A video game more influential than Doom, Super Mario Bros? 1999 Japanese title tops vote

A Bafta survey rated a 1999 Dreamcast title the most influential video game of all time – ahead of Super Mario Bros, Half-Life and Minecraft

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Sega launched video game Shenmue in 1999 for the Dreamcast console. It has topped a Bafta poll of the most influential video games. Photo: Instagram/dkoldies

Published: 1:45pm, 3 Apr 2025

The 1999 action game Shenmue has been named the most influential video game of all time following a survey organised by Bafta, the British association that honours films, television, and video games.

The series, created by Japanese designer Yu Suzuki, stars a young Ryo Hazuki as he seeks to avenge the death of his father, killed by a mysterious martial arts specialist.

The game is split into three instalments (Shenmue I, II, and III) and was, at the time of the first instalment’s release, the most expensive game in history to produce.

While the third instalment was available on PlayStation 4 and PC, the first two defined the brief history of the Dreamcast console, the first so-called sixth-generation console, released by Japanese manufacturer Sega in 1998.

Having become a cult classic among many gamers, Shenmue is known as a pioneer in open-world gaming and for popularising the “quick time event”, a moment in which the player is asked to perform a specific action within a given time limit.

“Games are an immensely innovative force and it’s brilliant to recognise those titles which have truly shaped the course of our medium,” said Luke Hebblethwaite, head of the Bafta video games division.