The Games That Paved the Way for User-Generated Gaming

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User-generated GamingHere at ROBLOX, one of our goals is to make your world-building experience easy, flexible and fun. We’ve got teams of developers working tirelessly to ensure that creating and sharing games is a seamless experience, and that the tools you need are both user-friendly and deep.

And though ROBLOX users now create millions of games per year, we can’t take credit for inventing user-generated gaming. User-generated content has existed in the realm of video games for decades, though only a small fraction of gamers had the technical know-how to truly embrace the idea.

Still, we think the games that encouraged user-generated content instilled key values that inspired us to become who we are today. So we thought we’d take a fond look back at some of those ground-breaking games, and share them with you. Enjoy.

1983: Bill Budge’s Pinball Construction Set

You could argue that this simple game built the groundwork for user-generated games as a whole. Bill Budge, inspired by his previous Apple II creation Raster Blaster, wanted to create a game that featured open-ended development tools that could allow users to create and customize their own pinball machines. What he created was ingenious in its simplicity–you started with a blank table, and simply dragged and dropped each of the pieces from an inventory of items to the right. Though the “drag and drop” concept may seem archaic now, it was a radical notion at the time.

Pinball Construction Set

1991: ZZT

Before creating the ground-breaking Unreal series, Tim Sweeny developed ZZT. The game is notable for numerous reasons, the biggest being that its object-oriented scripting language, which became known as ZZT-OOP, allowed for an unprecedented amount of creative control. This gave users the ability to create a wide range of virtual settings, leading, inevitably, to lots of different types of games, including shooters, RPGs and strategy. Similar to proceedings here at ROBLOX, Sweeney encouraged registered users to build their own virtual worlds and send them to him directly, culminating in the release of The Best of ZZT a few years later.

ZZT Screenshot

1995: Active Worlds

Originally designed to be a 3D version of a 2D web browser, Active Worlds was one of the premiere virtual reality platforms of the 90s. It included many of the capabilities web browsers had at the time, like voice chat and instant messaging, but users were able to build 3D structures using a myriad of different supported scripts, including trueSpace and DirectX. They could then share their worlds with the community. On a smaller scale, Active Worlds also allowed users to share custom-built objects with one another.

Active Worlds Screenshot

1996: Quake

The first-person shooter that changed it all, Quake was one the first shooters to feature 
Quake Screenshotan openly accessible scripting language known as QuakeC. Initially, modders manipulated the code to address minor bugs and make small changes; it wasn’t long before more experienced modders had turned Quake into an entirely different beast. Team Fortress, a game that heralded the introduction of class-based multiplayer in the realm of first-person shooters, was one of the most played Quake mods of all time, and acted as a catalyst to one of the most popular first-person franchises of our current day and age.

1998: Half-Life

Whether or not Half-Life was the biggest first-person shooter of all time is up for debate, but it was surely the most modified. Valve released their software development kit to throngs of eager modders in 1998, and they delivered.
Half Life Screenshot

The biggest mod became known as Counter-Strike, an online team-deathmatch that pit the world’s finest special-forces against the world’s surliest of terrorists. Other huge multiplayer titles that were built around the Half-Life Source Engine included Team Fortress Classic, Day of Defeat, Vikings and Knights, and They Hunger, just to name a few.

2002: Neverwinter Nights

Neverwinter Nights was a third-person RPG that shipped with a module-making system called the Aurora toolset, which essentially allowed users to create a wide range of custom content in-game. Users were able to create maps and objects using a complex tile system, and could even run cut scenes and mini games using the built-in scripting language. The toolset was a massive success among the modding community; users began creating new races, classes, and villains to battle, in addition to new worlds and weapons. Two years and thousands of mods later, BioWare bundled their favorite pieces of fan-made material into the Community Expansion Pack as a free DLC.

Neverwinter Nights Screenshot

Second Life Screenshot 2003: Second Life

Probably one of the most controversial titles to come along in some time (to say some people got a little too into it is an understatement), Second Life was undeniably customizable, featuring a three-dimensional modeling tool that allowed users to build characters, environments, and virtual objects. What set Second Life apart from other similar titles, aside from its eventual massive surge in popularity, was that users could create things outside of Second Life and import their creations back into the game.

2008: LittleBigPlanet

LittleBigPlanet finally gave console gamers a taste of what it’s like to share their creations. The biggest and most complex aspect of LittleBigPlanet was the World Builder, where you can design a level, of any size, and fill it with obstacles, tools, villains and puzzles, then share that world with others via the Playstation Network. On a much smaller level, LittleBigPlanet also allowed users to change the look of their “sack people” as well, allowing customizations of hair, eyes, and even facial expressions.

