ebay.

Hideo Kojima's head is quite a wonder. Does that count?

Final fantasy, high definition, legendary soundtracks, the shape of ps3 cases, shadow of the colossus, the size of gamecube games and me as a corpse (hey it ain't living)