What Was Gaming Like In The 2000s?

[@DownwardThrust]

This year has been a real struggle for me so far personally so I wanted to thank you guys for your fun comments and stories in my 90s video. Reading them helped me stay positive and kept a smile on my face during some trying times. This video is a thanks for that, and I hope to read more of your stories and memories in this one. Thanks again and hope to see you very soon for more good times, good laughs and good memories.

[@stevendarkstalker]

Love you man

[@Anfield_the_place_to_be]

Sounds reletable to me a couple of years ago! Workout besides gaming was my medicin, nothing beats a couple of hours of gaming after a long run for the psyche🙂 Thanks for the content, hope you are over the worst part my friend🙂

[@stevendarkstalker]

@@Anfield_the_place_to_be Same here. Weight lifting is my thing 💪

[@Anfield_the_place_to_be]

@@stevendarkstalker yup, I have 12 weeks (run cycling, weight, crossfit) cyclus where i switch to keep it fun ) keep on grinding 😃💪

[@RednalPR]

@@Anfield_the_place_to_be thank you for making this video and remining us all the good games from this period !!!

[@sp4cepigz174]

Man I’m so glad to have grown up through out the early 2000s. It is so crazy to see time fly by and have the 2000 become nostalgic

[@Countcho]

Yea same

[@parlaygod]

@@Countcho your nostalgic i ate ur cereal a lot

[@SandwichGlitch]

I still feel like 2005 was ten years ago

[@C.A._Old]

2000s gaming is diamond era. Nostalgia have so muchs! i haved too ! so many lots!

[@101Volts]

It's not just the new releases from back then, but also anyone who was actually into shopping at Yard Sales, Flea Markets, and Goodwill (back when this was a frequently enough viable option for the older games.) Once EBGames / Gamestop stopped carrying NES, SNES, and Genesis games in 2004... People were often about ready to nearly give the old stuff away, no matter how old it was, if they couldn't trade it in. Sure, I didn't find things at /every/ yard sale, but there wasn't much of a market for most of it on eBay. A lot of it was like buying old Wii systems and games at yard sales *now* in 2023 - like old DVDs for $1 each. Collectors existed, but it felt a lot smaller then. Here's a more modern equivalent: last year, 2022, I even bought my first working (but heavily scratched) PS3 (a 2007 model) with no cords or controllers, and a racing game, for $5 at a yard sale... It can still happen, and it nearly didn't - on that day, I just decided to go home on a different route even though I was tired from all the yard sales I had been to. I later had to buy the PS3's HDMI cable at Goodwill for $2, and the power cable on eBay for maybe $10. I still have no controller, but I did pick up 4 games last week for $1.25 each. The GOTY edition of Red Dead Redemption was in that lot, for one.

[@tjjordan4207]

We certainly took things for granted back then. The games and movies that came out, giving us pure joy and entertainment. There was even an optimistic outlook towards the future, that maybe things can get better. Ah, how I miss those times.

[@blindmown]

Boomer nostalgia ahoy

[@Bawkr]

@@blindmown Boomers are about 20 years older than people who were teens & young adults during the PlayStation 2's hayday.

[@covid9299]

@@blindmown We are millenials you fool.

[@reed5823]

@@blindmown we are in our 30´s not 60´s man.

[@JesusChrist2000BC]

​@@BawkrBoomers are like 40 years older. I'm 29 and grew up in the 2000s lol.

[@petarrakoc1416]

90s/2000s were truly a different era for games/films/media. Creatives having more control to be edgier and experimental with both narratives and presentations/aesthetics while also speaking to the mainstream. I hope this era can comeback again.

[@bchristian85]

We need more competition. Gaming has suffered from the same thing Hollywood has. The small and medium-sized studios get gobbled up by EA and Microsoft, and pushing boundaries isn't their focus these days.

[@robertaloi4857]

I think it will because eventually more and more people will become bored and dissatisfied with the current trends we're seeing which will lead to a decrease in consumerism. That being said, studios will have no other choice but to bend to the will of the consumers.

[@cjoin83]

I don't know if you're talking about console gaming or PC but to me PC has been in a golden age for about 15 years now. Steam has helped with that and most of my favorite games over the past decade have been from small or medium sized independent gaming studios.

[@bchristian85]

Yeah the PC has seen a renaissance over the past decade or so for this reason. Very few of the best games have been from one of the big studios.@@cjoin83

[@TronUse999]

No you just happened to be the target audience

[@Zemtex47]

2000-2010 so far is the best era in gaming. Growing up in this time playing all of the wonderful games coming out in those years. jesus. Gives me the tears.

[@agentooe33AD]

Id argue early 90s to 2010. First time I played The 7th Guest with FMV and an actual musical score on the CD was huge back then. Then Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Duke Nukem, etc.

[@Cruxis_Angel]

1995-2010 was such an incredible golden age for the medium. Shame how far we’ve strayed

[@TheAradar]

How so? In my humble opinion, PSVR2 has been the most exciting hardware I have bought since PS1 in 1995. Playing GT7 in VR is just that amazing.

[@steveb8897]

​@Netrom WS it's not about tech, you mentioned the opposite of what made that Era so good. VR is total isolation where that Era was all about playing together

[@kr4t0sg.28]

Yeah thanks to streaming, digital media. They will kill off all physical very soon. No more midnight release dates or collectors edition stuff.

[@TheAradar]

@@steveb8897 You can play VR online, much better than any splitscreen nostalgia (with a few exceptions, for example Twisted Metal 2 on PS1, I never liked split screen multiplayer). You can still do lan, but we are getting too old to bother these days (and too busy).

[@TheAradar]

@@kr4t0sg.28 That is true, and it sucks, but it is what it is. I'm glad we still got the PS5 and Series X with physical media, I have my doubts about next generation though.

[@annslow41]

God the '00s was such a crazy time. Through high school into college, it was a whirlwind of change, both in life and technology. I can hardly believe I kept up

[@TheRealAssix]

My uncle gathered 16 TVs together on his attic, his holy gaming room, and every 2 weeks his friends, coworkers and sometimes me and my brother came up with like a suitcase and your own X-Box in it. Ordering Pizza and having the BEST 6 to 12 hours in my childhood. IT - WAS - AMAZING! Gaming was never good as like that, having 16 people on there fighting and screaming like Halo was real!