Little Big Planet Screenshot

2011: Minecraft

Minecraft is a sandbox game in every sense of the word, allowing users to create anything using thousands of differently textured cubes. Though it was originally developed to let users create and explore 3D worlds, many modders found ways to utilize the system to create some complex pieces of architecture. Minecraft didn’t just please modders with its nearly infinite capability to create objects and landmarks, either—the in-game physics engine allowed hardcore users to build creations that moved, like working computational engines and even a scalable version of the Enterprise! Ultimately, Minecraft became not just a game, but an ever-evolving challenge for modders to one-up each other in a virtual world.

Minecraft Screenshot

239 thoughts on “The Games That Paved the Way for User-Generated Gaming”

  1. And about Half-Life, it didn’t use the Source Engine, every game made before Half-Life 2 used the GoldSrc Engine, but when Half-Life 2 came out, Half-Life 2 and all valve games after it used the Source Engine.

  2. YAY! They both included Minecraft and Half-Life! those both are my favorite games!!!

    • I never played Half-Life,but i did played all Half-Life 2 episodes,and finished them all,Valve are great creators,well,the creator of half life 2 is fat though xD

  3. Thank god they included minecraft, I was worried. I love both of them :D

    • I hate minecraft it’s ruining robloxia
      and so many users create places like minecraft~~!!!!!!!!!!!

    • I LOVE MINECRAFT 2! i only have the demo tho :( i wish i had the full version

    • no!
      roblox is better than minecraft for three reasons:
      1)its more fun
      2)its all free because you have all the pieces for free
      3)in minecraft to get the full game (with survival and tousands of pieces) you need to pay 17 dollars
      4)the free version is really boring!!!!!!!!!

  4. I have realized that Roblox is no longer helping the community they are only looking towards inovation. Roblox already itself has not done anything this year to help the community they have only upgraded and talked about rgc. If roblox was like minecraft where the community was not filled with noobs and exploiters then roblox could go on but roblox needs to stop and look at the community before going on with some other foolish but sometimes good idea.

    • They are working on a trading system, and making terrain easier to manipulate…

      That’s helping the community right?

    • Minecraft has nice comunity? Yea right. Roblox may have exploiters but minecraft is full of griefers. I always get griefed and have traitors in my faction who grief my projects and put up signs with cussing because they are too jelouse

  14. ROBLOX makes building worse. ROBLOX is now Terrain, and that horrible Stamper Tool.

      • I learned now how to use stamper but you can always go back to studio mode.

    • I’m sorry, no. That stamper tool makes building a lot easier, and you don’t even have to use it, though it cuts down on lag significantly. It is underdeveloped, but it’s still great and you can’t deny that if you’re seen the creations great builders have made with it.

    • Use ROBLOX studio,what i hate is that you HAVE to be in edit mode,GOSH,I HATE THAT! I wish you could be in Build mode PLUS use your studio.

  15. There are many great games on that list, but truly ROBLOX is the best. Mostly. Half-Life might come close.

    • I like minecraft the most, Half-Life next, then roblox a little bit further down :P

    • WAY ahead of ya!!!
      (I play x-box360 edition usualy because minecraft classic is too laggy on my computer. D:)

    • WAY ahead of ya!!!
      (I play x-box360 edition usually also PC because minecraft PC is too fast on my computer. :D)

  18. minecraft was made in 2009 after roblox and you forgot gmod ps great blog :D

    • Gmod is a MOD. this article tells about GAMES that show outstanding forms of UGG

    • Pretty sure it was in InfDev in 2009 (correct me if I’m wrong). However, it was not “released” until late 2011.

      • Roblox was Created in 2005
        Then many Players came!
        Minecraft was created in 2009

        Minecraft was not free to play because it just created in 2009

  19. At first glance, I thought the Active Worlds picture was a screenshot from GTA IV lol

  20. Nice touch adding LittleBigPlanet. That game, along with its iconic sequal, helped pave the way for User Generated Content for both console and PC gamers. Not to mention the fact that it has over 2,000,000 user generated levels to date. That should be a insperation for anybody.

  21. This is a nice article that reminds us that we’re not alone in the gaming community. Roblox has pulled itself a long way, with help from other games.

    • Team Fortress is not a user-generated game. It is a mod of Quake. They said that.

  24. What about Team Fortess 2, Combat Arms, and Battlefield Play4Free they were the best!

  26. roblox will not unlock the core GUI and such because you can already build scripts into your games. you cannot do that in MC, so it is open.

  27. Roblox is way better than mine craft.
    When u are playing minecraft it’s like lower quality being in build mode all the time.
    On roblox u can actually make scripts in roblox studio.
    And u don’t have to be in build mode all the time.

    • Roblox:
      Spamming
      Filled with noobs
      …And scripting.

      Minecraft
      Nicer people
      Great servers
      GREAT gameplay!

