Gaming & Virtual Worlds · Recorded milestone
Real-time 3D game engines
Recorded year1996
Licensed engines such as id's Quake engine and Epic's Unreal render interactive 3D worlds in real time, later used far beyond games.
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Led to
- 3D graphics cards for gamesRecorded · 1996requires
- Virtual world with a real economyRecorded · 2003enables
- Player-made game platformsRecorded · 2006enables
- glTF 3D scene filesRecorded · 2015enables
- Immersive classroomsRecorded · 2015enables
- Floor that lets you walk forever in VRRecorded · 2016enables
- Learning in simulated worldsRecorded · 2016enables
- Painting in virtual realityRecorded · 2016enables
- Everyday AR glassesRecorded · 2019enables
- Infinite game worldsRecorded · 2019enables
- Personalised AI films & gamesRecorded · 2025enables
- Hit games made by one person with AIForecast · ~2028enables
- Games with no game engineForecast · ~2029enables
- Games drawn by neural networksForecast · ~2030enables
- Simulation-first engineeringForecast · ~2062enables
- Persistent virtual worldsForecast · ~2065enables
Sources & evidence
Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.