Video Game Hall of Fame 2016 Inducts 'Legend of Zelda,' 'Sonic,' Other Fan Favorites - The Complete List
The National Museum of Play inducted six games to the World Video Game Hall of Fame on May 5. This year's inductees, chosen from 15 finalists, are "Sonic," "The Legend of Zelda," "Grand Theft Auto III," "The Oregon Trail," "The Sims," and "Space Invaders."
This year's winners span multiple decades and different platforms but all have made significant contributions and influence not only to the video game industry but also in popular culture and society in general.
Sega's "Sonic" and Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda" are both popular games that have spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs. "Sonic," which was the first balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade that was inspired from a video game, was even adapted in a television show and comics. Meanwhile, "The Legend of Zelda" with its non-linear gameplay is thought to have paved the way for other popular role-playing and action-adventure games.
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Speaking of which, the critically acclaimed RPG "GTA III" is another inductee. It reignited debates about violence in games and thanks to its mainstream popularity, it became a model for many open-world games that followed, according to Jeremy Saucier, assistant director of The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
Another game that broke the mold was the virtual dollhouse game "The Sims." It provided players with flexibility on how they want to tell the game's story. The best-selling PC game franchise "radically expanded the notion of what a game could be," said Jon-Paul Dyson, director of The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
Wrapping up the list of inductees are two oldies but goodies titles, "The Oregon Trail" and "Space Invaders." The latter introduced the "high score" box that's common in arcade games. Meanwhile, "The Oregon Trail," created at a time when access to computers was rare, taught its players American history and showed how games can be used in education and learning.
"Final Fantasy," "Minecraft," "Tomb Raider," "Pokemon Red and Green," "Street Fighter II," "Elite," "John Madden Football," "Sid Meier's Civilization," and "Nurburging" were nominated but didn't make in 2016 but there's always next year. Anyone can nominate any game on any platform and winners will be selected by a panel composed of journalists, scholars, and "other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society."
The World Video Game Hall of Fame was inaugurated last year and inducted "Super Mario Bros.," "Pac-Man," "Tetris," "World of Warcraft," "Pong," and "Doom."
