The Strong National Museum of Play on Thursday revealed the six inaugural inductees into its World Video Game Hall of Fame. The chosen titles span multiple decades, countries of origin and gaming platforms yet all have had a significant impact on the video game industry, pop culture and society in general.
Doom, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris and World of Warcraft were selected from a collection of 15 finalists that also included Angry Birds, FIFA, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Pokémon, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog and Space Invaders.
Some titles obviously carry more consideration than others and I suspect at least a few, like The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail and Sonic the Hedgehog, will make it on to next year's ballot. In time, games like Minecraft and The Sims may also find a home in the hall of fame once their true impact is realized.
Either way, it's hard to argue with the first six picks as all are legends at this point.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame was established earlier this year to recognize games that have sustained popularity over the years and as mentioned earlier, have also had an impact on pop culture and society. All of the inductees are on permanent display in the museum's eGameRevolution exhibit in Rochester, New York.
Do you think the museum got it right with its first six inductees? Which games would you nominate for next year's round? Let us know in the comments section below!
All images courtesy Museum of Play