Animal Crossing, StarCraft and more among 2021 nominees for World Video Game Hall of Fame
The Strong National Museum of Play recently announced the list of finalists for the 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York.
The 12 finalists up for induction include Animal Crossing, Call of Duty, FarmVille, FIFA International Soccer, Guitar Hero, Mattel Football, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Pole Position, Portal, StarCraft, Tron, and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?
The Strong announces the 2021 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists! Learn more at https://t.co/eZaqY3ecfg pic.twitter.com/fn0r1XFS1J
— The Strong Museum (@museumofplay) March 18, 2021
Since 2015, The World Video Game Hall of Fame has been recognizing individual electronic games of all types (arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile) that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general.
According to a news release by The Strong National Museum of Play, the games are judged based on four main categories, namely their icon-status or how the game is widely recognized and remembered; longevity, proving that games are more than a passing fad; geographical reach; and influence, or how the game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general.
Get a dose of nostalgia by taking a look back at the titles below and their lasting legacy throughout the years.
Animal Crossing
Nintendo’s Animal Crossing debuted in 2001 and found mass appeal with its open-ended social simulation and leisurely gameplay. Players took on the role of a human moving into a village filled with anthropomorphic animals. The game had no specific objective, giving players the freedom to complete activities and collect objects as they liked. The mellow gameplay proved a success with casual and advanced gamers alike, and it bred numerous sequels. The game’s latest installment for the Nintendo Switch proved a huge hit during the pandemic isolation of 2020, breaking the record for the most digital downloads of a console game in a single month (31 million worldwide).
Call of Duty
Released by Infinity Ward/Activision in 2003, Call of Duty helped popularize the cinematic, first-person war genre. Set during World War II, the game combined fast-pace action with a deep, rich narrative. Its squad-based, multiplayer mode provided a reason for gamers to return again and again. Call of Duty continues to generate sequels and spinoffs, and it was the catalyst for one of the best-selling electronic game franchises of all time with more than 300 million total units sold.
FarmVille
This free-to-play game from developer Zynga changed the video game industry and how people play online with its debut in 2009. Millions created their first social media account just to play this simple Flash game on Facebook. The basic mechanics of the game—plow, plant, and harvest to expand your agrarian business—charmed a wide range of social media users and made “gamers” out of people of all ages. In 2010, a year after launch, FarmVille boasted nearly 83 million active users per month, and it was succeeded by several sequels.
FIFA International Soccer
FIFA International Soccer was not the first sports simulation video game—nor even the first one about soccer—but it is the most popular sports game franchise of all time, with sales continually bolstered by annual releases from publisher Electronic Arts. First launched in 1993, the game garnered worldwide success and launched a franchise that has sold more than 325 million games by 2021.
Guitar Hero
Launched in 2005, Harmonix’s Guitar Hero challenged players to unleash their inner rock star by following on-screen notes and strumming to the beat of popular music on a plastic guitar. Its wide appeal, licensed music, and social gameplay spawned other similar titles, including the popular Rock Band. Activision, which acquired the game’s rights, released versions of Guitar Hero for nearly every platform, including home consoles, computers, and handheld and mobile devices. The Guitar Hero series has sold more than 25 million units worldwide and more than 60 million tracks, earning more than $2 billion.
Mattel Football
Released in 1977, Mattel Electronics Football was the first blockbuster handheld electronic game and introduced millions to portable gaming. Its popularity generated an entire segment of electronic toys and games and paved the way for handheld systems like Nintendo’s Game Boy and today’s mobile devices. In 2010, Time magazine named it one of its “All Time 100 Gadgets.”
Microsoft Flight Simulator
For nearly four decades, Microsoft Flight Simulator has provided millions of players endless hours of game play by providing highly realistic but intuitive recreations of real-life airplanes. Its simple premise and accessible content disguises the advanced programming that has made it so successful. Since its launch in 1982, the game has been regularly updated and remains the most popular, longest lasting, and most influential flying sim of all time.
Pole Position
First hitting arcades in 1982, Pole Position motored to the top of the racing game genre with its realistic gameplay. The game came in two configurations, and both included a steering wheel, gear shift, and gas pedal, thrusting players into the driver’s seat. Created by Namco and distributed in North America by Atari, the game became the highest grossing arcade game of 1983 in the United States. Atari ported the game to console systems, and it has been rereleased numerous times in the past three decades. It inspired many of the 3D racing games that followed.
Portal
Released by Valve Corporation in 2007 as part of a five-game compilation entitled The Orange Box, Portal became an unexpected breakout, often receiving more critical acclaim than the other four titles combined. Viewed as a major advance in puzzle games, Portal provided a unique gaming experience accompanied by witty dialogue, an ever-twisting plotline, and unforgettable characters. It sold a respectable four million copies, but it was most lauded for its technical and design achievements.
StarCraft
California-based developer Blizzard Entertainment took the real-time strategy genre to new heights in 1998 with the debut of StarCraft. The single-player mode of the immersive, science-fiction game proved popular, but the multiplayer mode, which included a ladder ranking system, turned it into the largest e-sports title of its day. Starcraft won multiple Game of the Year Awards, and generated its own lines of novels, graphic novels, licensed toys, clothing, and gaming accessories.
Tron
Midway’s Tron was the first arcade game paired with a Hollywood movie. When it entered the arcade in 1982, its combination of challenging gameplay, innovative cabinet design, and unique control grip made it a hit with gamers. The film entered theaters two months later, riding on the back of the game’s buzz, but the game ultimately outshone the movie, earning more than $60 million to the film’s $33 million in the U.S.. The film and game inspired a new film version in 2010—which spurred a new wave of console, PC, and mobile games—proving its cultural relevance even decades later.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Released by Brøderbund in 1995, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? spawned one of the best-selling “edutainment” franchises, combining education and entertainment. Designed for the first generation of graphic-enabled personal computers, the title made learning world geography fun for millions of students as they searched for the whereabouts of the mysterious Carmen Sandiego. The game, which launched several sequels, also inspired a hit show on American Public Broadcasting in the 1990s and an animated series on Netflix (2019-2021)—helping propel Carmen Sandiego and her world-traveling ways into the cultural zeitgeist.
In previous years, four to six games have been handpicked from the finalists list and gone on to enter the Hall of Fame.
Last years’s inductees included Minecraft, Bejeweled, Centipede, and King’s Quest.
The final picks for 2021 will be announced at The Strong museum on May 6 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
(Images courtesy of The Strong, Rochester, New York)