'If you had to pick one game for aspiring devs to study, what would it be?'

It's safe to say that a love of games drives developers to create them. But what games matter to designers -- and why? 

Gamasutra wanted to know which games were most significant to our readers, so today asked our Twitter followers a simple question: "If you had to pick one game for aspiring devs to study, what would it be?"

Below is just a sampling of classics -- but most important is why they are classics. And in reviewing the list, it's worth considering not just that, but why they're influential. Our respondants have gone a ways toward making those arguments, but each game mentioned is inspirational in its own, unique way. 

Remember, if you're interested in participating in these conversations in the future, make sure to follow @Gamasutra on Twitter. The questions usually go out on Fridays in the late morning, Pacific time, alongside Tweets of our regular news, blogs, and original writing.