On March 6 The Strong Museum and the World Video Hall of Fame released the 12 finalists for possible induction into the Hall of Fame.

Scheduled for a May 8 induction, the newest members to The Hall will join the previous winners in a new space at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

Fans will also be able to cast votes for their favourite games to be counted towards the games chosen for induction.  Comprised of journalists and scholars, the winners are chosen by the International Selection Advisory Committee.

Voting is open until March 13 with the top three vote getters earning one point toward the final count.  Fans may cast votes at worldvideogamehalloffame.org.

The 12 finalists range from an amphibious pioneer and sporting games to war games and modern hand held games.

The finalists are:
Age of Empires
Angry birds
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Defender
Frogger
Golden Eye
Golden Tee
Harvest Moon
Mattel Football
Quake
NBA 2K
and Tamagotchi

Director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games Jon-Paul C. Dyson, PhD spoke on the finalists saying, “this year’s finalists span the decades and range from arcade classics to one of the most popular mobile games of all time.  All of these games have enormously influenced pop culture or the game industry itself. Frogger was popular in the arcades of the 1980s, but an iconic Seinfeld scene in 1998 made it unforgettable. The brilliant coding of the first-person shooter Quake enabled unforgettable multiplayer matches that have mesmerized players and influenced many games that followed. Then there’s Tamagotchi, which bridges the gap between video games and digital toys, changing the way we think about games.”

Anyone may nominate a video game for induction into the Hall of Fame and each year thousands of games are nominated.

Winners are selected based on their iconic status, longevity, its geographical reach, and its influence on other forms of entertainment and popular culture.