World Video Game Hall of Fame

International hall of fame

"Video Game Hall of Fame" redirects here. For the planned museum in Iowa, see International Video Game Hall of Fame.

World Video Game Hall of Fame

The Strong National Museum of Play at night

Formation| June 4, 2015
Purpose| To highlight the video games that have made an impact on the world
Location|

* Rochester, New York, U.S.

Parent organization

| The Strong
Website| www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/world-video-game-hall-of-fame/
In June 2023, The Strong National Museum of Play debuted ESL Digital Worlds, a 24,000-square foot gallery that houses the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame is an international hall of fame for video games. The hall's administration is overseen by The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games, and is located at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, United States.[1][2] The museum began the International Center for the History of Electronic Games in 2009, announced the formation of the hall of fame in February 2015, and opened it on June 4, 2015.[3][4][5] It is located in a dedicated part of the "ESL Digital Worlds: High Score" exhibit at the National Museum of Play; prior to an expansion of the museum in 2023 it was located in the museum's "eGameRevolution" exhibit.[6][7][8] The Strong has also run the National Toy Hall of Fame since 2002.[9]

Video games become eligible for the World Video Game Hall of Fame by meeting four criteria:[1]

* Icon Status – is widely recognized and remembered
* Longevity – is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time
* Geographical Reach – meets the above criteria across international boundaries
* Influence – has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general

Initial nominations are made each year by a staff committee at The Strong, which takes into account the four criteria, with influence considered the most important. Members of the public can submit games for consideration by the committee as well. The nominees are then voted on by a panel of around 30 "scholars and journalists from around the world", with each panel member ranking their top three choices. A public poll is also included, with the results counting as equivalent to a member of the panel. Afterwards, the staff committee reviews the votes and makes the final selection. While generally there is a clear difference in vote counts for the highest-scoring games, if there are multiple games with similar vote counts near the cutoff point, the committee decides by emphasizing a variety of game types or platforms in any given induction year. Video games that have not been inducted may be nominated in multiple years.[10] The set of final nominees is typically announced each year in March, and the inductees in May. In its first two years of operation, the hall named six inductees from fifteen finalists; since then, it has named four or five inductees each year from a set of twelve.

In the eleven years that the hall of fame has been open, 49 games have been inducted out of 85 nominated. Many of those games have been nominated multiple times. In some cases, the hall may list the first game in a series of similar titles as a proxy for the entire series, such as with The Oregon Trail series or the FIFA International Soccer/FIFA series.[11][12] Nintendo has been the developer of the most games inducted with seven, out of a total of eleven nominations of eight games. Atari has had three games inducted out of six nominations of those three games, and Blizzard Entertainment, Capcom, id Software, and Maxis have had two games inducted. Seven other developers have had more than one game nominated. Minecraft has had the most nominations of any game at four and was then inducted, while FIFA International Soccer, Angry Birds, Guitar Hero, and NBA 2K are tied for the most nominations without being inducted at three. The earliest game to be nominated is Spacewar! from 1962, while the latest is The Last of Us from 2013, both of which have been inducted.

## Inductees and finalists

[edit]

Release years of inductees1962| Spacewar!

|

1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971| Computer Space
The Oregon Trail
1972| Pong
1973
1974
1975
1976| Colossal Cave Adventure
1977
1978| Space Invaders
1979| Asteroids
1980| Pac-Man
1981| Centipede
Defender
Donkey Kong
Ultima
1982| Microsoft Flight Simulator
Ms. Pac-Man
1983
1984| King's Quest
1985| Super Mario Bros.
Tetris
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
1986| The Legend of Zelda
1987
1988
1989| SimCity
1990| John Madden Football
Solitaire
1991| Sid Meier's Civilization
Sonic the Hedgehog
Street Fighter II
1992| Mortal Kombat
Super Mario Kart
1993| Doom
Myst
1994
1995
1996| Barbie Fashion Designer
Pokémon Red and Green
Quake
Resident Evil
Tamagotchi
Tomb Raider
1997| Final Fantasy VII
GoldenEye 007
1998| Dance Dance Revolution
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
StarCraft
1999
2000| The Sims
2001| Animal Crossing
Bejeweled
Grand Theft Auto III
Halo: Combat Evolved
2002
2003
2004| World of Warcraft
2005
2006| Wii Sports
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011| Minecraft
2012
2013| The Last of Us