[@Kingeptacon]

LAN parties back then were amazing. Lugging around those heavy Sony Trinatron TVs to play Halo was always worth it.

[@reinisdravnieks]

Now sims woke

[@ooooswain]

Seriously. Nothing compares to the gaming parties we used to have. Nobody does it anymore cause the stupid internet.

[@LockederBoss1]

It was the Golden Era

[@drowningmerman4256]

The joy of splitting a screen with the lads is one I've been missing for a long time!

[@Vulpas]

Being a baby/toddler in the late 80's and becoming a teenager in '00, I had a childhood with tiny bits of the 80's, the entirety of the 90's, and even some of the 00's. It wasn't perfect by any means but I loved my childhood and think that's the best time ever. I had a nice window into each era.

[@fuckyoutube-d2e]

same here, I was born in the early 80's so the 90's was my teen years, and I still played games casually into the 00's

[@amit_patel654]

Same here. SNES + N64 as a kid, PS2 as a teen. Freaking perfect. 👌

[@PickledShark]

Halo System Link parties were the absolute pinnacle of gaming. We didn’t know it then, but hearing that famous electric guitar riff in Halo 2 with a group of your friends, Mountain Dew Code Red cans and cold pizza boxes strewn around the house….it was never going to get better than that.

[@tyyamnitz8408]

Everytime I heard that intro I was excited. Everything about halo 2 was a magical experience for me

[@Jacob-2796]

Sad. Halo 3 on Xbox Live was better

[@PickledShark]

@@Jacob-2796 Xbox live was never better than LAN.

[@buckchuckgaming597]

@@PickledSharkgaming with buddies in person will always be better than online

[@Samuel_J1]

This era hits all the nostalgia buttons for me. It's the decade I started gaming and many of my favourite games and franchises have their roots here. Really great video!

[@creatorsfreedom6734]

member game shark

[@kaylemjoseph8727]

sucks to see alot of them die later on...

[@jasonsmith530]

You don’t have to remind me, I was there. The 360 was a good time

[@LugiThePainDrinker]

@@jasonsmith530 GameCube was better

[@jasonsmith530]

@@LugiThePainDrinker I was considering online/Xbox live and the best FPS games ever made

[@jimbeaux89]

I will ALWAYS consider the 2000’s the golden age of gaming. No micro transactions, no loot box, no greedy corporate infesting the industry with their greedy, sticky little fingers.. Just. good. games.. (For the most part) I’ll never forget the endless hours poured into fable, KOTOR 1&2, battlefront 2 with 15 of my best friends, halo 1&2 every weekend with all my friends. I have to thank the Xbox and it’s games and my friends for some of the best memories of my life.

[@johnsmith-bq2vt]

Gross.

[@damiandamiano3651]

quake 3 arena.... Find something better last 20 years, even BF 3 didnt top it

[@NeurosenkavalierEmilSinclair]

if people would actually look behind the few AAA games that do all this stuff, they could find thousands of good games from smaller studios and indie developers... but lets not do this, complain and pretend the world was better 20 years ago

[@mot_wadd3441]

The memories and nostalgia that come from these videos are just the best, followed by that bittersweet feeling of being in your thirties and realising that nothing is exciting anymore. Thank you

[@TheApp9]

Well said, I am 48 now and totally feel your comment.

[@mot_wadd3441]

@@TheApp9 here we are though. Sharing the nostalgia! Better times mate

[@RucifX]

Bro that is literally crazy im about to turn 30 on may 5 i swear it feels like just yesterday halo 3 came out on a school day and we all went to pick up my master chief helmet edition cuz i was the only one that got it that day and we started trippin out knowing we could rip off the turret and use it like a mini gun ughhh sometimes i wanna dive inside a pool and scream at the top of my lungs in there because of how fast time is going 😢

[@mot_wadd3441]

@@RucifX yeah, I had a playstation but I remember playing Halo with my mates and just sitting up all night with junk food and then watching anime or something before passing out. Good times!

[@Hindsightxx]

What restored that feeling for me is indie games and D&D. Indie games feel innovative in a way that I don’t think AAA ever can and there is NOTHING like the feeling of role playing with friends during a tabletop campaign.

[@stevezac_cptlpnshmnt]

Nothing will ever beat Christmas morning 2000 and experiencing the PS2 for the first time

[@mgammeren]

I would say Ocarina of time was my game changer and mindblow.

[@nikolababic3588]

Only in 2004 we got games like: World of Warcraft, Dawn of War, Halo 2, Half Life 2, Far Cry, GTA SA, LotR Battle for Middle earth, Sims 2, Rome Total War, Fable, Vampires Bloodlines: Masquarade...

[@Jalex0021]

An honourable mention for Doom III, which was incredibly ground-breaking for its era, particularly when it came to graphics and immersion. It was surely one of the most anticipated games in 2004, as millions of us built and upgraded our PCs for it and Half Life 2 before they both finally released at the tail end of that iconic year. A special and more hopeful time, for sure.

[@BackAlleyKnifeFighter]

The early 2000s is my favorite decade of gaming hands down, especially the first half. It was a time of experimentation and also expanding on what worked. Each game felt unique and and they were hella fun!

[@GraveyardTricks]

Why are the hands down?

[@3rayallen]

Nah, it's just because you got older now and you got used to games. Young kids nowadays feel even more joy, wonder and excitement than you ever did because games are so much more open now with possibility.

[@GraveyardTricks]

@3rayallen you have no idea what you're on about. Graphics are better, but overall, everything else in games has become much worse. More linear, less interactive, less realism, more hand holding, worse mechanics, worse storylines and characters. Retro style graphics also activates your imagination. There is no "wonder" with today's graphics, everything is there plain to see. Your mind has no gaps to fill.

[@Gruntvc]

Yup, back then a big game like RE4 2005 became an example for other devs to follow. From RE4 alone we got: Gears of War, Dead Space, and Uncharted 1. Now? Pretty much every AAA feels and looks the same now. No risk taking or experimentation, unless you count all the ways they continue trying to rip us off as experimentation.

