There's no denying that video games have had an enormous impact on the world. Heading to the arcade was the thing for teens to do in the late '70s and early '80s. Mario is one of the most recognizable figures in pop culture. These days, slapping your name on a mobile game is like the true mark of fame (cough cough Kim Kardashian cough cough).
So that's why hearing the news that The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y. has established a World Video Game Hall of Fame doesn't surprise so much as it inspires the question, "What took them so long?"
The Strong announced the launch of the Hall of Fame yesterday, and it will celebrate games of all types of media, including arcade, console 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 the announcement.
This will be the first "video game award and recognition program" of its kind, The Strong's President and CEO G. Rollie Adams said in a release. Games will be inducted into the Hall of Fame based on the criteria of icon-status, longevity, geographical reach and influence. However, a game can be inducted based on its influence alone.
Obviously, there have been so, so many video games released over the years, it's going to be difficult to narrow down the field for the inaugural class. On its own, The Strong already has a collection of 55,000 video games and artifacts.
That's where you come in. The Strong wants to know what video games you think should be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in June 2015. If you've got a title that you think fits the above criteria, you can head on over to this nomination form to make a case for why you think it deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. You have until March 31 to do so.
So what do you think? Should Pong be inducted for being such a game changer (ha!)? Should The Sims grab a spot as a way to atone for all of the Sims you "accidentally" killed? Or should Candy Crush Saga make it in for its influence on your Facebook experience, i.e. making it so much worse with the 189 notifications your friends send you about the game every day. Please stop that, you guys.
The Strong is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame, so adding on the World Video Game Hall of Fame seems fitting for this museum. Although, with inductees such as a ball, blanket and bubbles at the National Toy Hall of Fame, let's hope the World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees, whatever they end up being, are a little more exciting.
