When it comes to any “Mount Rushmore” conversation, I’m always the annoying person who wants to get very precise about what that term means. To me, the “Mount Rushmore” topic is not something solely based on an individual’s opinion; there must be some historical and consequential impact that gets you on that mountain. This is not a “My Top 4 Games” list. Obviously, people have different opinions about the presidents carved into Mount Rushmore, but regardless of anyone’s opinion, an honest person can’t deny that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt all did things that seriously impacted this great nation.
The first image I would carve in our fantastical mountain would be the Tetris T. I understand that no one is going home today to grind out hours of Tetris, but this is my George Washington pick, so to speak. It is the founding father of modern-day video games. I can already hear the PONG fanboys crying, because that was technically the first video game, to which I rebut: The United States of America wasn’t the first democracy either. The creation of this country, however, did change the structuring of empires, and that change hasn’t been challenged in any serious way since its inception. Tetris wasn’t only a video game; it set the tone for what video games could be. It was not a game only played by children. Tetris exploded in popularity worldwide, for all ages. It showed the world that video games are now the standard, not just on a computer, but on a dedicated gaming platform. Tetris was released alongside the very first Game Boy. It was the first system that was not only a handheld, but the first system overall to let you swap out different game cartridges. Before this, gaming platforms came as a single game; for example, Mattel Auto Race and Football were separate systems for just those games. Tetris is the reason the Game Boy succeeded the way it did, and its technology was quickly adapted beyond handhelds and into home systems. Tetris was not only a game; it also started a new way of gaming.
Super Mario 64 is the constitution to Tetris’s founding. The N64 changed gaming across many genres. An honorable mention is GoldenEye 007 on this console. A 3D FPS with multiplayer capabilities; where would the FPS genre be without that classic? Despite my bias, I think Super Mario 64 makes a bigger impact. It’s the foundation for all 3D open-world games. Yes, Super Mario 64 has a lot of linear level design, but it’s the first game I can think of that offered exploration at that scale. The castle grounds, the castle itself, underwater environments, changing maps through specific paintings, boss battles, etc. This game not only had the content and looks for its time, but you could just wander around climbing trees and flying if that’s what you chose to do. You cannot make a case that any open-world game today doesn’t have Super Mario 64 in its ancestral DNA.
With this Union established, it’s time to recognize who pushed boundaries and delivered the heavy hits for modern gaming. I know I have written plenty about this next title’s problems; similarly, despite our own country’s modern problems, we cannot deny the good it still does. Call of Duty is the definition of greatness. For all its flaws, these games have dominated not just the spaces it created, but the spaces it chose to join. The most popular FPS of all time hasn’t just dominated in gameplay. It has dominated in casual multiplayer gaming, competitive gaming, single-player storytelling, battle royales, and content production. The zombies mode itself could be another game that stands alone. Regardless of who you are or where you came from, every gamer has a favorite Call of Duty. Like the wars this game created, it won the war of popularity and innovation a long time ago, and it deserves recognition.
I’m honestly going to have nightmares about my final carving into this Mount Rushmore, but as stated previously, I must give credit where it is due. Grand Theft Auto is the best vision of what gaming is. A genuine virtual city is what escapism is supposed to be. I don’t mean that a game designed to highlight degeneracy and criminality is true escapism—if it wasn’t for GTA Online, this would be at the bottom of the list—however, GTA Online is connectivity, escapism, and exploration at its grandest scale, specifically with the creation of GTA Roleplay. This PC exclusive doesn’t force you to exercise your most vile tendencies; you can play as a cop, convenience store worker, robber, and even take on the role of a non-playable character just to be an inevitable casualty. It’s literally a virtual world within our world. The novel Ready Player One is my fantasy of where gaming goes. It’s not just a place for fun, but a necessity for real-world survival. Make a living within a game that translates to real life. The role-playing mod is the closest example to that. When you die, you lose everything; voice chat is enforced; everyone takes on a role and sticks to it. I know it sounds like a science fiction pipe dream, but in reality, are we that far off? This country showed the world that individuality and freedom produce not only the most prosperous and wealthy nation, but also the unalienable right of choice. That’s what we want out of our games, right? Choices create freedom, and gaming is the ultimate freedom from the harsh realities of this world.
BRUH!!!!!