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What era was the golden age of gaming?
When was the golden age? Sometimes I look at new gaming PCs and consoles but I see the absolute tripe like Veilguard and Star Wars: Outlaws and just don't bother.

What are some all time classics from the golden age?
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Showing 1-15 of 88 comments
Barbas Apr 18 @ 2:49pm 
Post arcade ports until the release of the ps3
Late 1990's
Sidakte Apr 18 @ 2:55pm 
middle 90s to 2010.
80s to early 200x.
vkobe Apr 18 @ 2:58pm 
technically we are in golden age of gaming

after if you are stuck with western woke aaa sorry for you

but if you mean western aaa it is probably ps2 and ps3 era

but for me i learn than my favorite game are not western aaa, but aa and indy, so for me i am in golden age of gaming
dyinggg Apr 18 @ 2:59pm 
Originally posted by Sidakte:
middle 90s to 2010.
kbiz Apr 18 @ 3:02pm 
1998 to 2018.
'93 to '98
everytime rockstar games released their games
the silver age of gaming basicly was 1982-1995
**1982 was the year commendore 64 launched with basic.
**1982 was the year the 8286 cpu came out as succesor to the 8086.. and with it the ISA slot was introduced with allowed the first grafic cards and soundcards.

1993-1994 is the dawn of the golden era...
**we saw the EISA and VESA slots released. never widely adopted due replaced for something better so soon.. still a leap forward,
**many golden era games had the first version of their game still onder dos in these years many would also remain populair in the first win 95 years.
(think the first TES game, the first Civilization game, and so on)

the golden era of gaming started I'd say 1995-2005
**in 1995 windows 95 came out.. from how computing went before a massive leap forward.
**in 1995 3dfx also release the first true 3d grafics chip!
**in 1997 we also saw the introduction of the agp slot.. once more a massive boost

basicly this was the decade when pc technollogy was mature enough for good games.. but not SO mature than it took way to much efford.. and thus massive budgers (and thus risk avoiding investors) to make.

the end of the golden era pretty much is when pc games started to demand steam to be installed in 2005.
followed shortly with the end of fysical pc sales alltogether in 2008.

so I'd call 2006 and 2007 thus the "dusk years" while the golden era was over.. and the transition to the current era started.. there were still some golden titles without steam drm released but it was the last wimper of an era that ended.

so yeah steam killed pc gaming.. or the internet did.. for if not steam some other scumbag would likely done something similair.

just as the internet killed 1000 other good things (the internet the worst investion ever made)
*while the very early internet in 90s and upto 2005 has it's fun.. it enabled the hellscape we see today.. it be better if it never was invented at all and we still just be running our computers in local networks only.
Last edited by Dutchgamer1982; Apr 19 @ 8:45am
Arvaos Apr 18 @ 3:12pm 
Originally posted by Dutchgamer1982:
the silver age of gaming basicly was 1982-1995
**1982 was the year commendore 64 launched with basic.
**1982 was the year the 8286 cpu came out as succesor to the 8086.. and with it the ISA slot was introduced with allowed the first grafic cards and soundcards.

the golden era of gaming started I'd say 1995-2005
**in 1995 windows 95 came out.. from how computing went before a massive leap forward.
**in 1995 3dfx also release the first true 3d grafics chip!
**in 1997 we also saw the introduction of the agp slot.. once more a massive boost


basicly this was the decade when pc technollogy was mature enough for good games.. but not SO mature than it took way to much efford.. and thus massive budgers (and thus risk avoiding investors) to make.

the end of the golden era pretty much is when pc games started to demand steam to be installed in 2005.
followed shortly with the end of fysical pc sales alltogether in 2008.

so yeah steam killed pc gaming.. or the internet did.. for if not steam some other scumbag would likely done something similair.

just as the internet killed 1000 other good things (the internet the worst investion ever made)
*while the very early internet in 90s and upto 2005 has it's fun.. it enabled the hellscape we see today.. it be better if it never was invented at all and we still just be running our computers in local networks only.

What's your list of golden age games?
Originally posted by Arvaos:
Originally posted by Dutchgamer1982:
the silver age of gaming basicly was 1982-1995
**1982 was the year commendore 64 launched with basic.
**1982 was the year the 8286 cpu came out as succesor to the 8086.. and with it the ISA slot was introduced with allowed the first grafic cards and soundcards.

the golden era of gaming started I'd say 1995-2005
**in 1995 windows 95 came out.. from how computing went before a massive leap forward.
**in 1995 3dfx also release the first true 3d grafics chip!
**in 1997 we also saw the introduction of the agp slot.. once more a massive boost


basicly this was the decade when pc technollogy was mature enough for good games.. but not SO mature than it took way to much efford.. and thus massive budgers (and thus risk avoiding investors) to make.

the end of the golden era pretty much is when pc games started to demand steam to be installed in 2005.
followed shortly with the end of fysical pc sales alltogether in 2008.

so yeah steam killed pc gaming.. or the internet did.. for if not steam some other scumbag would likely done something similair.

just as the internet killed 1000 other good things (the internet the worst investion ever made)
*while the very early internet in 90s and upto 2005 has it's fun.. it enabled the hellscape we see today.. it be better if it never was invented at all and we still just be running our computers in local networks only.

