The World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play celebrates the best of video games, no matter the decade they were played.
From a list of 12 finalists, decided on by fans, the hall of fame chose four winners based on the advice of journalists, scholars, and others in the video game industry. The 2020 inductees represent games from different times and different countries. Each has significantly affected not just the video game industry but pop culture and society in general. And the winners are … Bejeweled, Centipede, King’s Quest, and Minecraft.
These games beat other nominees, such as Super Smash Bros. Melee, Uncharted 2, and Guitar Hero. They were chosen for their devoted fanbases and unique gameplay.
Bejeweled popularized the “match three” type of puzzle and is the first mobile game added to the hall of fame. The nostalgia-inducing game Centipede is credited with diversifying the video game industry, as one of the only female programmers at the time was on the team that created it. Fans think of it immediately when thinking of arcade games, the hall of fame says. King’s Quest is another nostalgic game, but one that is thought of as the first of its kind. It has influenced dozens of adventure games. There’s nothing to say about Minecraft that you haven’t already heard from your younger brother. It offers unlimited opportunities for creativity and has taken the world by storm within the last 11 years.
Inductees can be found on the second floor of The Strong, which plans to reopen soon. Until then, fans of play can take a stroll through it virtually right here.
