Not too long ago we told you about the World Video Game Hall of Fame, an initiative launched by the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. A committee of games writers, academics and industry veterans was formed to deliberate over what games would be admitted into the list, with an initial shortlist of 15 titles drawn up.
The results have now been announced, with six games awarded the prestige of a place due to their "icon-status, longevity, geographical reach and influence". Two of these titles are Nintendo-system classics, with the list of six below:
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tetris
- Pong
- Pac-Man
- Doom
- World of Warcraft
These seem like fair, relatively safe first choices, as each of these games revolutionised the industry in some way. The timing for Super Mario Bros. is apt, naturally, as it celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year.
Are you happy with this list of inductees? Let us know.
Comments 63
Seems like a pretty good list for first year inductees.You may not like WOW, but it was the game of a generation that still is going strong today after like 10+ years.
All of them... sure... but WoW.... um... ok? Sure it was huge but it didn't really define the genre... I'd personally put Runescape above WoW or some of the ones a little before for what they did for the gaming industry.
I'm just glad flappy bird and angry birds didn't make it in
@ikki5 yes but WoW has been around for so long now. If you haven't played it, it's still great!
I feel like EverQuest should have gotten it over WoW but WoW deserves it nonetheless.
Remove WoW and replace it with MYST. MYST changed gaming more than WoW can even dream of.
@RantingThespian Good point, actually. Can't believe MYST didn't come to mind until I read your comment, as I used to play it all the time when I was younger, and it's actually what my username originated from! Definitely should be in there.
The Legend of Zelda... how is that not there? Soon...
No Farming Simulator?! I call BS!
Great list, I can see the point in all of them. I'd throw maybe Wolfenstein into the mix.
I think all of these choices are well thought out. Doom especially since while wolfenstein was the start of the FPS genre, it wasn't until Doom that it really kicked off.
That game is still amazing to think about.
All worthy entrants
Decent list. Replace WoW with UO and we're all set.
Oh, thank God. I was scared that Angry Birds would've gotten in there. I'd say they definitely made the right call with what they chose.
Good, safe list. I think Zelda and Pokemon deserved to be there. Maybe even Counter Strike and Winning Eleven/PES could be there, as that is what everyone around me play back in the day.
Representatives from four decades, neat.
Doom invented "mainstream FPSs" and WoW brought MMOs to the mainstream. Even non gamers were drawn towards it, it had an impact far beyond anything else at its time.
Im personally not a big fan, but i absolutely agree that it might not be the best, most creative MMO, but that it achieved the status of "like that game" (Its a platformer. Whats a platformer ? You know, like Mario)
I'm not arguing with any of those 6 games being there.
Never played WoW but I have siblings who swore by it and were always trying to get me into it so there's no doubt it was revolutionary.
Just happy to see no Call of Duty, FIFA, Angry Birds or Minecraft. I have no denial that they deserve to be in there but they should be allowed in after the much older titles have been inducted.
If it wasn't for these older titles then the video game industry might not have survived and we would be years behind.
@Radbot42 Agreed. Even though they're games, they weren't phenominal enough to peak to the levels of Pong or even Pac-Man. So they can stay out of the spotlight.
Needs Ocarina of Time, Pokemon Red and Blue, Metroid Prime, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64 and Both super mario galaxy games. This is just nintendo games as well.
Lol, none of these are really shocking, except maybe WoW. I'm not arguing it's inclusion, just a little surprised, that's all.
I suppose next time will have Zelda and Pokemon.
Fifa isn't on there, so I'm happy...
What, no Pokemon?
Probably a good thing they didn't put Angry Birds in, by the next time they'll add to this hall of fame list the series might be forgotten. I really don't think it will stand the test of time the way any that they selected have.
Little bit surprised Zelda or Pokemon didnt make it, and I think Sonic was nominated too which could've made it as well.
I would drop World of Warcraft and nominate Space Invaders instead. Otherwise it's a fine list
I won't argue that WOW belongs there (haven't played it myself but that seems to make me the minority), I'm just a bit surprised that it's there now and not Space Invaders, Asteroids or even Snake as the latter could be seen to have been the catalyst to kick off mobile gaming.
