The Strong Museum of Play recently established the world's first Video Game Hall of Fame, where the world's most influential games would be honored and stored for future generations to eventually visit and venerate. But which games are important enough to deserve this honor? The Strong Museum posted on Tuesday its list of finalists for 2015:
- Angry Birds
- DOOM
- FIFA
- The Legend of Zelda
- Minecraft
- The Oregon Trail
- Pac-Man
- Pokémon
- Pong
- The Sims
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Space Invaders
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tetris
- World of Warcraft
The goal of the World Video Game Hall of Fame, according to Strong's press release, is to "recognize individual electronic games of all types - arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile - 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."
Polygon reported that if a game wants to get into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, it must fulfill four criteria: " icon-status (that the game is recognized and remembered), longevity (that the game has enjoyed sustained popularity), geographical reach (that the game is known around the world) and influence (that the game has had an impact on subsequent games, other forms of entertainment, or pop culture and society)." The games are then judged by a series of panelists from the gaming industry.
The official nominees will be announced during a ceremony at the Strong Museum on June 4.
The Strong Museum also hosts the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, which focuses on protecting and restoring the video games of the past.