[@SolVentulus]

​@@Gruntvc Definitely a clear lack of risk taking in AAA games. It seems like the most common trend in the industry now is, "wait, hold on. Let someone else do something risky first and if it works, then we'll do it too." At least indie developers aren't too afraid of trying new things or at least bringing back older ideas that we haven't seen in a long time.

[@willm5032]

I was (un)lucky enough to be a teenager in the 2000s and this was a huge nostalgia trip. It's also hard to believe we went from PSX to Xbox 360 in that 10 year period

[@linezgames3893]

Oh man, Family parties and the cousins or friends as kids playing Killzone, Need4speed og ones, and such. Goddamn Gaming today is Meh. Im so fucking glad I was part of the 2000's

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

2000s were great. The last decade where we had a positive collective outlook on the future

[@C.A._Old]

2000s gaming is diamond era. Nostalgia have so muchs! i haved too ! so many lots!

[@bsanchez3563]

@op or from gba to sp/psp to dsi xl fwiw

[@drummachine5787]

@@AbuHajarAlBugattino we did not. Like at all

[@oliround]

The fact that you rescued yourself from darkness and took up the responsibility to create these beautiful works of art in a thoughtful and heartfelt way is the most astounding thing. Much love brother. Keep up the great work.

[@DownwardThrust]

Many thanks

[@happyjam92]

Playing games from this era is therapeutic for me. It reminds me of a time where life was simple and the world wasn't quite as messed up as it is today. I've started collecting games I played from my childhood and also other games I couldn't afford at the time. This video was so well made thank you for the trip down memory lane.

[@mgammeren]

Oh it was messed up for sure, but we where to young to really understand it/ see it. I'm almost 40 and looking back you can spot it. But the times as a teen where good. I had great times and great games. But just listen to the Nu-metal of that era, linking park etc. Pretty sad lyrics.

[@Voo504Doo]

man this video rly made me feel physical emotions as well as mental. all the clips brought back so many beautiful memories and made me realize how special we are to have experienced this decade of gaming.. i still play everquest 2, wolfenstein ET, early call of dutys, age of mythology, etc. I hate DLCs, monetization and Money hungry company etc

[@anFy81]

I was 9 year old in 1990 so I was 100% on point for 90ies innovative gaming.. 2000s took it to the next level

[@chrislair6832]

Same here

[@KrashyKharma]

"90ies" would be pronounced "ninety-eez"

[@anFy81]

@@KrashyKharma yes they were such eez times compared to today, with the job, mortgage, wife and kids ;-)

[@Skoopyghost]

I stopped gaming in 2018. I got sick of the lack off creativity in gaming these days. It's pop music to me. I can't listen to it.

[@Gavin-Leo--uk]

I got an Xbox series s for game pass ect and the only game I'm excited for is Zelda tears of the kingdom 😂

[@ROCKSTAR3291]

The period spanning from the late 90s to the early 2000s was a remarkable time for the gaming industry, characterized by unparalleled advancements and innovation. Sega was still a major player in the console business, and all consoles boasted distinct features and capabilities, making it a worthy investment to own them all. The golden age of PC gaming was in full swing, with each passing year bringing with it games that pushed the limits of graphical performance and set new benchmarks for the industry.

[@kirillholt2329]

I'd argue it spanned all the way to 2008 inclusive. 2004, 2007, 2008 is full of unique classics that mog everything we have today by a galactic margin.

[@ROCKSTAR3291]

@@kirillholt2329 Oh, yeah, that time had loads of awesome games too ! For me COD 4 was the beginning of the decline. It was a blast, no doubt, but they totally milked it to death and set off some real bad trends in the industry.

[@kirillholt2329]

@@ROCKSTAR3291 I agree, cod 4 and halo 3 had a long term negative influence on the industry, no doubt, it was an age when publishers just started following a template

[@JathraDH]

@@kirillholt2329 I feel it was on its way out by the early 2000s (like 2003) but I also feel that people's idea of when gaming "got bad" is largely relative to how old they are. I think every person after gaming X years reaches a saturation point where they start seeing games repeating and nothing feels new or fresh anymore. Even kids these days probably think these games we have today are great and original because they don't know better. Give them another 10 years and they will be lamenting about how gaming was so much better in 2015. For instance everyone praises Halo as a great game but I never played it, not a single one of the series. Why? Because I was already burnt out on 10 years of FPS at that point. It was the same old trash to me and completely uninteresting. People who grew up on it though praise it (rightfully) as an amazing franchise. It is differing perspectives at the end of the day.

[@automation7295]

@@JathraDH *"Even kids these days probably think these games we have today are great and original because they don't know better"* It kinda makes sense kids these days think these games we have today are great and original because they weren't alive during the 2000's. The good thing about being grown up with older games is that you can yell at younger kids for thinking these games we have today are great and original

[@justsomedude5727]

To me the 2000s was when game hardware finally caught up with developer's ambitions, allowing them to make the games they always wanted to make, but couldnt.

[@NexusKin]

Especially with the 7th generation from 2005-2013.

[@Kapt_Klaw]

1997-2008 was the best period. A perfect mix of innocence, curiosity, thrill and excitement. Be it anime, gaming, cartoon and movies. All those hours I spent on Claw, Hitman 2, Max Payne, Harry Potter, Unreal, Quake 3 and Project IGI. I am truly blessed to experience this wonderful time period and even though we are going down the hill now, I wish the best to all of you. Make sure we hang till the end.

[@renowijoyo]

truly the golden era of video gaming. personally IMO the 90's was even more exciting as the industry was just beginning to take shape. but the 2000's where video gaming started to gain mainstream popularity

[@gruntaxeman3740]

I think real golden era was around 1990. There was "PC" games that are made for grown up people. Consoles and Amiga games were more childish. Then Playstation came and most of games started to feel that they are made to 13 year old teenagers in every platform. I personally think that games suck around 1997...2000. They started to get better after that to end of decade and was again golden time in gaming to me. Now games suck again. I don't like that "monetization" crap and way too much of games are made too small inde group or too big company. Best games were made by midsize companies that are bought away or something.

[@dietermitplatten]

The mainstream thing was what actually ruined it (for me). Big companies like EA came and bought up countless indie studios to either sell-out or end their franchises, making big money and contributing nothing innovative really. Also from the early/mid 2000s on everyone started to focus on graphics more than any other aspect in games, developers were usually put under immense pressure to meet deadlines which typically lead to less quality, creativity and love for the little details. A lot of creative heads left the industry because of that.

