The Newest Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees

Established to honor only the greatest and most important video games of all time, the Video Game Hall of Fame holds a very exclusive selection of video games, both old and modern. Games recently nominated this year included Assasin’s Creed, Candy Crush Saga, NBA Jam, Resident Evil, and even Minesweeper from our old computers (the one everyone played but never understood the rules). However, the inductions into the Hall of Fame most recently were chosen for their “groundbreaking nature” rather than their gameplay and graphics. Here are the inductees as well as a short blurb describing their legacy:

Pac-Man (1980): According to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, Pac-Man was regarded as the best-selling arcade game of the early 1980s with over 125,000 copies sold. “By offering one of the first uses of a joystick as well as introducing the world to video game programming, Pac-Man has revolutionized the world of gaming as well through ideas such as ‘frames’ and ‘collision’, says senior archivist Julia Novakovic. The “ghostly maze” game was later adapted into Ms. Pac-Man to promote women’s equality which will also be given a mention in the Video Game Hall of Fame.

Sid Meier’s Civilization (1991): During the 1980s and early 1990s, video games were rather basic and relied on skill and collision. Sid Meier’s Civilization, however, expanded the concept of video games by incorporating strategy and thinking into the game in order to dominate empires. “The addictive and strategic nature of the game earned Civilization recognition from Computer Gaming World as the best video game of all time in 1996. There was no way it couldn’t be included in the Hall of Fame”, says Director Jon-Paul Dyson. “Altogether — and given the extraordinarily long periods of play the game afforded — players have engaged with the Civilization series for more than a billion hours.”

Dance-Dance Revolution (1998): One of the first music-based games, Dance-Dance Revolution inspired the rise of future games such as Guitar Hero and Just Dance. It also inspired the creation of the dance board which is still used in arcades and parties. “As Dance Dance Revolution‘s name implies, it truly provided a revolution for the music game scene,” says video game curator Lindsey Kurato. “Music has been an integral part of human life since prehistoric times, so it comes as no surprise that DDR enjoyed a unique popularity that spanned ages, genders, and regions.”

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998): Regarded as one of the greatest video games of the 1990s, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time boasted the highest graphics available at the time. It introduced numerous people to 3D gaming as well as side-quests (remember the struggle of hunting those 100 Skultulas?) “Even today, developers throughout the world credit The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as influencing the way they create games”, says digital games curator Andrew Borman. The game’s sprawling 3D world, fluid combat, complex puzzles, and time-shifting story combined to inspire wonder in players that they have never forgotten,”

According to the website, the video game Hall of Fame at The Strong “recognizes electronic games of all types that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general”. These above-mentioned games have changed the world of gaming as well as received high acclaim worldwide. What video games do you think should be included? Let us know below!