A very comprehensive article by Ernest Adams in BW about the "50 Greatest Game Innovations". The underlying argument there is how video games are a hotbed for innovation (in other domains than the gaming field). I won't enter into much details about every single design advances presented there, stating only that they cover the following:

"GAMEPLAY INNOVATIONS: By gameplay I mean the challenges that the game poses to the player, and the actions that the player may take to meet the challenges. The vast majority of these actions are obvious: jumping, steering, fighting, building, trading and so on. But some challenges and actions distinctly advanced the state of the art, and provided new ways for us to play.

INPUT INNOVATIONS: Interactivity is the essence of gaming, and in a videogame, some device has to translate the player's intentions into action. We've always had buttons, knobs (aka spinners or paddles), joysticks, sliders, triggers, steering wheels and pedals. But recently our options for input devices have exploded, and a good designer gives careful thought to them before choosing an approach to use.

PRESENTATIONAL INNOVATIONS: Innovations in what the player sees and hears may depend heavily on technological advances, but I still consider them design innovations as well, features the designer can choose to use in their game—or not. I take static and scrolling 2D screens for granted; they already existed in mechanical coin-ops.

GENRES: We borrowed many videogame genres from other game forms, but a few genres would not have been possible before the invention of the computer, and represent real design innovation.

PLAY STYLES: Different ways that people play, and how designers facilitate them."

Why do I blog this? A must read even though it's only a selection among other possibilities