Top 20 Most Influential PC Games: 20-11

Big Download has cranked out the first half of a "top 20 most influential PC games" feature, with Baldur's Gate, System Shock, and World of Warcraft appearing in the 20-11 category.
Traditional role playing games on the PC were on the decline in the 1990's..that is until BioWare came out with the first installment of Baldur's Gate. This Dungeons and Dragons-based fantasy RPG was released in 1998 via publisher Interplay and proved that such games can be made to be exciting and addictive instead of being stuck with boring gameplay.

Baldur's Gate generated a surge in fantasy RPGs that continues to this day, even in an age of MMO style titles. BioWare itself is making Dragon Age: Origins which is said to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate.