Well, well, well… Three holes in the ground and all have been created for Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. Thanks to THIS ARTICLE from our friends at Kotaku, we are aware of the Guinness top 50 most influential games of all time.

In all honesty, this is not an easy list to create due to the very subjective nature of the medium. I believe that they attempted to avoid the natural shortfall of trying to choose the 50 “best” games of all time. However, if you are going to claim a criteria, you should adhere to it and I don’t believe that they did. Defining something as influential should be more easily proven than deciding whether or not something is good. If a game is influential, its impact should be observed by how it has changed the industry. I question whether or not many of these titles have had enough time to become influential. Furthermore, some of these more recent titles have been included at the expense of others which I believe have proven their influence.

Before I go any further, let us look at the list:

1. Super Mario Kart
2. Tetris
3. Grand Theft Auto
4. Super Mario World
5. Zelda Ocarina of Time
6. Halo
7. Resident Evil IV
8. Final Fantasy XII
9. Street Fighter II
10. GoldenEye
11. Super Mario 64
12. Tomb Raider
13. Metal Gear Solid
14. Call of Duty 4
15. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
16. GTA San Andreas
17. Super Mario Bros
18. Zelda: A Link to the Past
19. Gran Turismo
20. Final Fantasy VII
21. Pro Evolution Soccer 4
22. The Orange Box
23. Lego Star Wars Complete Saga
24. Tekken 2
25. Wii Sports
26. Pokemon Red/Blue
27. Guitar Hero
28. Project Gotham Racing 4
29. Super Mario Galaxy
30. Resident Evil
31. Ico
32. Chrono Trigger
33. Gunstar Heroes
34. Soul Calibur
35. Advance Wars
36. Ridge Racer
37. Super Metroid
38. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
39. GTA Vice City
40. BioShock
41. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
42. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
43. God of War
44. Sega Rally Championship
45. Starfox 64
46. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
47. WarioWare Inc
48. Saturn Bomberman
49. Crash Bandicoot
50. Outrun 2

Now I won’t argue whether or not any of these games are good. Most of them, if not all, are exceptional games in one way or another. What I am most concerned about is the title of “influential.” In order to know whether or not something is influential one must have enough time to measure its impact on its environment. Now Chris and I both agreed that Super Mario Galaxy was a great game back in Game Apparent Episode 3 and our 2007 Holiday Recommendations. However, we have not yet witnessed the way it has shaped a generation and inspired other developers and artists to change their point of view. In contrast, I was saddened to see a true lack of historical perspective with the absence of titles like Donkey Kong, Pong, Zork, and Space Invaders.

Now our friend Josh suggested that this list could have been for console titles only. That would fit considering the lack of any arcade titles or games that were released only on computers. However, doesn’t that seem to contradict the very nature of the premise? If the list is supposed to document what games have had the most influence, why would one include GoldenEye and Halo without even a nod to the title that created the first-person-shooter genre – Wolfenstein 3D? As for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it’s hard to consider the latest installment of an influential franchise without reflecting upon its own roots and originally The Elder Scrolls titles (Arena and Daggerfall) were both PC-based.

There are other clear issues with the list. For example, three different Grand Theft Auto games? As much as I appreciate the franchise, I don’t think that it deserves three separate entries. Heck, there’s only one Metroid title, one Castlevania title, and no entries for Megaman or Contra – yet they give three slots to GTA. And as much as I enjoy the Lego Star Wars franchise, I don’t know if I’d place it on this list. That’s more of an example of how influential Star Wars has been on our culture.

Please, forgive the rant. I am just concerned how easy it is to re-write history and the more people repeat something, the more credible others perceive it to be. Like any art or entertainment form, one must remember the “classics” in order to appreciate context and the evolution of the medium. Whether studying literature, music, and sculpture or film, comics, and videogames, our most recent expressions are built upon the insights, ideas, and innovations of those who have passed before. To lose perspective of what has been “influential” to a medium discredits the accomplishments of the true visionaries who paved the way for others to follow.

Now that I’ve said my piece, feel free to comment.