The Strong National Museum of Play has announced the 12 games nominated for the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2024: Asteroids, elite, Guitar Hero, Metroid, Myst, Neopets, Resident Evil, Tokimeki Memorial, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Ultima, And You don’t know Jack.
“This year’s finalists will have the honor of being inducted into the tenth class of inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame,” said Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games , in a statement. “Even after ten years, there is no shortage of deserving candidates who have had a huge impact on pop culture or the gaming industry itself. These games span decades. Asteroids is an icon of the arcades of the late 70s. Myst showed the potential of CD-ROM technology in the 90s. Neopets became a staple of browser-based, free-to-play games in the early 2000s. And Guitar herowhich is not even 20 years old, has already proven its staying power.”
The audience will vote for their favorites on the World Video Game Hall of Fame website, and the top three games are added to a ballot. The other ballots are submitted by the International Selection Advisory Committee, which, according to The Strong Museum, includes “journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.” Public voting is open March 14-21. The nominees will be announced at an in-person ceremony on May 9th.
Last year, Barbie fashion designer, Computer room, The last of usAnd Wii Sports
In a press release, The Strong Museum explained why every game deserves a place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame:
Asteroids: Published in 1979, Atari’s Asteroids offered players challenging gameplay, vibrant graphics and intense sound effects in an action-packed space environment. The game quickly replaced the popular game Space Invaders in many arcades and sold more than 70,000 arcade units, becoming Atari’s best-selling coin-operated game. The home version of the game – available on the Atari 2600 – took the game’s popularity to new levels and brought it into millions of living rooms.
elite: Developed in Great Britain and released in 1984, elite pioneered innovative 3D graphics and the idea of open-world gaming by allowing players to pilot ships that roamed the galaxy. The expansive universe and strategy elements helped spawn a generation of games with endless gameplay options, such as: Grand Theft Auto 3 And Eva Online. elite proved to be one of the most popular games of the British PC boom of the 1980s and had a dramatic impact on the design of other games.
Guitar Hero: Harmonix’s was founded in 2005 Guitar hero challenged players to unleash their inner rock star by following notes on the screen and strumming a plastic guitar to the beat of popular music. Its wide appeal, licensed music, and social gameplay spawned other similar titles, including the popular Rock band. Activision, which acquired the rights to the game, released versions of it Guitar hero for almost every platform, including home consoles, computers, and handheld and mobile devices. The Guitar hero The series has sold more than 25 million units and more than 60 million titles worldwide and grossed more than $2 billion.
Metroid: Nintendo’s Metroid was launched in 1986 and transported players to a futuristic world full of innovative adventures and impressive music. The game combined Nintendo’s platform Super Mario Bros. and non-linear story elements The Legend of Zeldaand offers a new gaming experience. The protagonist Samus also gave the gaming industry the first playable human female character in mainstream video games. The game launched a franchise of 13 core titles that has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
Mystic: Published by Broderbund in 1993, Myst welcomed players to a fascinating world full of mysterious puzzles and haunting vistas. The game used early CD-ROM technology, which offered high storage capacity but slow loading times. However, the discs fit well with the game’s slow, thoughtful style and allowed for the creation of an immersive world. Myst became the best-selling computer game in the 1990s, selling more than six million copies.
Neopets: When Neopets launched in 1999, it quickly became a staple of browser-based, free-to-play games. Neopia’s online world allows players to explore different lands, care for pets, and engage in a robust social component, including the ability to chat with other players and create guilds. Neopets also demonstrated the Internet’s potential for gaming and served as a testing ground for cybersecurity mechanisms and immersive advertising. At its peak in 2005 Neopets had 25 million active users and is still very popular more than two decades later.
Resident Evil: Although it wasn’t the first horror video game, resident Evil (or Biohazard as it was called in Japan) was the first game to popularize the survival horror genre. Created by game director Shinji Mikami and published by Capcom in 1996, resident Evil spawned a multi-billion dollar media franchise while showing that video games could provide adult entertainment for older teens and adults. In 2022, films based on the Resident Evil series grossed a total of more than $1.2 billion.
SimCity: Published by Maxis in 1989, SimCity helped expand the audience for video games by offering a city-building simulator that appealed to both adults and children. Based on real-world city-building principles, it allowed players to build their own city and respond to ever-changing problems. The game spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs – such as being inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame The Sims– and influenced the development of many city-building simulation games and even real-time strategy games Command and conquer And Age of Empires.
Tokimeki monument: Konami’s Tokimeki monument brought a cohesive narrative, colorful graphics, unprecedented depth of choice, and addictive gameplay to the dating simulator genre after its launch in 1994. Although it was never localized outside of Japan, its influence on game design was far-reaching, paving the way for graphic adventure games, visual novels, dating sims, and role-playing games to invest more in personal relationships as part of their gameplay loop.
Tony Hawk’s professional skater: Launched in 1999 by Neversoft/Activision, Tony Hawk’s professional skater brought the sport and culture of skateboarding into millions of homes. Players flew off ramps and jumps and used the environment as a playground to perform top tricks, all with an unforgettable soundtrack. The legendary Tony Hawk himself said that the game “simultaneously boosted and eclipsed my career.” The success led to sequels that generated around $1.4 billion in sales.
Ultimate: Ultima: The First Age of Darkness helped define the computer role-playing game genre. Designed by Richard Garriott and published in 1981, Ultimate combined role-playing mechanics, a huge fictional world, and fantasy and science fiction themes. UltimateThe innovative gameplay laid the foundation for one of the most enduring and influential gaming franchises of all time (with eight sequels). Many top game designers credit him with inspiring their later role-playing games, such as: Dragon Quest And Final Fantasy.
You don’t know Jack: The developers of You don’t know Jack reimagined the television game show format for home video game markets. debut in 1995, You don’t know Jack combined witty questions with humor in a multi-player party game. Sequels and spin-offs continue to be popular on Facebook and mobile platforms, and Steam versions were extremely popular during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
