Strong Museum’s World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists announced

Evan Bourtis News10NBC

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Arcade classic Computer Space and ultra-realistic basketball simulation NBA 2K are some of the video games that could be inducted into the Rochester-based World Video Game Hall of Fame this year.

The Strong National Museum of Play announced the 12 finalists for the hall of fame on Wednesday. The public and experts will vote to decide which of the finalists will be inducted during a virtual ceremony at Strong Museum on Thursday, May 4.

The finalists are:

  • Age of Empires
  • Angry Birds
  • Barbie Fashion Designer
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
  • Computer Space
  • FIFA International Soccer
  • GoldenEye 007
  • The Last of Us
  • NBA 2K
  • Quake
  • Wii Sports
  • Wizardry

The public can vote on the website for Strong Museum between March 15-22. Members of the International Selection Advisory Committee, made up of journalists and scholars who have studied video games, will also have a say.

The committee will judge video games based on their longevity, international reach, and influence on culture to determine if they’ve achieved “icon status”.

One of the video games chosen as a finalist, The Last of Us, has become a hit TV show on HBO. In addition, Computer Space was the first arcade machine, Angry Birds turned millions of smartphone users into gamers, and FIFA International Soccer is a worldwide best-seller with an updated version nearly every year.

“It’s always difficult to narrow the World Video Game Hall of Fame nominations down to just 12 finalists because there are so many games that have had an enormous influence on popular culture or the video game industry itself. This year’s finalists are some heavy-hitters,” said Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games.

The museum started the hall of fame in 2015 to recognize the impact that video games have on pop culture. Last May, voters inducted four video games out of 12 finalists. The games inducted last year were Ms. Pac-Man, Dance Dance Revolution, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Sid Meier’s Civilization.