The World Video Game Hall of Fame has released the list of 12 finalist for 2019's inductions. The 12 finalists for this year are:
1. Candy Crush
2. Centipede
3. Colossal Cave Adventure
4. Dance Dance Revolution
5. Half-Life
6. Microsoft Windows Solitaire
7. Mortal Kombat
8. Myst
9. NBA 2K
10. Sid Meier’s Civilization
11. Super Mario Kart
12. Super Smash Bros. Melee
What game do you think should be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Vote for your favorite in the Player’s Choice ballot. #videogamehall https://t.co/Xd4Xgv6a4V pic.twitter.com/7fHydcIw8w
— The Strong Museum (@museumofplay) March 21, 2019
The award was started in 2015 with the goal of highlighting video games that have made a strong impact on society. In its first year, 15 games were nominated, with six making it into the Hall of Fame. The original class included Doom, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft. For each successive years, the format would have hold-over finalists from the previous years with new finalists added.
Minecraft, despite its popularity with the young generation, has been a finalist three times, but has yet to be inducted. So far, the oldest inductee is The Oregon Trail, which was released in 1971.
While anyone can nominate a game, the game needs to meet four criteria. The first is that it has to have icon status, meaning it needs to be both remembered and recognized. Second is that the game has to have longevity. What this means is that the game’s popularity was not a passing fad, and has continued over the years. Geographical reach means that it has reached icon status and has longevity, even in other countries. Finally the fourth criteria is that the game has had an effect on how other games have been developed or designed. The same influence should also be seen on other types of entertainment, popular culture, or society in general.
According to Director Jon-Paul C. Dyson, the finalists this year span not only decades but even country of origin and gaming platforms. He added that there is no question that this year’s finalist are indeed among the most influential games of all time. Colossal Cave Adventure, for example, is known to be the first text adventure game and has influenced countless games in its genre and adventure games in general. This is also the oldest finalist. The youngest is mobile game behemoth Candy Crush.
The inductees will be revealed on May 2 at The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York.
To view the 12 finalists and read about them, you can visit the site here.
