World Video Game Hall of Fame

[scotland]

A museum in NYC, The Strong Museum of Play, with a large collection of pinball, electronic toys and video games, decided to create a Hall of Fame. Nominations are open to anyone (build a case based on being iconic, long lived, far reaching, and influential), and decisions are made 'on the advice of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familar with the history of video games and their role in society'.

The inaugural class is 6 games you may have heard of: Pong, Pac Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Doom, and World of Warcraft.

[Tron]

Surprised this hasn't already been established. Good list, can't really argue against any of them. Surprised Street Fighter II & Legend of Zelda aren't included. I look forward to further inclusions. Kinda like the baseball HOF the first entries were no brainers. I wonder how long until Q-Bert makes it in or Frogger? I think the first few years of entries should focus more on the oldest games, but with putting Warcraft in early maybe they won't.

Space Invaders? Galaga?

[VideoGameCritic]

The only one I don't know about is World of Warcraft, since I've never played it.

Do you guys think it's worthy?

[scotland]

I don't play this game or MMORPGs in general, but I think its worthy of a spot. Yes, its arguably too soon, but it basically popularized and defines MMORPGs, and is still going strong, with millions of players, after 10 years. So, for being 'long lived, far reaching and influential' it rings the bell on all three. The last one is 'iconic', and it may fail that test. To me that means it penetrates the culture, like Minecraft and Halo are doing today, like Angry Birds, Super Mario Bros, Pong, and Pac Man did before them.

I read a counter that is should have been Ms Pac Man over Pac Man, based on the former being the *better game*. Yet, that is not the point to this hall of fame. Notice that they inducted Super Mario Bros, which while technically a sequel to Mario Bros, I would argue is really the bedrock Mario platformer. Would they later induct Super Mario Bros 3 or Super Mario World? Maybe, but I think not as while maybe better games, they themselves are not as iconic as the game that really defined Nintendo and Mario.

There were more finalists than inducted. Here are the others that were under consideration: Angry Birds, FIFA, Legend of Zelda (notice, its the bedrock title, not Ocarina of Time or such), Minecraft, the Oregon Trail, Pokémon, The Sims, and Space Invaders.

We together or anyone can craft a good nomination, and submit it here:
http://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/nominate

I think Pole Position might be one to build a case for, as it was the first racing game for me that felt like racing. We should be able to make a good argument for Space Invaders as well. Any others?

[LoganRuckman]

I don't know, I think WOW certainly has penetrated popular culture. I mean, there was an entire episode of South Park dedicated to it that is now considered one of the best, if not the best, episodes in the series.

[scotland]

I don't know, I think WOW certainly has penetrated popular culture. I mean, there was an entire episode of South Park dedicated to it that is now considered one of the best, if not the best, episodes in the series.

No, its totally bush league as far as being part of popular culture. Sure, it pops up now and again, so do lots of games from Wii Sports to Red Dead Redemption

Compare to Pong, Pac Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros, and Doom. Pong is like knowing Abraham Lincoln, a screenshot of Tetris is sufficient, Super Mario Bros made Mario a household name, and Doom is well...what parents in the 1990s pointed to as what is wrong with the youth of today. World of Warcraft? Nada. Show a non-gamer a screenshot, name a character, name a setting...no...people probably think its something to do with Minecraft or Lord of the Rings.

Sorry. It may ring the bell on the other three, but its not even close, not even close to iconic.

[VideoGameCritic]

"Pong is like knowing Abraham Lincoln"

Classic line.

[Verm3]

Regarding WOW; is it possible that the forum regulars are simply showing their age?

[scotland]

Regarding WOW; is it possible that the forum regulars are simply showing their age?

I make no pretense to not being young anymore. Enjoy it if you've got it. However, 'iconic' means 'widely known and acknowledged', not just 'widely known to young people'. It means everyone knows it - young and old, people who spend time swimming in the world of video games, and those who want nothing to do with it, everyone.

Think of things that everyone knows - the White House, Mickey Mouse, the farewell scene of Casablanca, the logo of the Dallas Cowboys, Darth's Vader's helmet, etc.

Its not 'showing my age', its knowing what iconic means, knowing some things that are iconic, and 'WOW", as you kids say, is not iconic. That its popular, sure, but that is not the same thing. Its *only* if the old fogies know as well as the young people is something iconic.

[scotland]

The museum has inducted another half dozen games for 2016

1971s The Oregon Trail
1978s Space Invaders
1986s The Legend of Zelda
1991s Sonic the Hedgehog
2000s The Sims
2001s Grand Theft Auto 3

The inaugural 2015 class again was 1972's Pong, 1980s Pac Man, 1984s Tetris, 1985 Super Mario Bros, 1993s Doom and 2004s World of Warcraft. Anyone can nominate a game, by the way.
http://www.museumofplay.org/press/releases/2016/05/2688-2016-world-video-game-hall-fame-inductees-announced