      • ROBLOX is Minecraft except it has better graphics. I’m not saying Minecraft is bad, I’m just saying you can’t look at the bad part of one thing and only the good of another. We have plenty of great builders, and you can learn to be one too.

  30. Every game was better than the last because it started from the earliest to the latest or earlier to later order and the earlier ones helped pave ways and paths and spark ideas to make the newer ones that they made.

  31. Woah that was fun reading it and when is the trading system coming? XD

  35. A very nice article indeed. I’m glad that roblox has some people doing things right.

    • Yeah but not as many people are fond of either of those. And, yes they did add Team Fortress, but only because Shedletsky is in love with it.

      • Uh, yeah it is. Users can create their own maps, but not ingame though.

    • GMod and TF2 are the same as Half-Life, although Half-Life runs an older version of the engine.

    • They’re a part of the source engine by valve. So actually source SDK should be listed.

    • Team Fortress, a game that heralded the introduction of class-based multiplayer in the realm of first-person shooters, was one of the most played “Quake mods” of all time.

  39. Okay, great, great.. Notice what Minecraft, or the other computer games did? They made it completely open source. ROBLOX, add the ability to edit the CoreGui Interface! Please!

    • actually you need special decompilers and whatnot to make minecraft open source

  40. You left out an amazing game, The ACTUAL introduction to console game making: Farcry / Farcry 2

  41. Just sayin’, Minecraft is from 2009 :3

    As I notice, every game was better than the last one.

    Imagine the games in 20 years :D

    • It started production in 2009. But the game wasn’t released until November 18, 2011.

    • Minecraft 1.0 came out last year however – that’s technically the game’s actual release date.

    • It was official released in ’11. It went through some alpha and beta stages in ’09 and ’10.

    • ikr minecraft was made in 2009 and most likely all the games in 20 years will be 3D or even 4D.(4D is when you see it in 3D but you can also smell whats in the game or movie.)

      • 4D is the fourth dimension, which is time. A tesseract is a model of a 4D object, at least from what I have heard.

  43. Wow. I remember some of these games, playing them, looking into them, and knowing that ROBLOX was inspired by these games fills me with happy memories and a feeling of gratefulness. Good work, ROBLOX! I can’t wait to see what you guys have in store for the future!

    –TTdude

  44. It’s always good to see games evolving better and better all the time.

  45. I see how you incorporated certain aspects and recreated them into your own ideas.
    >>(Is the Trade System ready yet?)

    • Though GMOD is a user generated game, it is a mod for a Source game (i’m not sure which one), making it not an official game.

    • blockland wa made after roblox itsa expencive remake of roblox blockland also aint as good as roblox for roblox more advanced fun

    • I agree with you,they completly forgot Blockland,its a pretty good game,but peoples are not the nicest,its in minecraft,where you find the nicest peoples.

  50. Normally I’d ask why ROBLOX wasn’t on the list, but seeing as ROBLOX is the one making this list…

    • I see what you mean. It wouldn’t make much sense for ROBLOX to be there but it would be cool to see it. Also this is a list of games that paved the way for ROBLOX. So ROBLOX paving the way for ROBLOX doesn’t make much sense.

  53. roblox shod pot like a mode where you can tax people who buy your sruff :3

      • You’re the reason our community screws up. People like you need to learn to think before you post.

      • In some ways yes ROBLOX is becoming better. But, in other ways ROBLOX is changing too much from the origional. Not to say that change is bad. We wouldn’t be alive if there was no change but I’m saying in some ways ROBLOX is riuining it bit by bit for the users from 07 and even some newer ones that got used to ROBLOX the way it was.

    • No way, 2006-2008 were the best roblox years, now it is crap, full of exploiters/hackers and noobs who hate on us Vets…

    • I argree with Opee,
      ROBLOX is geting better in things like trading system but new charecters are worse.
      they should stop at 2.0.
      :|

  58. Its funny how theres an endless war between Minecraft and Roblox users over how good the two games are. Now that Roblox is supporting Minecraft, im starting to think that its awesome that the two companys arnt rivals, and that its only there users. If they were, that would be hectic. :D

    • Dude, there is no war. Just a bunch of nerds trying to get popular. But If I have to choose, I would say Minecraft is better.

    • Why do you say that? It says these are some of the games that paved the way for Minecraft and ROBLOX.

    • So what? They’re just discussing about user-generated games– ROBLOX is one. LittleBigPlanet was a good example of a game where levels are all created by the players themselves.

      At least read the beginning info of the article instead of skimming through the game examples…

  64. Roblox is getting worse cos of hackers. Once you build a very nice game someone will hack it.

    • Some ideas most likely and they built from them and fixed the little problems within them.

  67. i remember playing half life…..and minecraft…….i loved how they both played out….and i remember the countless mods made for it also.