5. Shooters marry first-person graphics


First-person graphics first appeared in late '70s driving games. But it wasn't until 1992, when id Software applied the "through the eyes of the gamer" effect to "Wolfenstein 3D? that a new genre was born ? the "first-person shooter."
4. Console controls go omni-directional


Early video games let the player move only left or right ? sometimes adding up and down movement as well. So it was big news when games later allowed diagonal movement. In 1996, though, players finally got full range of motion, thanks to the Nintendo 64 analog stick. If it weren?t for this little guy ? not to mention Sony?s "Dual" stick ? console games would be stuck in the past.
3. 3-D graphics immerse the player


Flat-looking, 2-D graphics once dominated the medium, but the overwhelming majority of modern games are in three dimensions now. And it?s hard to think of another technical achievement that has absorbed players into foreign worlds more than 3-D visuals. The look is so appealing that there?s been a recent renaissance of games like "LittleBigPlanet," which use "2.5D" graphics to imitate the dioramas you used to make in grade school. (Remember?)
2. Nintendo introduces the gamepad


Joysticks are great and all, but opposable thumbs are much better when it comes to controls. Nintendo was the first to realize this when in 1980, the company released the "Game & Watch" handheld series and later, the NES gamepad. As such, players use their left thumbs now for movement and right thumbs for button presses. And the tradition continues ? except on that other Nintendo console, the motion-sensing Wii.
1. Saved games save a life


It's unclear when level passwords first made their way to video games. Though hardly ideal (remember all those unsorted scraps of paper you used to keep nearby?) they saved a ton of time. In 1987, however, "The Legend of Zelda" blew my mind with its ability to save my progress on the cartridge ? without using codes. Today, games save automatically to storage devices inside the console. It?s the best thing to happen to video games since well, video games.
Honorable mention: Online multiplayer, because it?s fun to play with others, even if there?s no one else around.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29886172...6_Developments