Joining The Oregon Trail in the second induction class were Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog and Space Invaders.
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And representing the aughts are The Sims (2000) and Grand Theft Auto III (2001): very different titles that signalled a grown-up gaming revolution.
Seven years later, Tomohiro Nishikado released Space Invaders in Japan, where players had to zap incoming 8-bit aliens.
Which games do you believe should be inducted next year?
The Strong, which also houses the National Toy Hall of Fame, opened the World Video Game Hall of Fame previous year to recognize electronic games of all types – arcade, console, computer, hand-held and mobile.
“Although a handful of shooter games preceded Space Invaders, its runaway success, innovative features, compelling graphics, and elemental themes captured the public imagination, spurring many imitators and a craze for arcade games”, said The Strong’s International Center for the Historic of Electronic Games assistant director Jeremy Saucier in a statement.
Some of the titles which were considered for this year’s honour but missed out (and which we might assume will make a return next year) include Elite, Final Fantasy, Minecraft, Pokemon, Tomb Raider and Street Fighter II.
The title sold 14.5 million copies by 2008.
Established in 2015, the World Video Game Hall of Fame honors video games from all genres and platforms based on their excellence in displaying icon-status, longevity, geographical reach, and influence.
Oregon Trail, in which the player controls a wagon of settlers crossing the West in the early days of American settlement, is fondly remembered by many for its fun approach to education as well as its difficulty, which saw players frequently “die” of dysentery.
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“Each of these games modeled for other games what sort of plays were possible, said Jon-Paul Dyson, with the Strong Museum of Play”. It also inspired the first video game-themed balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