Good list. Great Museum, actually. I've been there and they are big on interactivity — It's a museum of Play — so I expect some nice displays for these games.
I think it was mentioned somewhere that Legend of Zelda and Angry Birds narrowly missed this year's list.
Not sure how anyone could discount Angry Birds as it was the first worldwide hit on mobile phones and a complete sea change in the gaming industry.
The hope is that these games have titles that came before them and influenced them in the displays. MUDs, Ultima Online, Everquest and others could be showcased next to WoW for instance. Or Rogue, Temple of Apshai, Venture could be showcased next to Legend of Zelda when it eventually makes it.
@Mk_II
(Looks at avatar) You don't say? Seriously, though, Space Invaders will probably make it in the next round, I'd imagine.
@SphericalCrusher I agree. EverQuest was more "the one" that truly defined how a vegetable-generating RPG is designed, but WoW has lasted longer, so I guess it makes sense.
I don't mind WoW as long as Flappy bird or Angry Birds isn't on the list.
No earlier RPG representative? That's crazy to me to not have an early RPG kicking off the RPG's I'm sure that will all follow in future inductions
Ocarina of Time should've been first.
Great list! WOW shouldn't be there though. Otherwise I agree to 100 %
Zelda and Sonic will likely be locks for next year. Assuming Metroid to make it there eventually along with Castlevania. Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, Pokemon, GTA, Resident Evil... lots of good choices for next year.
Right call not putting Angry Birds in yet, even if it did meet the qualifications, putting it in first might have caused people to write off how "prestigious" this list really is.
@NintendoFan64 Same, solid choices.
@SphericalCrusher @ikki5 @RantingThespian The fact that you all three suggested different WoW copies says it all xD
I have no complaints with the games chosen.
@Yai
Yeah I remember being in high school in 1994-95 when our school got a brand new computer lab. Me and a couple of other guys installed Doom on a computer and then connected four of them together to play deathmatch. Virtually no one had seen anything like that back then, of course we frequently had to be run out of there due to tying up the computers for so long and clogging the network. Good times!
@secret333 RS has been around a few years longer and is still quite popular....
I mostly agree, though I think Mario 64 deserved to be in there, considering how revolutionary it was
@Radbot42 Amen to Flappy and Angry Birds not being on the list. Super Mario Bros is a no brained though.
Nice.
@ikki5 OMG Same
@secret333 RS started in 2001... or sooner.
@EverythingAmiibo the fact that you call them wow clones says that you don't actually play them
RS should be in there because it was in the time when text based games were the norm and MMOs aren't really a thing ones with graphics ect. It started it some guys house basically.
Good first class, except for World of Warcraft. Waaaayyyyy to early for a game that recent.
Good list. I'm very happy Angry Birds and Flappy Bird did not make it. It's a joke they were even considered in the first place. I played each of them once to see what all the fuss was about and never touched them again.
I agree with the choices except for WoW, why the heck is that there?!? Alot of games did the mmorpg WAY before them and way better then they did
@Einherjar wouldn't wolfenstien 3d be the first propper fps to be commercially recognized? I can see why doom is thought of first, it was way better and more popular. But I was under the impression that is was wolfenstien that 'paved the way'.
Also, I'm maybe being stupid here, was the warcraft(I played 1&2) strategy games before wow or is it all the same series of games?
The most iconic game I can think of from my early days were chuckie egg and manic miner on the spectrum.....would have thought they have a chance to make the list?
@EverythingAmiibo
EQ came out 5 years before WoW and is not a "clone" of WoW. lol. They're both MMORPGs if that's what you mean.
@Genesaur Actually EQ lasted longer - WoW just had A LOT higher player base.
I can understand the others, but WoW? Really????????
Don't agree with WoW. Should of been Legend of Zelda for the NES. In my humble opinion.