[@C.A._Old]

2000s gaming is diamond era. Nostalgia have so muchs! i haved too ! so many lots!

[@C.A._Old]

@@gruntaxeman3740 2000s gaming is diamond era. Nostalgia have so muchs! i haved too ! so many lots!

[@emergencyrapidresponseteam7181]

Golden Age was 1985-1997 This is still the Renaissance Age! 1997-present

[@Zahir658]

I think that was the last era of great gaming. Great games and great consoles. Man how I wish I did go back in time to relive everything I enjoyed when I was a kid.

[@obi-wantpastrami8745]

Back in the day when they released full games instead of selling you 10% of a game then selling the rest in 15 dlcs that cost as much as the original game.

[@Zahir658]

@@obi-wantpastrami8745 I so agree with you there 👍

[@nothingandmore]

Games like RDR2 are one of the very few that carry the spirit from that era.

[@adam3647]

It's the other way around for me. I'm more than happy with what I got to experience; I'd want to go back to experience everything that was happening around me, in the background while I was busy. The things I didn't have time or money to explore, or I just didn't hear about it until years later. I'm still hearing about amazing things that happened in the early 2000s that my 10 year old self would've loved, and now I'm spending all this time catching up.

[@Zahir658]

@@adam3647 I wish you all the best.

[@H3Vtux]

My personal favorite "decade" was 1997-2007. Plenty of great came before and after, but this was the stretch where I think we had a really good balance of quality and innovation. Games really did have a "personality" to them. Now everything is "polished" which takes away from personality. Every element of gameplay, graphics, story, writing, concept etc is analyzed and refined to the bone by market analyists to grab the widest audience possible. This leaves so many games feeling the same. Games in the 2000s had a lot of flaws and weird quirks, but in hindsight I realize that was part of the charm. I could tell just be movement and physics if I was playing half life 2 or Unreal, or battlefield 2. The engines were *very* distinct.

[@neepers]

I know what you mean by personality--but games aren't remotely polished now, at least on PC. I think maybe what you mean is they're more homogenized? Like, everyone uses unreal or Unity for their games, so they all have a sense of familiarity in terms of physics and world interaction. It's foolish to make your own engine now, but at least it gave games some personality.

[@nikitamedvedev4696]

I would extend up to 2008. 2007 was a giant turning point and we feel influence to its day, but 2008 was 2007 part 2 and swan song of that era.

[@amit_patel654]

​@@nikitamedvedev4696 Yeah, 2008 was the Great Recession so that fucked things up a lot

[@nikitamedvedev4696]

@@amit_patel654 I would add a heavy technology development, polishing and major shift to consoles as main target. While a lot of games from 07-08 already created blueprints for future generations of games (Mass Effect 1, Assassin's Creed 1, Crysis 1, and especially Call Of Duty 4 as great examples) but they still had that old generation feel while sequels are having completely different feel and philosophy which is a very noticable when comparing.

[@zenitsuthunder3946]

RE4 , God of war 2 ,GTA San andreas the trilogy of 2000s games

[@BrotherBrown.]

2000-2008 was a truly beautiful and just meant to happen to time for video games and movies, perhaps the peak of human expression 😮

[@TenBear]

Damn this took me back to the good old days. I remember buying my preordered N64, I went down early with my mom to the store at about 7:30am (UK). I bought the console, a copy of Super Mario 64 and Star Wars Shadows of the Empire. I got home set it up and loved every second of it, even my older brother and his work mate came to see it. Later the best part was meeting up with the friends at a friend's place with snacks, drinks, our games and controllers. Goldeneye and Mario Kart were particularly popular, it makes me think how online has deprived kids of that nowadays so instead have shouting down a microphone.

[@stevejobs5533]

Mom? Store? UK???

[@Jalex0021]

@@stevejobs5533 Perhaps he was born in the US. Hardly unusual.

[@AvaaSlays_Swiftie]

I’m 35 and I can relate to this so much. Amazing amazing video. I owned a GameCube and it’s still one of my favorite consoles of all time. I remember RE1 remake came out and damn near had a heart attack at how beautiful it looked. I’ll say it here Mario kart double dash is the best Mario kart ever made. PC gaming was fascinating then too. Soldier of fortune was probably my first fps game that had gore in it.

[@DownwardThrust]

I played SOF alot as well. Super fun

[@Syndicate_01]

I'm your age. My first game with gore was Wolfenstein 3D on floppy disc. I got into violent FPS young, I guess, lol.

[@AmariMarvelous]

Soldier of Fortune was a blast to play..literally on the Dreamcast. That was the first adult FPS I played with body dismemberment. It wasn't till I played Black on PS2 that buildings and your environment was destructive. Good times man.

[@humanbeingfromearth]

I also played soldier of fortune. Remember how ppl freaked out about the gore back then

[@vistas5823]

Double Dash remains the most satisfying and fun Mario Kart game

[@zankheal]

I have cried a few times while watching some your videos and I am adding this one in my list. I lived every moment you mentioned in this video growing up in Brazil. Just like you, I saw the evolution in gaming, game parties with friends for so many hours, Lan houses, even using cassette tapes to run games on TK 90 X or Amiga computers. I remember I had to work for free for one year to pay for my Sega Saturn, oh boy it was crazy, but so much fun. Going now to my early 50's, I am still crazy for videogames, not enough time to play, but I still manage to find time here and there to enjoy my hobby. I have no regrets for spending so much time playing videogames, if I have a chance go back in time, I would do all over again (maybe playing even more) - Congrats for this video.

[@Deadsmegma]

same man, same, 36 here, only difference is I was on the xbox360 and ps3 for lan parties, but the exact same feelings, I got my first ps1 in 95 and ps2 in 2000, memories Ill cherish forever. I actually feel sorry for gamers today, because of online, they wont probably ever, get the feeling you get from everyone staying up until 6 am playing halo 3 or battlefield, drinking a cheap knock of red bull called red thunder.

[@thephenomenalone3208]

same here man.

[@graytoby1]

Not many people will know the pure horror of loading a game from a cassette tape while it's making this horrendous loading noise for a full 40 minutes only to have it crash at the last moment and have to start it all over again.

