Serious question: if Myst didn't actively influence games, why is it that I have heard of Myst despite it being "before my time" (I was 6 when it was first released)? I've never played the game or seen anyone play it, and yet in my mind's eye I can see the iconic art style, the iconic "M Y S T" logo, etc. Does it just have a cult following that I've been exposed to due to my participation in online communities and other PC gaming communities?
It was a popular "pack in" title with things like CD-ROM drives, so there were a gazillion copies distributed, even though it probably didn't sell that many at full retail.
Edit since someone downvoted this:
"Released in 1993, it became the non-gamers' game. "Oh, I don't really like videogames, but I did like Myst." It sold more copies than Kinkos - well over six million. Everyone with a PC in the nineties had a copy, you'll be told. And you know why? Because it was given away with absolutely everything. If you bought a PC, you got given Myst. New printer? Myst. Upgrading your RAM, here, have a copy of Myst. Vast piles of Myst were causing terrible landslides, killing hundreds of children, all around the world."
You've heard of it because guys who grew up in that area suffering from extreme bouts of nostalgia produce "Best Games of the 90's" lists featuring Myst or make grand statements about the game on forums/twitter/facebook/blog/etc.
I played it when it first came out and really it's not all that noteworthy these days unless you are talking about 1993 specifically.