*   Inductees

**   Finalists that were inducted in a later year

Other finalists

Winners and nominees Year  | Game  | Developer  | Year released  | Ref

|
|
|
|

2015  | Doom* | id Software | 1993  | [13]
Pac-Man* | Namco | 1980  | [13]
Pong* | Atari | 1972  | [13]
Super Mario Bros.* | Nintendo | 1985  | [13]
Tetris* | Alexey Pajitnov | 1985  | [13]
World of Warcraft* | Blizzard Entertainment | 2004  | [13]
Angry Birds | Rovio Entertainment | 2009  | [14]
FIFA International Soccer | EA Canada | 1993  | [14]
The Legend of Zelda** | Nintendo | 1986  | [14]
Minecraft** | Mojang Studios | 2011  | [14]
The Oregon Trail** | Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger | 1971  | [14]
Pokémon Red and Green** | Game Freak | 1996  | [14]
The Sims** | Maxis | 2000  | [14]
Sonic the Hedgehog** | Sonic Team | 1991  | [14]
Space Invaders** | Taito | 1978  | [14]
2016  | Grand Theft Auto III* | DMA Design | 2001  | [6]
The Legend of Zelda* | Nintendo | 1986  | [6]
The Oregon Trail* | Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger | 1971  | [6]
The Sims* | Maxis | 2000  | [6]
Sonic the Hedgehog* | Sonic Team | 1991  | [6]
Space Invaders* | Taito | 1978  | [6]
Elite | David Braben, Ian Bell | 1984  | [15]
Final Fantasy | Square | 1987  | [15]
John Madden Football** | Park Place Productions | 1990  | [15]
Minecraft** | Mojang Studios | 2011  | [15]
Nürburgring | Reiner Foerst | 1976  | [15]
Pokémon Red and Green** | Game Freak | 1996  | [15]
Sid Meier's Civilization** | MicroProse | 1991  | [15]
Street Fighter II** | Capcom | 1991  | [15]
Tomb Raider** | Core Design | 1996  | [15]
2017  | Donkey Kong* | Nintendo | 1981  | [16]
Halo: Combat Evolved* | Bungie | 2001  | [16]
Pokémon Red and Green* | Game Freak | 1996  | [16]
Street Fighter II* | Capcom | 1991  | [16]
Final Fantasy VII** | Square | 1997  | [17]
Solitaire** | Wes Cherry (Microsoft) | 1990  | [17]
Mortal Kombat** | Midway Games | 1992  | [17]
Myst** | Cyan | 1993  | [17]
Portal | Valve Corporation | 2007  | [17]
Resident Evil** | Capcom | 1996  | [17]
Tomb Raider** | Core Design | 1996  | [17]
Wii Sports** | Nintendo | 2006  | [17]
2018  | Final Fantasy VII* | Square | 1997  | [18]
John Madden Football* | Park Place Productions | 1990  | [18]
Spacewar!* | Steve Russell and others | 1962  | [18]
Tomb Raider* | Core Design | 1996  | [18]
Asteroids** | Atari | 1979  | [19]
Call of Duty | Infinity Ward | 2003  | [19]
Dance Dance Revolution** | Konami | 1998  | [19]
Half-Life | Valve Corporation | 1998  | [19]
King's Quest** | Sierra On-Line | 1984  | [19]
Metroid | Nintendo | 1986  | [19]
Minecraft** | Mojang Studios | 2011  | [19]
Ms. Pac-Man** | General Computer Corporation | 1982  | [19]
2019  | Colossal Cave Adventure* | William Crowther, Don Woods | 1976  | [20]
Solitaire* | Wes Cherry (Microsoft) | 1990  | [20]
Mortal Kombat* | Midway Games | 1992  | [20]
Super Mario Kart* | Nintendo | 1992  | [20]
Candy Crush Saga | King | 2012  | [21]
Centipede** | Atari | 1981  | [21]
Dance Dance Revolution** | Konami | 1998  | [21]
Half-Life | Valve Corporation | 1998  | [21]
Myst** | Cyan | 1993  | [21]
NBA 2K | Visual Concepts | 1999  | [21]
Sid Meier's Civilization** | MicroProse | 1991  | [21]
Super Smash Bros. Melee | HAL Laboratory | 2001  | [21]
2020  | Bejeweled* | PopCap Games | 2001  | [22]
Centipede* | Atari | 1981  | [22]
King's Quest* | Sierra On-Line | 1984  | [22]
Minecraft* | Mojang Studios | 2011  | [22]
Frogger | Konami | 1981  | [23]
GoldenEye 007** | Rare | 1997  | [23]
Guitar Hero | Harmonix | 2005  | [23]
NBA Jam | Midway Games | 1993  | [23]
Nokia Snake | Nokia | 1997  | [23]
Super Smash Bros. Melee | HAL Laboratory | 2001  | [23]
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Naughty Dog | 2009  | [23]
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?** | Broderbund | 1985  | [23]
2021  | Animal Crossing* | Nintendo | 2001  | [24]
Microsoft Flight Simulator* | Sublogic | 1982  | [24]
StarCraft* | Blizzard Entertainment | 1998  | [24]
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?* | Broderbund | 1985  | [24]
Call of Duty | Infinity Ward | 2003  | [25]
FarmVille | Zynga | 2009  | [25]
FIFA International Soccer | EA Canada | 1993  | [25]
