Since 2015, the Strong Museum's WorldVideo Game Hall of Fame has slowly but surely been collecting some of the medium's most influential experiences and presenting them on its website. From the likes of Halo: Combat Evolved and Mortal Kombat to Final Fantasy 7 and The Legend of Zelda, the collection is filled with essential classics that truly define what makes gaming such a unique art form.
This year's inductees have just recently been announced, with the new entrants ranging from some older, more formative gaming releases to one of the modern era's most iconic cornerstones. The winners of this year's spots have gone to Bejeweled, Centipede, King's Quest, and Minecraft, with each game easily deserving such lofty acclaim.
Naturally, the biggest stand out of this year's selections is Minecraft, with fans rallying behind the game getting put on the same pedestal as some of the medium's most historic titles. Speaking on why the title managed to stand alongside titles like Centipede and King's Quest, the digital curator of the National Museum of Play, claimed "The success of Minecraft speaks to the maturing of video games as a cultural touchstone," going on to highlight how "Minecraft features a retro simplicity that hearkens back to fondly remembered days of 8-bit computers." He also highlights the importance of the game in regards to the independent scene, reminding players that "Minecraft came of age at a time when indie gaming had emerged to give individual developers a greater say in the games they developed."
Of course, Centipede, King's Quest, and Bejeweled are also all incredibly deserving of such acclaim as well, with all three influencing major strides in their respective genres. Each of the games beat out a fairly stacked list of competitors, including GoldenEye, Frogger, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Guitar Hero, and Super Smash Bros Melee. Hopefully, these games will get their moment in the spotlight when the showcase inducts a batch of new games next year.
With this generation coming to a close, it seems many are looking back at what games could eventually be looked at as the most influential experiences of this generation of gaming. Naturally, many will look to the likes of God of War, The Witcher 3, and Breath of the Wild as majorly influential releases over the last few years, while it cannot be denied that Fortnite has been a massive shift for the industry. There's also, of course, The Last of Us 2, which released yesterday and is already being toted by many as a potential future classic.