[@qwanathomas735]

The Amiga used 3.5 Inch floppy discs. Not cassette tapes.

[@qwanathomas735]

​@@graytoby1 Something as simple as your Mother using an electric kettle could cause a micro to crash upon loading.

[@alexmurphy5289]

Half life 2 was the greatest campaign experience ever for me. incredibly lucky to experience that at release and it’s almost comical that we never got a third one

[@lordiblees]

one of the most immersive games i've ever played

[@TrevorFosterTheFosterDojo]

@@alexmurphy5289 Alyx is that all over again

[@Swattii]

Gameplay wise, I liked HL1 more.

[@andipajeroking]

Well, i think i should play hl 12 myself 😂

[@rainysunset2009]

I was born in 2009 so i spent my entire childhood in the 2010s. Sadly, i didn't get to experience the joy of gaming in the 2000s😢

[@TheNamesJER]

We had no idea we were living through the golden age and we’ll never get another era like this. It was right at the point where graphics had gotten good enough to portray anything developers wanted but gaming as an industry was still pretty small and so even the AAA publishers were willing to take creative risks and weren’t trying to pump every cent out of players.

[@johnnytrash2839]

As someone born in 1980 I found this to be a really interesting take on that time period as I stepped away from gaming for a while as I was starting to "adult". That said, this video also made me feel REALLY old.

[@fuckyoutube-d2e]

I was born in 1981, I played up until mid 00's in my early 20's I still play time to time but casually and find myself playing very chill relaxed games

[@FallouFitness_NattyEdition]

I was born in 89, so I got to experience the beginning of multiple game eras. The 90s are my favorite because of the SNES. But, the 2000s is truly an iconic era of gaming. There's so many legendary games that came out during that time.

[@haunterdragon4580]

The 90s felt revolutionary The 00s felt limitless The 10s felt rocky but alright here and there The 20s feel like a candle in front of a fan

[@jduv6455]

Same 😎 I'll be back. Lol

[@101Volts]

Born in 1991 here, and I only got gaming in 2002. One of the best things from 2003 - 2008 was the *yard sales.* Back then, I could get a lot of older games that people didn't care about *cheaply.* It wasn't all the time (not everyone was into gaming then, just like now,) but it can kinda be compared to finding old VHS tapes or DVDs at yard sales for anywhere from a quarter (uncommonly) to $3, or maybe up to $20 for a system and a bunch of games. Goodwill was even a good place to go for the older stuff, sometimes. I went on the hunt with it for a few years, because who cared about retro gaming then? Not many. Some big differences between then and now are, (1:) the previous owners were off to college or jobs, and they weren't nostalgic for the old games yet, *and* there wasn't really much of a market for older stuff then (barring the rare games like Snatcher on Sega CD, or the NTSC version of Stadium Events on NES.) Also, (2:) it seemed like most people wanted new stuff because of how rapidly technology was changing from 1972 - 2012. EBGames/Gamestop even stopped carrying NES, SNES, and Genesis games in May-June 2004 or so. Lastly, (3:) gaming from the 70s - even the 90s had a bit of a "Ah, video games are just for kids" stigma, because many people in older generations never grew up with them and never learned how to use common controllers. My Grandpa (Born 1928) never did, though I did find that he enjoyed playing Duck Hunt on Nintendo NES - just using the light gun controller was intuitive and easy. That's also why the Nintendo Wii worked, and was a whole new part of gaming - it was a lot more intuitive for casual players.

[@djbusx]

80s kid her, but grew up in the 90s, and gamed heavily in the 00s. Definitely a golden era. Halo, Tribes 2, Diablo 2, Sims, RCT2, DDR.. just to name a few I spent countless hours on, but enjoyed the many you mentioned in your video. So many good games and variety and not monetized to hell. I also remember being excited when a patched dropped because that was still an exception. Usually adding enhancements or new content along with the bug fixes. Now it’s day one patch just so it can boot properly. It’s annoying and pathetic. As they say we had it good but didn’t know it.

[@Skrenja]

Also Half Life 2 and Doom 3.

[@heathRocco]

Deadset me too.

[@haunterdragon4580]

Think the problem is that the evil greedy types saw a business in gaming after it reached a certain height and now it's been tainted Feel like 00s was are best glimpse of what evolving gaming could look like and then it got screwed up after to where it's struggling to go forward in anyway without also going reverse

[@The-Great-Brindian]

Pleased you mentioned Diablo 2 \m/

[@haunterdragon4580]

@@The-Great-Brindian man I was so late on online/PC gaming

[@Longshanks1690]

“Let me guess, your home?” “It was… and it was beautiful.”

[@noble20xx56]

What I loved about Games from the 2000s was the crazy amount of creative titles and the music/atmosphere. Especially for the futuristic type games!

[@JewLorad]

2010 2024 I love games my first ever game was OG Xbox and I love how games get real and real every time and I think games help me connect with people how talk with people and I think is best thing ever I hope it gets better when I get older I am 21

[@RogerWazup007]

Perfect Dark is still one of my top 3 games of all time (the other two being Smash Ultimate and the first Mass Effect). I wish there were still FPSs made that way, where there isn't a 2-weapon limit, you manually complete increasing objectives with each difficulty level, enemies react to being shot, there are interesting secondary functions, you can set up bots in MP, you tend to start with something like a pistol and pick up stronger weapons after spawning, you have gadgets that you can be creative with, you can explore a hub area for optional training and information, and you're always in complete control over your character without forced turret sequences, unskippable cutscenes, QTEs, or forced slow walking segments.

[@Luuw]

As a PC gamer in the 90's en 2000's these videos sound good to me 😊 My first time playing and chating on the internet was on diablo 1. It was magic and wild 😍

[@vexomnight3079]

I grew up gaming throughout the 90's and was around for all of these This video was amazing my dude You captured my gaming childhood perfectly here Kinda made me sad but in a bittersweet way The older I get, the harder life becomes. But, these memories will be with me for the rest of my life

[@sting7789]

Great video. 80s-2000s had the best movies, tv shows, music and video games.

[@MrEOM41]

It was the golden era a perfect balance between good graphics and great gameplay.