Guitar Hero | Harmonix | 2005  | [25]
Mattel Football | Mattel | 1977  | [25]
Pole Position | Namco | 1982  | [25]
Portal | Valve Corporation | 2007  | [25]
Tron | Bally Midway | 1982  | [25]
2022  | Dance Dance Revolution* | Konami | 1998  | [26]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* | Nintendo | 1998  | [26]
Ms. Pac-Man* | General Computer Corporation | 1982  | [26]
Sid Meier's Civilization* | MicroProse | 1991  | [26]
Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft Montreal | 2007  | [27]
Candy Crush Saga | King | 2012  | [27]
Minesweeper | Curt Johnson (Microsoft) | 1990  | [27]
NBA Jam | Midway Games | 1993  | [27]
PaRappa the Rapper | NanaOn-Sha | 1996  | [27]
Resident Evil** | Capcom | 1996  | [27]
Rogue | A.I. Design | 1980  | [27]
Words with Friends | Zynga | 2009  | [27]
2023  | Barbie Fashion Designer* | Digital Domain | 1996  | [28]
Computer Space* | Syzygy Engineering | 1971  | [28]
The Last of Us* | Naughty Dog | 2013  | [28]
Wii Sports* | Nintendo | 2006  | [28]
Age of Empires | Ensemble Studios | 1997  | [29]
Angry Birds | Rovio Entertainment | 2009  | [29]
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Infinity Ward | 2007  | [29]
FIFA International Soccer | EA Canada | 1993  | [29]
GoldenEye 007** | Rare | 1997  | [29]
NBA 2K | Visual Concepts | 1999  | [29]
Quake** | id Software | 1996  | [29]
Wizardry | Sir-Tech | 1981  | [29]
2024  | Asteroids* | Atari | 1979  | [30]
Myst* | Cyan | 1993  | [30]
Resident Evil* | Capcom | 1996  | [30]
SimCity* | Maxis | 1989  | [30]
Ultima* | Richard Garriott, Origin Systems | 1981  | [30]
Elite | David Braben, Ian Bell | 1984  | [31]
Guitar Hero | Harmonix | 2005  | [31]
Metroid | Nintendo | 1986  | [31]
Neopets | Adam Powell, Donna Powell | 1999  | [31]
Tokimeki Memorial | Konami | 1994  | [31]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | Neversoft | 1999  | [31]
You Don't Know Jack | Jellyvision | 1995  | [31]
2025  | Defender* | Williams Electronics | 1981  | [32]
GoldenEye 007* | Rare | 1997  | [32]
Quake* | id Software | 1996  | [32]
Tamagotchi* | Bandai | 1996  | [32]
Age of Empires | Ensemble Studios | 1997  | [33]
Angry Birds | Rovio Entertainment | 2009  | [33]
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Infinity Ward | 2007  | [33]
Frogger | Konami | 1981  | [33]
Golden Tee Golf | Incredible Technologies | 1989  | [33]
Harvest Moon | Amccus | 1996  | [33]
Mattel Football | Mattel | 1977  | [33]
NBA 2K | Visual Concepts | 1999  | [33]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Dyson, Jon-Paul C. (2021). Wolf, Mark J. P. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming (2nd ed.). ABC-Clio. pp. 1150–1151\. ISBN 978-1-4408-7020-0.
2. ^ "International Center for the History of Electronic Games". The Strong National Museum of Play. The Strong. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
3. ^ Dyson, Jon-Paul C.; Saucier, Jeremy K. (2018). "A Note from the World Video Game Hall of Fame". In The World Video Game Hall of Fame (ed.). A History of Video Games in 64 Objects. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-283870-4.
4. ^ Kedmey, Dan (February 18, 2015). "This Museum Is Building a Video Game Hall of Fame". Time. Time USA. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
5. ^ "Super Mario Bros., Pong among first to enter World Video Game Hall of Fame". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
6. ^ a b c d e f g Brightman, James (May 5, 2016). "GTA III, The Sims among 2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
7. ^ "World Video Game Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2023 Inductees" (Press release). The Strong National Museum of Play. May 4, 2023. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
8. ^ "ESL Digital Worlds: High Score". The Strong National Museum of Play. The Strong. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
9. ^ "National Toy Hall of Fame Fact Sheet". The Strong National Museum of Play. The Strong. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
10. ^ Dyson, Jon-Paul (May 5, 2022). "How Does a Game Get into the World Video Game Hall of Fame?". Global Toy News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
