Those of us in our youth in the early 2000s will fondly remember playing online Flash-based games, even if the memories are likely better than the games themselves.

Many of us have frequented one site in particular — Yahoo Games. Well, the service has now officially shut down, signaling the end of a gaming era.

Of course, it's likely that those who frequently played games on Yahoo Games, which was started in 2003 after Yahoo bought a service called Games Domain, haven't touched it in years — which is exactly why it's shutting down.

The shutdown of the service was to be expected. Flash gaming hasn't really been popular for a while, especially with the decline of Flash itself, but also due to the rise of mobile games. Yahoo turned the site toward ad-supported games in 2008, with reports that same year suggesting the site still had around 18 million unique monthly visitors. Not only that, but at the time, it was rated the number one gaming portal.

Of course, the shutdown of Yahoo Games could also be because Yahoo itself is slowly falling to pieces, with reports even suggesting that the company may be sold in the near future.

Sure, gaming today is much higher in quality, but Yahoo Games will always hold a special place in our hearts.