[@TheBigAngryHobo]

UT99 was the game that got me into video games going into the 2000s. My grandpa had a 3 pc setup for him and my brother and I to play together. I remember when UT2004 came out and we played and played. He downloaded so many mods. I played all the race and obstacle course maps that replaced the bunny tracks from 99 for hours and so many crazy assault maps. I miss those days. I would do anything to go back for just one night.

[@The-Great-Brindian]

UT99 great game that was.

[@SolarDNA]

Sounds like I'm a few years older than you, but you've nonetheless seemed to have extracted some of these memories directly out of my brain. My gaming parties started in the mid-late 90s with, for instance, me and my crew playing Resident Evil/RE2 all night trying to beat our last best time, passing the controller around and finishing with no saves, or doing the same with Gran Turismo taking shifts napping all weekend and so on. Just thought I'd share one of my own fond memories. Great video.👍

[@DownwardThrust]

Awesome thanks

[@TheRed02151]

how old are you, we might be the same age

[@johnc.truett6625]

Goldeneye and Star Wars podracer were the only games I had for my 64 for a couple of years, they kept me alive back then; the halo system link brings back a whole level of nostalgia I can’t explain, keep up the videos!

[@angelsfancrc1]

I will never forget growing up and having my mind blown by the graphics from the heat detection on Splinter Cell or the water effects in Oblivion. This video made me so nostalgic for those days.

[@donlamarco5386]

You went to the store. You bought a game. You took it home. It belonged to you and was a real-life object that could be moved around or traded. It was finished. It did not require expansions or DLC. You unlocked new content by playing it and getting better at it. No microtransactions. No advertisements.

[@theacolyte9223]

Hitman 2-4, Okami, Viewtiful Joe, Onimusha, Sirent Hiru 2-4, Sims 2, Fight Night, GTA 3D series, Gran Turismo 3&4, Far Cry, Brothers in Arms, Manhunt, The Suffering, Psy-Ops, TES 3, WoW, WC3 TFT, SC 2, Splinter Cell, KotoR, Pokemon gen II and III, Hit and Run, Futurama, SOCOM, JSR & future, Bully, DQ 8, Bioshock, Fable, MoH series, CoD 1&2, PvZ, Fallout 3 & NV, and ofc. many many more. Some of my favorites of all time🤩

[@DemonKnight94]

2000's and a bit into the 2010's was the best gaming for sure.

[@COSMOKRAT_616]

I still remember the first time i saw morrowind being played. It blew my mind. The 2000s was truly a revolution for gamers. My son just doesnt understand how incredible this era was.

[@dud324]

cause he didn't grew up with it but don't worry he'll has his own form of nostalgia that he will look back on very very fondly time moves on

[@GoodfellasX21]

​@dud324 yeah but they're nostalgia will be microtransactions and watching other people play fortnite.

[@BasedDad]

This video brought a lot of nostalgia being in HS and college in the 2000's. So many fun memories doing Halo LAN parties and so many fun times with friends. Keep up the excellent work!!

[@rummymossberg6097]

Bruh I feel u it hurts to say 23 years ago playing halo def jam fight for ny midnight club GTA 3-sandrea bruhhhhhh........ We need a time machine

[@cloud9savagehenry]

I recently picked up a ps2 and o.g. xbox and i apreciate everything about it alot more. No sign in. No install. No updates. No dlc. No microgarbage. Plug in and play. To make things even better. Im getting games for as little as a dollar a piece. So im playing flatout. Scarface. Dark Cloud. And many more for super cheap. Really enjoying it.

[@bchristian85]

The 2000s was the best time to be a PC gamer. I'd say the golden age of PC gaming began with Half Life 1 and ended with Crysis (though some would say the Doom/Quake era that preceded that was the golden age).

[@soundbite914]

I remember growing up with a PS2, coming home after school playing whatever new game my dad had just bought. Star Wars Battlefront II was easily one of my top favorite games out of the whole small collection we had at the time.

[@lukeoroark]

Best decade to grow up in. Great video, as thank you for this. Will always have fond memories of the era.

[@csabaalmasi5297]

The Y2K issue had only a small impact because a bunch of engineers worked around the clock to mitigate it. It was very real and took significant effort from software engineers so that it wouldn't disrupt mission critical systems.

[@saturnking77]

😂 Y2K bug was made up. Countries that did nothing to their computer infrastructure had zero problems.

[@fortyozsteak]

1998 - 2010 unmatched. 1. Zelda: OOT 2. Halo 2 3. Halo 3 4. Zelda: MM 5. COD: MW2 6. Halo 1 7. COD4: MW 8. Diddy Kong Racing 9. Banjo Kazooie 10. Elder Schrolls: Oblivion 11. Bioshock 12. Fallout 3 13. Super Smash Bros 14. Mario Kart 64 15. Banjo Tooie 16. Donkey Kong 64 17. Gears of War 2 18. Zelda: WW 19. Pikmin 4 20. Mass Effect 2 21. Gears of War 22. Pikmin 2 23. Red Dead Redemption 24. Pikmin 25. SSX Tricky 26. Pikmin 3 27. Gears of War 3 28. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1, 2, 3 29. Viva Piñata 30. Dead Rising 31. Prey

[@peterbutterjelly114]

Games were a complete package, just packed full of content and had bonuses they really didn’t need to include- but did anyway. Truly a time taken for granted.

[@delanuma5]

23 years old, been saying the 2000’s had too much heat for my whole life. Everything entertainment wise was like 10/10 back in them days.

[@fortyozsteak]

You weren’t even around

[@Jalex0021]

@@fortyozsteak They've still experienced the music, films and games from that era to some degree, sheesh..

[@fortyozsteak]

@@Jalex0021 totally different than living through it

[@james312]

I never thought of it before, but the 2000s were the best time for gaming, I had the time of my life with so many games, wrapped up in so many stories, learning life lessons and finding new interests along the way. In the past 10 years, I think I only played maybe a handful of games and 2 genres until I stopped gaming. I remember how excited I was looking up PS3 news before it came out, and queuing up for half an hour to get to play it at a convention before it came out in the UK. I didn’t even notice when the PS5 came out and it’s been a few years now. Hopefully the magic will return when I can return to it in a few years.

