GAMES of the DECADE

LOOKING BACK ON 10 YEARS OF PC GAMING

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MODERN HISTORY

A look back at the events that shaped the last ten years of PC gaming.

By Alistair Jones

A few months before the start of this decade, a game called League of Legends entered open beta. Back then, it was impossible to know the extent of the phenomenon it would become - ten years on, Riot’s debut game is played by 8 million players every day. But League of Legends has also grown to be indicative of the last ten years of PC gaming as a whole. It’s been instrumental in the growth of esports and a major indicator of China’s increasing relevance in the industry. It’s proven a microcosmic version of the rise, fall, and constant recycling of new genres, franchises and platforms. And now, as this decade draws to its close, Riot is showing the old guard that their places at the top aren’t as secure as they once were.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

The past ten years have seen a fair share of new ideas. The rise of MOBAs meant that the efforts of Warcraft III’s modding community transformed into one of the most successful genres in the world. Years later, history repeated itself as long-term DayZ modder Brendan ‘PlayerUnknown’ Greene kickstarted a global battle royale phenomenon. In 2019, the process began again, as a custom Dota 2 game mode gave way to a wave of auto battles from some major studios.

While new genres have emerged, others have solidified their popularity – Counter-Strike and Call of Duty aren’t likely to go away any time soon, but the single-player FPS has made a comeback thanks to the likes of Doom, Wolfenstein, and