The Strong Museum has announced that their 2017 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists include Final Fantasy VII, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and more. The final inductees will be revealed on Thursday, May 4 during a special ceremony at the museum, which is located in Rochester, New York.
The Strong Museum received thousands of nominations for the 2017 class (anyone can nominate a game), and these are the 12 finalists:
- Donkey Kong
- Final Fantasy VII
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Microsoft Windows Solitaire
- Mortal Kombat
- Myst
- Pokemon Red and Green
- Portal
- Resident Evil
- Street Fighter II
- Tomb Raider
- Wii Sports
Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, said:
These 12 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists span decades, gaming platforms, and countries of origin – but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on the world of gaming and popular culture. Whether it’s a pop culture icon like Donkey Kong, an innovator and true original like Portal, or a game like Wii Sports that transformed millions of living rooms into interactive zones for all ages, they’re among the most influential games of all time.
The final inductees are “chosen with guidance from an international selection advisory committee made up of journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.” The biggest criteria an inductee has to meet is influence, but icon-status, longevity, and geographical reach are also considered.
Previous inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame include DOOM, Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail, Pac-Man, Pong, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft.
Which game(s) do you think should be inducted?
[Source: The Strong Museum via GameSpot]
