#16: Counter-Strike (1999)
Before it became a franchise, Counter-Strike was a mod with a sharp idea. Created by Minh “Gooseman” Le and Jess Cliffe as a modification for Half-Life in 1999, it later became an official Valve release in 2000. The setup was simple and brilliant: terrorists and counter-terrorists, rounds, objectives, money, weapons, teamwork, and consequences. If you made a mistake, you might have to watch the rest of the round instead of instantly respawning. That gave every corner, doorway, and thrown grenade a little extra weight. On PC, in internet cafés and home setups, Counter-Strike helped shape team-based online play for years.