11. ^ "The Oregon Trail". The Strong National Museum of Play. The Strong. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
12. ^ "2023 World Video Game Hall of Fame Finalists Announced" (Press release). The Strong National Museum of Play. March 15, 2023. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
13. ^ a b c d e f Thompson, Carolyn (June 4, 2015). "Pong, Tetris make Video Game Hall of Fame's first class". The Post and Courier. Evening Post Industries. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i "2015 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists named". MCV/Develop. Biz Media. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dalton, Andrew (May 5, 2016). "Sonic grabs top honors as World Video Game Hall of Fame inductee". Engadget. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
16. ^ a b c d Corrigan, Hope (May 5, 2017). "2017 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees Include Donkey Kong, Halo, Pokemon, Street Fighter". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
17. ^ a b c d e f g h Grant, Christopher (May 4, 2017). "Here are the four 2017 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
18. ^ a b c d Khan, Imran (May 3, 2018). "Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider, And Others Inducted To World Video Game Hall Of Fame". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
19. ^ a b c d e f g h McWhertor, Michael (March 27, 2018). "12 games are up for Hall of Fame status at The Strong National Museum of Play". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
20. ^ a b c d Takahashi, Dean (May 2, 2019). "World Video Game Hall of Fame inducts Super Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat, Solitaire, and Colossal Cave Adventure". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
21. ^ a b c d e f g h "World Video Game Hall of Fame 2019 Finalists Announced". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. March 21, 2019. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
22. ^ a b c d McGlynn, Anthony (June 20, 2020). "Minecraft leads the World Video Game Hall of Fame 2020 inductees". PCGamesN. Network N. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
23. ^ a b c d e f g h "World Video Game Hall of Fame announces 2020 finalists". KATV. Sinclair Broadcast Group. March 19, 2020. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
24. ^ a b c d Fahey, Mike (May 6, 2021). "These Are Your 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
25. ^ a b c d e f g h Marshall, Cass (March 18, 2021). "These are the 2021 nominees for the World Video Game Hall of Fame". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
26. ^ a b c d Warner, Noelle (May 5, 2022). "World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees announced for 2022". Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
27. ^ a b c d e f g h Francis, Bryant (March 17, 2022). "PaRappa the Rapper, Ocarina of Time among 2022 World Video Game Hall of Fame nominees". Game Developer. Informa. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
28. ^ a b c d McWhertor, Michael (May 4, 2023). "The Last of Us, Barbie Fashion Designer headline Video Game Hall of Fame 2023 class". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
29. ^ a b c d e f g h Kaser, Rachel (March 15, 2023). "The Strong announces 2023 finalists for Video Game Hall of Fame". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
30. ^ a b c d e "World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees Revealed". TheStrongMuseum.com. May 9, 2024. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
31. ^ a b c d e f g "From Asteroids to Guitar Hero, World Video Game Hall of Fame draws from 4 decades". Associated Press. March 14, 2024. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
32. ^ a b c d "2025 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees Announced". TheStrongMuseum.com. May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
33. ^ a b c d e f g h "Angry Birds, Frogger and others are finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame". Associated Press. March 6, 2025. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

43°09′09″N 77°36′06″W﻿ / ﻿43.15250°N 77.60167°W﻿ / 43.15250; -77.60167