The most influential video game of all time is named and gamers are baffled and confused

Video game fans don’t exactly have a reputation as the calmest group of individuals on the planet. Today they’ve got a particularly fierce bee in their bonnet as BAFTA has officially named the most influential game of all time, decided after a global public poll.

There are a lot of potential candidates. DOOM comes to mind for popularizing the now-ubiquitous first-person shooter genre, Grand Theft Auto III brought the crime caper megafranchise into 3D for the first time, PUBG ushered in a wave of battle royales, and heck, what about the ur-games of yore like Pong, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man?

Well, the winner was none of the above. Judging by some of the baffled responses, it’s a game that many modern gamers didn’t even know existed. Top of the charts in what they admit is a “surprise number one” is Yu Suzuki’s 1999 Dreamcast cult classic Shenmue.

The Most Influential Video Game Of All Time is… Shenmue 👑

Yu Suzuki's tale of revenge topped our global poll 🌎 What's your favourite memory of the Shenmue series?

View the full Top 21 list now👇https://t.co/AVUTJePeEg#BAFTAGamesAwards pic.twitter.com/C3VQwqAmMt

— BAFTA Games (@BAFTAGames) April 2, 2025

BAFTA’s rationale is that the game is in many ways “the original blueprint” for a “living, breathing” virtual world. They have a point, Shenmue painstakingly recreates Yokosuka’s Dobuita Street and the surrounding neighborhoods, delivering a simulated world packed with civilians doing their own thing and presenting an absurdly granular level of detail for the time. Want to peek inside a random drawer? You can!

Sadly, relatively few did want to look inside random drawers. What was, at the time, the most expensive game ever made failed to make any money for Sega, though admittedly being a Dreamcast exclusive reportedly meant every console owner would have had to buy two copies for it to break even.

For Shenmue fans, this is a red letter day, with their fave triumphing over the high-profile likes of Super Mario Bros, Half-Life, Ocarina of Time, and Minecraft. For those bewildered by this creaky curiosity, not so much:

BAFTA have Shenmue as most influential video game ever. So influential I’ve never heard of it.

— Ser Ron of the Blackwater (@Ronald0) April 3, 2025

And other widespread confusion, possibly from younger gamers who have no idea what a “Shenmue” is.

I'm sorry, Shenmue??? What about Persona?? What about Yakuza?? What on earth is this #1 game LOL https://t.co/E9ZpXaGnud

— Junch (@junchgaming) April 3, 2025

Growing up in the 80's through early 2000's, I was a huge Nintendo nerd and played hundreds of games for NES, SNES, and N64, and I dabbled in Genesis, PlayStation, and arcade games as well. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have no idea who this character is! 🤦‍♂️

— SaneMJfan (@sanemjfan) April 3, 2025

But I’m with the many cheering fans celebrating this franchise getting a moment in the sun. Last time I visited Japan, I got the train out to Yokosuka and walked around the real-life Dobuita Street, which will be eerily familiar to anyone who’s ever played the game and cements how successfully Yu Suzuki nailed a sense of time and place better than almost any other ’90s developer.

If you’re curious about Shenmue, it’s readily available on most modern platforms, including Steam, PlayStation and Xbox, coming in a retro bundle with its sequel Shenmue II. Don’t go into it expecting a white-knuckle ride, but if you vibe with its chill atmosphere, relaxed pace, and unique gameplay you’ll be a fan for life. And if you need to know where the sailors hang out, drop me a line.