What's your list of golden age games?

from my collection and what I played when they came out... in order of release

command & conquer
warcraft 2
red alert
settlers 2
age of empires
rising lands
total annihiliation
anno 1602
dune 2000
knights & merchants
starcraft
age of empires 2
tiberian sun
settlers 3
dungeon keepers 2
--failed but I liked : total annihilation kingdoms
red alert 2
europa universalis
black & white
cossacks
emperor battle for dune
empire earth
europa universalis 2
stronghold
-----failed, settlers IV (I bought but returned did not like, later bought cheap for collection)
age of mythology
---anno 1503 (slipped under my radar somehow only bought and played later did like)
Hearts of Iron
warcraft 3
generals
rise of nations
---victoria( went under my radar too only got much later)
---crusader kinds (again under my radar)
spellforce
age of empires 3
black and white 2 (I never got this one.. not know exactly why anymore)
cossacs 2
empire earth 2
stronghold 2
settlers, herritage of kings
Hearts of Iron 2
stronghold crusader
and basicly this is about when the golden era ended

though I would add a few 2006 titles to it (but it became very hard to get copies without drm at this time)

europa universalis 3 (base game and firest expantion was pre dlc crap)
rise of legends
anno 1701

---the death was ofcourse a fizzle... with some expantionpacks and sequels dripping in 2006 and 2007.. but it basicly ended in 2005.

now for TBS :
space empires 2
civilization 2
Heroes of Might and Magic 2
Master of Orion 2
Imperialism
space empires 3
alpha centauri
civilization call to power
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Imperialsm 2
call to power 2
space empires 4
civilizations 3
---Heroes of Might and magic 4 (I kept it but not played it much good but 3 was better)
Total War Medieval
Galactic civilizations
Master of Orion 3
Total War Rome
---civilization 4 (hated it civ died for me with 3.. still have the box of 4 somewhere though)

again if we look at the tail end... in 2006 when SOME games were still without steam drm..
Space empires V
galactic civilizations 2
Heroes of Might and Magic V came out (again ok but not as good as 3)
Civ V

sim games
(to prevent double listing them some I left off like the settlers, anno series and stronghold, as some are sim/rts hybdrids and di fit both lists)

honorable mention :
simcity 2000 *technically silver era since released in 1993.. but still hugyly popuylair in the windows era and rereleased as windows version

ceasar 2
dungeon keeper
ceasar 3
dungeon keeper 2
simcity 3000
tropico
simcity 4
tropico 2

***as for "2006 releases
ceasar 4


RPG
TES 2 Daggerfall
---fallout (I never played or liked it but it sure does fit the era)
Might and Magic 6
---fallout 2 (again I never played or care for it but this list cannot be made without)
Might and Magic 7
ultima 9
Might and Magic 8
Might and Magic 9
TES 3 Morrowind
Neverwinter Nights
Dungeon siege
Dungeon Siege 2

and as per usual the tailend 2006 releases

Neverwinter Nights 2


TES 4 Oblivion: it is massively dumbed down and casuaulised mostly to cater to the limitations of console audience and hardware now it was made multiplatform.
morrowind was so much better.. and while the base game and the knights expantion were dlc free the other versions did have it (this game was very hard to get the non steam dlc variants off in the day)


Tycoon games
-transport tycoon deluxe
-capitalism plus
-railroad tycoon 2
-rollercoaster tycoon
-railroad tycoon 3
-rolelrcoaster tycoon 2
-open TTD

cannot find any good 2006 tailend titles tycoons

If I have to mention any... I likely would mention :
virtual villagers 1 -6
chocolatier 1, 2 etc
westwards 1, 2, 3 etc
tradewinds, 1 ,2, etc
plant trycoon, fish tycoon, coffee tycoon
but I not consider those full games.. little replayability... and them being only available for purchase online.. places them well after the golden era..

shooters.. I always HATED shooters.
(many also give me motion sickness)
But games I am aware of of the era and might even have played (forced or not) at lan parties :
-doom 2
-quake 3 arena
-return to castle wolvenstein
-battlefield 1942
-serious sam
**so by the fact I even know of them and have played them... they must be the big titles of the era.. for that genre

**quake
**battlefield 1942
Last edited by Dutchgamer1982; Apr 18 @ 5:05pm
PS2 era.
8-16 bit.

There was a lot of repetitive stuff, true, but this is where all the major genre were born. It was so exciting.
For me it was the 90s but it might just be nostalgia speaking.
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