WORLD VIDEO GAME HALL OF FAME: The Strong’s World Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, has announced the 12 finalists for induction: Animal Crossing, Call of Duty, FarmVille, FIFA International Soccer, Guitar Hero, Mattel Football, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Pole Position, Portal, StarCraft, Tron, and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?
“These 12 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists—from true classics like the handheld Mattel Football or much newer browser and mobile games like FarmVille—have all been culturally influential and impacted the video game industry,” says Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games. “Whether it’s the white-knuckle fun of the racing classic Pole Position, the more cerebral gameplay of the puzzler Portal, or the rocking good times of Guitar Hero, these finalists embody what it means to be a good game.”
The World Video Game Hall of Fame received thousands of nominations for consideration for the 2021 class.
The three games that receive the most public votes will form one ballot and will join the other ballots submitted by members of the International Selection Advisory Committee, which is made up of journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games and their role in society. (The public, collectively, will have the weight of one judge.)
The final inductees will be announced in a virtual ceremony by The Strong museum at 10:30 a.m. May 6.
Anyone can nominate a game to the World Video Game Hall of Fame and view past inductees at worldvideogamehallofame.org.
