Donkey Kong, Halo: Combat Evolved, Pokémon Red and Green, and Street Fighter II have all been added to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. These four games have been chosen as part of the 2017 additions, which were whittled down to twelve titles before these winners were chosen. They join other all-time greats like The Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto III, and Pac-Man.
These four games were added to the World Video Game Hall of Fame for a number of reasons. “The four inductees span multiple decades, countries of origin, and gaming platforms, but all have significantly affected the video game industry, popular culture, and society in general,” reads the announcement.
Other possible inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame were Final Fantasy VII, Microsoft Windows Solitaire, Mortal Kombat, Myst, Portal, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Wii Sports. These failed to make the cut this year, but expect to see them come up again in 2018 and beyond.
What exactly is the World Video Game Hall of Fame? “The World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong was established in 2015 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.”
Anyone can nominate a game to be added to the collection. The final decision comes down to ” journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.”
The collection has done well at adding only the biggest and best games, such as Super Mario Bros. Tetris, and The Sims. It’s not just about being a good game though, the game has to have had some sort of impact on the culture and community of gamers. What games would you like to see added in 2018?
