Video Game Hall of Fame Announces 2016 Finalists

Anyone who seriously ponders the future of video games and its place in the development and growth of humanity’s culture has probably spared a thought or two for how seriously messed up our ability to archive games are. We’ve been gaming for 40+ years and even still, our ability to record-keep and play the games that formed the foundation for the games we play today is severely limited. And while the folks at The Strong National Museum of Play can’t say they’re completely solving the problem, they’re at least making a spirited attempt to mitigate some of the loss via the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

While it’s not able to capture every game that’s helped define us, last year it was able to nominate six of the more influential games into the exhibit: Pong, Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., DOOM, and World of Warcraft. Well, it’s a new year, which means a new batch of games are being considered into to the fold, and this year, the competition to see who will actually make the cut looks pretty intense.

First of all, to be considered, a game has to score highly in four different categories:

• Icon-status - the game is widely recognized and remembered
• Longevity - the game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time
• Geographical reach - the game meets the above criteria across international boundaries
• Influence - 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.

And 15 games met those high standards this year, so it’s up to the judges to determine which six are most worthwhile from this: The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders, The Sims and Pokemon Red and Green, Elite, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto III, John Madden Football, Nurburgring, Sid Meier's Civilization, Street Fighter II, and Tomb Raider.

We won't’ know who makes the cut till later, May 5th, but it’s quite the promising batch! Looking forward to seeing which are considered the cream of the crop!