World Video Game Hall of Fame
The World Video Game Hall of Fame is an international hall of fame for video games. The hall's administration is overseen by The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games, and is located at The Strong [National Museum of Play] in Rochester, New York, United States. The museum began the International Center for the History of Electronic Games in 2009, announced the formation of the hall of fame in February 2015, and opened it on June 4, 2015. It is located in a dedicated part of the "ESL Digital Worlds: High Score" exhibit at the National Museum of Play; prior to an expansion of the museum in 2023 it was located in the museum's "eGameRevolution" exhibit. The Strong has also run the National Toy Hall of Fame since 2002.
Video games become eligible for the World Video Game Hall of Fame by meeting four criteria:
- Icon Status – is widely recognized and remembered
- Longevity – is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time
- Geographical Reach – meets the above criteria across international boundaries
- Influence – 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
In the eleven years that the hall of fame has been open, 49 games have been inducted out of 85 nominated. Many of those games have been nominated multiple times. In some cases, the hall may list the first game in a series of similar titles as a proxy for the entire series, such as with The Oregon Trail series or the FIFA International Soccer/''FIFA series. Nintendo has been the developer of the most games inducted with seven, out of a total of eleven nominations of eight games. Atari has had three games inducted out of six nominations of those three games, and Blizzard Entertainment, Capcom, id Software, and Maxis have had two games inducted. Seven other developers have had more than one game nominated. Minecraft has had the most nominations of any game at four and was then inducted, while FIFA International Soccer, Angry Birds, Guitar Hero, and NBA 2K are tied for the most nominations without being inducted at three. The earliest game to be nominated is Spacewar! from 1962, while the latest is The [Last of Us (video game)|The Last of Us]'' from 2013, both of which have been inducted.
Inductees and finalists
* Inductees** Finalists that were inducted in a later year
Other finalists