@ULTRA-64 Doom was the first "real" 3D FPS. While Wolfenstein also featured a semi 3D perspective, the gameplay was strictly horizontal, while doom introduced vertical gameplay (elevators, slopes etc)
And im no Warcraft expert, but as far as i know, they are all part of one big series. So there is an overarching story from Warcraft one all the way to World of Warcraft. WoW is not a "Gaiden" game, its sort of a direct story sequel.
@Donjwolf Why not ? It was (and still is) hugely popular, had one of the biggest playerbases, is among the longest living MMOs out there and brought the whole MMO thing to the mainstream.
When even moms suddenly played MMOs and planned in raids with their guilds, you have a revolution in the gaming world.
If you like the game or not, it reinitiated the MMO boom big time.
And MMOs in general are a whole gaming market on their own, so if they need something to be represented, it might just as well be WoW.
@Einherjar It has to do with the fact all the other games that won are all classic titles that helped shape the industry. WoW is the odd one out. Sure, WoW is the best selling MMO ever, but there are loads of other, older, games too that helped jumpstart a genre that would've been better choices; games like Ultima for instance, or SimCity. MMOs are a rather 'new' genre compared to SHMUPs, RPGs, city builders, etc.
@Donjwolf The better choice in regards to MMOs ? I hardly doubt that.
And like i said, MMOs evolved into their own, seperate market after this one.
There were many MMOs before it, but WoW brought the concept out of the closet.
The same goes for Super Mario Bros, it wasnt the first platformer, its wasnt even the first scrolling platformer.
Pac-Land (now better known because it was featured as a stage in Smash 4) came first, was a huge revolution and pretty successfull too.
Yet, they chose Super Mario Bros because it became the go to game when it comes to platformers these days.
Just test it yourself: Ask around what the first game is they think of, when you say successfull Platformer / MMO and im pretty sure youll get the same games as the ones above.
A Hall of Fame entry has quite a lot to do with "everybody and their goldfishes knows them". And i dont know a single person who was even aware that Pac-Land existed before Smash 4 came around, me included.
But even moms will know about WoW, Super Mario, Tetris and Pac-Man.
Ask your own if she heard of WoW and EverQuest
I think the biggest game-changer of modern games was Mario 64, moreso than WOW. It's taken for granted now but that set the standard baseline for the future of 3rd person 3D adventure games
You could pretty much keep the list that. Actually, add Starcraft and Mario 64 and you're done. Minecraft in another 5 to 10 years.
WoW is the popularisation and biggest rpg of all time so you really don't need another one.
Really, keep the games to that, games that have been game changers and massive.
DooM is THE fps, no need for call of duty or halo as it invented the genre and was huge.
The more I think about it WoW is at least as culturally important as the other games, but it seems like everyone's initial reaction is that one of these things is not like the others
@Ferret Wouldn't be surprised if Starcraft is added later seeing that it not only helped popularize the rts, but is pretty much the only one widely known nowadays.
Very happy with the list, but ecstatic that Fifa & COD didn't make it. It still baffles me that they made the short list.
Shame about LOZ, but I guess we can't have our cake and...
Museums are always looking for nonsense to put inside. Seriously it is just an money thing. They want people to come inside their museum and gain attention that is all. NY is not the nicest of places at all. Many of the people might seem nice but they are not.
Like you have people who have been shielded from the real world while being guarded by people who have seen the worst of this world.
"Two of these titles are Nintendo-system classics" Technically, this can be taken one of two ways. Either only one of them (Super Mario Bros.) is actually considered to be a 'Nintendo-system classic', or three of them (including Tetris and Pac-Man) are. Tetris was a computer and arcade game long before it was a Nintendo game.
Also @BinaryFragger, the first mainstream MMORPG is either Ultima Online or Everquest. WoW is just the only one anyone still plays anymore
The ultimate Classic!
I saw the headline and teaser saying Super Mario Bros, Tetris, "and four other games," and I immediately thought Pong and Pac-Man. I wasn't sure about the next two, but I was hoping for Goldeneye (although Doom makes sense instead) and the Legend of Zelda.
Just a thought: The Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, so if the 30-year-anniversary thing holds any water, it might be on the docket for next year. Talk about an influential game!
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