Bejeweled, Centipede, King's Quest, and Minecraft are the latest games to be inducted into The Video Game Hall of Fame.
The longlist – which also included Frogger, GoldenEye 007, Guitar Hero, NBA Jam, Nokia Snake, Super Smash Brothers Melee, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? – was originally shared back in March 2020. But only four made it the whole distance, voted by the International Selection Advisory Committee and a public vote, which made up one of the 30 nominations.
Today at 1:00 - inductees for @museumofplay World Video Game Hall of Fame! Who will make it?Bejeweled, Centipede, Frogger, GoldenEye 007, Guitar Hero, King’s Quest, Minecraft, NBA Jam, Nokia Snake, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Uncharted 2 or Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?June 18, 2020
"These 12 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists all significantly influenced the development of video games or popular culture," said Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, when the longlist was announced.
"Together, these games help tell the story of the gaming industry and its influence on society. Nokia Snake proved that mobile devices could be gaming platforms, and Bejeweled took that idea to new heights. Centipede was a hit in the early arcade, and Frogger jumped out of the arcade to become a pop culture icon. King’s Quest changed the adventure genre of games forever, and a game like Uncharted 2 pushed the boundaries of video game storytelling and art."
“The success of Minecraft speaks to the maturing of video games as a cultural touchstone,” said Andrew Borman, the digital games curator for the National Museum of Play (thanks, Comic Book). “No longer do game creators need to be obsessed about having the most realistic looking graphics.
"Minecraft features a retro simplicity that hearkens back to fondly remembered days of 8-bit computers. Minecraft came of age at a time when indie gaming had emerged to give individual developers a greater say in the games they developed, and no game is a better representative of this movement than this bestselling hit creation.”
As Heather summarised back when Former president of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, was inducted, The Hall of Fame – which is based in Ottumwa, Iowa – was established in 2010 to honour "the luminaries of the video game age and to preserve the artifacts and memorabilia generated by this dynamic industry."
There's a lot to get excited about in gaming this year. Here are the upcoming games of 2020 we really just can't wait for.
