Diablo

Shipped out at the very end of 1996, Diablo became a hit PC game in 1997, selling more than two million copies and eventually becoming a flagship franchise for Blizzard Entertainment. More importantly, it proved hugely influential in three key domains. Diablo opened a new line in the RPG (role-playing game) genre by delineating a new action-RPG category thanks to its quick real-time pace, easy to use point-and-click interface, distinctive ambient gothic art direction powered by CD-ROM audio, and 3-D modeling technology. It popularized the procedural generation mechanics of its roguelike ancestors, for dungeon floors, enemies and
items through its loot system, and served as a template for countless “Diablo clones”. Finally, its online multiplayer integration built on free matchmaking and dual competitive and cooperative gameplay styles, and the widespread cheating and griefing practices that emerged from its users, set a course for the nascent Internet gaming culture.

ARSENAULT, Dominic. “Diablo”. In Bernard Perron, Kelly Boudreau, Mark J.P. Wolf & Dominic Arsenault (eds.). 2022. Fifty Key Video Games. Routledge, p. 56-63. [Publisher website]

About Fifty Key Video Games (https://www.routledge.com/Fifty-Key-Video-Games/Perron-Boudreau-Wolf-Arsenault/p/book/9781032053608):

This volume examines fifty of the most important video games that have contributed significantly to the history, development, or culture of the medium, providing an overview of video games from their beginning to the present day. It covers a variety of historical periods and platforms, genres, commercial impact, artistic choices, contexts of play, typical and atypical representations, uses of games for specific purposes, uses of materials or techniques, specific subcultures, repurposing, transgressive aesthetics, interfaces, moral or ethical impact, and more.

Key video games featured include Animal Crossing, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, PONG, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft. Each game is closely analyzed in order to properly contextualize it, to emphasize its prominent features, to show how it creates a unique experience of gameplay, and to outline the ways it might speak about society and culture. The book also acts as a highly accessible showcase to a range of disciplinary perspectives that are found and practiced in the field of game studies.

With each entry supplemented by references and suggestions for further reading, Fifty Key Video Games is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in video games.