grand-theft-auto

Released in 2001, GTA III proved that open-world games could be commercially viable. It sold over 17 million copies and became the template for sandbox games for decades.

Video games went from a blinking dot on a screen in 1972 to a $200 billion industry in 50 years. The history is a story of technology, creative leaps, market crashes, and the democratisation of interactive entertainment into the world's largest cultural medium.