[@ahmedothmani920]

What i truly loved about this year is how much we gamers were connected to the story and to the video character such great time

[@Skikopl]

I wasn‘t born in that golden era, so your perspective is really cool to hear. For me, 2011-2017 were the golden ages. Infact I‘m tearing up just writing this comment… batman arkham, the amazing spiderman, minecraft!!, assassins creed unity, prince of persia, Gta, on and on. Good times

[@SpiritualNaz]

Your still young

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

Awesome video mate. Was nice to recall some more specific memories of gaming in the early 2000s. When I was a kid my dad used to sit and guide me through all the dungeons in Zelda games. We beat Mario 64 together for the first time in the late 90s. It was a nice time

[@idnintel]

Lucky boy 😀

[@LuciferMorningstar-zu1ud]

Man oh man to be young and alive during the 90s-00s. Games were insane and getting creative as hell. Different concept, multi sub genre mashups just a crazy wild time to be a gamer

[@C.A._Old]

2000s gaming is diamond era. Nostalgia have so muchs! i haved too ! so many lots!

[@emperorarasaka]

1995 to 2010 were some brilliant years. Fortunately our unfortunately, that time will never be back again.

[@radicalcentrist4990]

This was my decade. Altough I was exclusively a PC gamer (and still am) so I didn't get to experience the console classics then. I played those in more recent years when they started getting PC ports and remasters. I gotta say, playing a 6th gen game for the first time nowadays still makes me feel like I'm back in those times, they just have that distinct vibe to them, it can't help but take you back.

[@haunterdragon4580]

6th gen was overall my favorite gen. I think that was the peak of what gaming was supposed to be in a balanced way. We had plenty of variety but we also had many AA games too and the major games just make most new franchises today seem lacking. Remember how huge San Andreas was? Not even gta is able to recreate that feeling of hype anymore. And you could actually avoid grinding in games back then. Now it doesn't even seem to matter if it fits the genre they just slap some grinding and rpg money mechanics in

[@markvandermolen7181]

Thank you for making this. I’ve been going through some stuff as well the past couple of months and these kinds of videos make for a great, warm nostalgic trip. I’m glad I was there for the 90’s and 00’s. We actually got to see the industry grow. Huge advancements between generations and I think one of the most underrated aspects of that time was the internet not being mainstream yet. Obscure IRC channels, an underground emulation and modding community where you could find everything on ad free websites. Thanks again.

[@DownwardThrust]

Thanks for checking out the vid my guy

[@franklindekanter]

Out of the many games i played from this video. Runescape at its peak in 07 was it for me. Me and my cousins would go to each others houses to check out how far we had come with out character. I remember being scared to go to varrock and my cousin arranging a time and date (no phones) we would log on and he would walk me to varrock. I was so scared because i heard about the mages on the way there. When i finally got to varrock i explored and then stayed for weeks in an upstairs house fighting a level 3 man because i was to scared to leave the town. Now i play OSRS as an ironman and have all the stuff i ever dreamt of having as a kid in game

[@ViralWatchMedia]

I remember back on 07 my mom had this crappy eMachines PC that I would spend hours on in RuneScape. Just the sound and the world was amazing. You felt like you were in a community in RuneScape and ive tried chasing that high ever since.

[@jjs666]

This vid made me feel grateful to have grown up when we did. Perspective is great. Hope you are well, keep up the good work!

[@athag1]

I totally agree. the 2000s were the best for gaming, I personally loved the gamecube. I never got into games with micro transactions. I played Warcraft till warcraft III. As for world of warcraft. i played it for a few weeks while it was free. Don't believe in paying a subscription for a game I already own. I tend to be more into single player games these days. And I buy my games physically when they are dirt cheap.

[@futuremontreal]

Amazing epitaph for the period :) I had pretty much all the same experiences! I took a break from gaming in the 2010’s to get my life together and now that I am back to gaming in the 20’s I amazed at the quality of some of the games that are coming out right now and ai can still play the old titles via emulators. Therefore, my favourite era of gaming is right now :)

[@Jam_Gordon]

It really was a different time where I feel like there are so many examples where you can feel the passion was really there from the developers. More focus on fun experiences as opposed to micro transactions etc. I remember getting my 360 on Christmas Day and co-oping through Gears of War with a friend of mine. Meeting tonnes of new people through in game lobbies in the likes of DoA4 was awesome too. I miss it.

[@abmong]

Ah the age before micro transactions and predatory monetization, that alone made gaming back then better than now.

[@KiomonDuck]

God yes make daddy happy. Good memories there👍

[@shib5267]

I'd rather have elden ring

[@abmong]

@@KiomonDuck And proper Expansions not DLCs

[@KiomonDuck]

@@abmong and cheat codes and secret unlocks

[@bZman]

As much as I love the 80's and 90's, as a gamer the 2000's was where it was at. Gaming hit mainstream but was still secluded enough to be experimental and its own thing. The variety of games and genres was never more massive, the jump in graphical fidelity never more mind blowing, the games never more life and genre defining. Who here doesn't remember their first time being disappointed in 3D Mortal Kombat only to learn how amazing Soul Caliber was? Who here wasn't shocked by the change from Spyro and Crash to Rachet, Sly Cooper, and Jak? To go from MGS1 to MGS 2,3, and Splinter Cell? Who doesn't remember their first time playing RE 4? That ps2 boot sound.

[@kwintenvandewalle6040]

Loved your previous 1990s video, but this one struck home a lot more. Born in the late 80s, my 90s gaming memories are often too vague to make any conscious statements or reflections. This video about the 2000s, however, very much reflects my teenage development years and how I grew as a gamer, explored the various genres, to discover what I liked and how I wanted the games I played to reflect how I defined or wanted to define myself as person. It's the decade where I moved away from the games my dad recommended to me, instead buying (or asking as a present) the games I wanted to play and try out. It's essentially also when I discovered my love for RPGs. Thanks for making the effort to create a reflective and almost meditative look back. Also wanted to give serious props to your shout-out to Sacrifice. To this day, still one of my favourite games and probably the game I have replayed the most in my life (in fact, I kid you not, I was thinking about reinstalling it earlier this week!). So bummed that a sequel never happened and still can't believe how no one seems to have picked up on it and to adopt some of its concepts and ideas.

