Seems like the video game industry started taking off around that time. Back in '95ish there weren't nearly as many games being released, nor to any kind of fanfare, nor with any kind of budget. And it certainly wasn't common for people above the age of 25 to be playing video games.
Post 2000 and onward video games have an entirely different cultural impact.
On topic I mostly remember the years from circa 1997-2005 as being filled with copious amounts of trash games. But the sheer amount of games being released means there are quite a few memorable ones from that era, I guess.
Still doesn't change my personal feeling that the gaming industry took a nosedive right around 1997-1998, ending the golden era of 1990-1995.
In hindsight, maybe it's best to look at the millenial period as a time of nascency. A lot of new concepts were experimented with during this time, which have then been perfected over the last decade.