On May 8 The Strong National Museum of Play announced the newest members of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Twelve finalists were chosen with “Defender”, “Tamagotchi”, “GoldenEye 007”, and “Quake” joining the Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
The other finalist were Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Frogger, Golden Tee, Harvest Moon, Mattel Football, and NBA 2K.
The Video Game Hall of Fame includes classic arcade games, handheld games, mobile games, and console computer games. Criteria for induction into The Hall are the staying power of the game and the influence the game has had on pop culture and the video game industry.
Meet the newest members of The World Video Game Hall of Fame:
“Defender” was released in 1981 and brought complicated control schemes and intense gameplay together.
Assistant vice president for interpretation and electronic games Jeremy Saucier spoke on the game saying, “’Defender’s’ punishing gameplay raised the level of competition in arcades, and it was among the first games to truly separate dedicated players from more casual ones. By challenging conventional wisdom about game mastery and the idea that players would reject more complex arcade video games, ‘Defender’ paved the way for richer video game possibilities for developers and players alike.”
“GoldenEye 007” was released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64. The first person shooter game was based on super spy James Bond with an immersive gameplay. The game also featured a four person gameplayer mode.
Director of Digital Preservation Andre Borman spoke on the game saying, “critics lauded ‘GoldenEye 007’ as the premier example of a first-person shooter to succeed on a console rather than a PC, and it is still considered one of the best multiplayer experiences ever produced on a Nintendo system. Its impact can be felt in nearly all console FPS games that followed, including Microsoft’s epic Halo franchise that launched in 2001.”
“Tamagotchi’ was launched in 1996. The handheld game bridged toys with video games; creating a digital pet for creator to nurture. The game went on to spawn pet simulator games. Collections manager Kristy Hisert said, “beyond cultivating nostalgia, ‘Tamagotchi’ offered a distinct form of play that differed from popular video game electronics of the time. It provided players with feelings of connection, caring, and customization, a respite from competition and fighting games. The legacy of ‘Tamagotchi’ can be seen in the popular pet simulation games that followed on traditional gaming platforms, the Internet, and personal devices throughout the subsequent years.”
“Quake” debuted in 1996, shaking things up. A first person shooter game featured a 3-D engine that launched a new standard in the video game industry.
Electronic game curator Lindsey Kurano said, “’Quake’s’ legacy lives on in its atmospheric single player campaign, its influence in how online games are played, its active modding community, and its creation and shaping of esports. Not only this, but ‘Quake’’s’ code isa literal legacy. Of few games can it be said that its DNA—its code—continues to be present in modern games, decades after release.”
Established in 2015 the World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes video games of all types and is housed on the second floor of the Museum as a part of the ESL Digital Worlds exhibit.