[@davidlindsey5363]

Dude this video is so good. It touches on what made gaming so unique and artistic back then while also highlighting some of the glaring issues with game design over the LAST decade. But mainly, it really took me back to overnight sleepovers playing Wii sports at my buddy's house. Halo LAN parties. The joy of playing hundreds of hours of brightly colored 3D platformers. Man what a decade.

[@klittle5627]

Extremely entertaining video. When I started watching gaming videos I had three sources of higher-end content where I could count on intelligent and compelling content delivered by people who have outstanding speaking voices: Upper Echelon Gaming (who doesn't really do gaming anymore), LegacyKilla, and Downward Thrust. Thanks for all the great videos.

[@DownwardThrust]

Thank u

[@rickysargulesh1053]

It was a great time for gamers. I have so many fond memories of that time. Maybe it's just nostalgia but I still play a lof of these games from that time.

[@jschofield5181]

I was 12/13 in 2000, which I think was a great age to be a gamer in that decade. I have a lot of awesome memories of gaming from around that time. I still remember the first time I played GTA III and was blown away. It's hard to believe just how long ago that was now.

[@Azurantine81]

I am completely with you, for me the 90's/2000's were just incredible for gaming - innovation being the key word.

[@ghouldash9761]

The 2000s Era introduced gaming to me. The GameCube and PS2 will always hold a special place in my heart for keeping me from falling off the deep end.

[@Frost640]

I feel personally attacked by this video. Thank you for putting it all together

[@destho4308]

I moved on from PC games to Nintendo Gamecube titles in mid to late 2000's. Also found me some really unique ones to name a few: Killer 7, Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem, Chibi Robo, and Paper Mario: TTYD.

[@David-nu6kw]

My friends and I were playing starfox on N64, and Need for Speed II on PC, both at the mall on display. Young, no jobs and we loved video games.

[@khairinoa]

Oh haha some of my fondest memories was gaming in 2000. StarCraft, Mech warrior, Age of Empires, Metal Gear Solid, Syphon Filter, Dino Crisis, Final Fantasy 8 (yes 8!). Ahhhhhh I feel like crying.

[@durience253]

Loved this video, thanks for the nostalgia trip. I say the only point I wish you could of added at the end is how the indie scene has in many ways brought back this era. So many passion projects like Celeste or even recently Chained Echos that bring us back to when to when all the developers want to do is make a good game and have us play it.

[@DownwardThrust]

Thanks !

[@r.lum.r]

This is what I was hoping to see in the comments. indies are keeping the feeling alive, especially in singleplayer FPS, RPG, & Metroidvania genres. So much hope for them, especially since the tools are so accessible now. It’s awesome, and makes me really hopeful.

[@BloodandSoilNS]

It wasn't just gaming.....everything was dope back then. We went from it being the best time to be alive to George Orwells '1984, " becoming our reality in such a short time span. I'm 37, and all the cultural changes has fucked my head up. Thank BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street for "modern" entertainment.

[@HULKHOGAN1]

Please do one for the 2010’s! While I experienced some of what you covered here, I was just a tad too young to fully experience it. I was a fully realised gamer in the 2010’s though. Great video thanks

[@stevenewton7787]

its not really changed much since then everything is the same, after 2008 there was hardly and big advancements plus the games started to concentrate on selling things and making as much money as possible at the expense of quality games, single player went out of the window. The only mediocre games where remakes.

[@DraganAlves]

There's still nothing like Tribes 2! Played it a bunch in college with work buddies on LAN

[@conchosewing]

dude! the nostalgia! i downloaded this video for the future, so well presented. when you showed morrowind, world of warcraft, call of duty... it hit me so hard, how much time i spent playing those games. Its a wonderful memory

[@bucketsGG]

One word: variety. Yes, I know. We still have variety today, but not with AAA companies. It's mostly with indies which is not entirely a bad thing as it feels like I'm actually living the PS2 Era days (that I missed out on) but in PC form. I am literally having the time of my life, playing so many "underrated" indie gems. I play games that very, very few people have heard on. Some, only have about 20+ reviews on steam that's how underrated it is.

[@idnintel]

Hey, I feel like I would really like to know what are some of the most salient gems in terms of indies you have found these days. I have been gaming since the C64 days and have about 500 games on my steam wishlist but am always looking to discover more games of any genre - what are some of the best and most obscure games nowadays would you say?

[@BoblobV2]

Going over to my friends, or then coming over so we could play Black, Star Wars, Final Fantasy, GTA, and so many others are probably some or my fondest memories :) this video took me back to day when things were so much more simple. It was wonderful to watch. :)

[@dreamingflurry2729]

"Do you want to come over after school today?" - Me: "Sure!" - Friend: "Don't forget to bring Command and Conquer!" (Note: I had the full collector's edition box of C&C - Red Alert and friends usually wanted me to bring that with me)

[@DownwardThrust]

Thank u much

[@doltBmB]

I think lumping all of the 2000's together as one event for gaming is a huge mistake, because there is such a fundamental difference between the late 90's and early 2000's to the late 2000's

[@Jalex0021]

Yes and that's largely the point of the video. What a seismic change it was!

[@tynomite]

29 years old and being around PC and console gaming for the late 90s onward, this really hits home. From half life 1, cs 1.6, ghost recon, quake 2/3, mohaa, cod1 and also starting playing runescape at 9 and wow at 12 was mind boggling. I gotta give my flowers to consoles during the 2000s though, I still have my original xbox and 360, also a ps2 and ps3. I don't think people realize how truly special xbox live was around the halo 2 and 3 days (and cod4) the days before party chat was a thing and people just made friends and the camaraderie that came with it. I could make a whole video myself talking about it all ;d

[@user-ue8vp6fy8y]

My childhood in the 2000s was defined by rockstar games. We came of age during san andreas, and that's the only gsme people played, day and night. You would come home from school,play san andreas then bring your memory card to your friends house and play more for hours. Then bully came out and we were enamoured. Every day at school we would discuss where we were in the story snd how we all progressed. Then gta iv came out as we were becoming teenagers. It was gritty snd mature and loved. But by the time IV came out we had all finished primary school and many of us went our separate ways

[@alexgaba-m4u]

i miss the 2000s

[@themightymikeshow1992]

Best era😢