Bethesda’s Todd Howard Names the Most Important and Influential Video Games in History

As the BAFTA Game Awards approach, Todd Howard, the head of Bethesda, took part in a Q&A session where he revealed his picks for the most important and influential video games in history.

Howard made an interesting distinction between the two categories. When it comes to important games, he focused on those with historical significance, meaning games that had a major role in the birth, growth, and evolution of the video game industry.

As for influential games, Howard referred to games that shaped the development of the industry, creating whole genres and trends that had a lasting impact on the video game world.

Todd Howard’s Picks for Important Games

According to Howard, the most important video games in history are Tetris and Pac-Man. He explained that these games were crucial in bringing a huge number of people into the gaming world and had a massive influence on gaming as a whole.

Todd Howard’s Picks for Influential Games

When it comes to the most influential games, Howard named Super Mario Bros. and DOOM. He shared that the roots of today’s video games can be traced back to these titles. Super Mario Bros. and DOOM laid the foundation for many aspects of modern gaming, and their influence is still visible in games today.

These choices are widely agreed upon, as all four games hold an important place in video game history. Interestingly, one of them, DOOM, is closely tied to Todd Howard himself. Players will soon experience the latest version of DOOM in DOOM: The Dark Ages, scheduled for release on May 15, 2025.