The Strong National Museum of Play has announced the five games joining the World Video Game Hall of Fame this year: Asteroids, Mist, Resident Evil, Ultimaand SimCity. These five games beat out other classics like Neopets, Metroidand Tony Hawk’s professional skaterto claim a spot in the 10th class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
Last year, Barbie fashion designer, Computer Space The Last of Us and Wii Sports inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. The Class of 2024 inductees will join these titles as part of the Strong Museum’s World Video Game Hall of Fame Rotunda, which is part of the ESL Digital Worlds exhibit. A group called the International Advisory Selection Committee, which the Strong Museum says is made up of “journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games and their role in society,” votes on the games to be inducted. The public also voted, and the top three games voted by the public were added to one ballot.
These five games have influenced different parts of the video game industry, with Asteroids making its mark as Atari’s best-selling coin-operated arcade game; Mist in showcasing his iconic, imaginary world; SimCity by defining the city-building simulation genre; Ultima setting the tone for fantasy RPGs; and Resident Evil putting survival horror on the map. Here’s how the Strong Museum describes the games and their impact on the industry:
regarding asteroids: Released in 1979, Atari’s Asteroids offered players challenging gameplay, brilliant graphics and intense sound effects in an action-packed space setting. The game quickly replaced the popular one Space invaders in many arcades and sold more than 70,000 arcade units, becoming Atari’s best-selling coin-operated game. The home version of the game – available on the Atari 2600 – took the game’s popularity to new heights, bringing it into millions of living rooms.
Says Jeremy Saucier, assistant vice president of interpretation and electronic games, “Through endless variations and remakes on dozens of arcade, home, portable and mobile platforms, Asteroids made a simple yet challenging rock blaster into one of the most widely played and influential video games of all time.
regarding Mist: Published by Broderbund in 1993, Mist welcomes players into a mesmerizing world of mysterious puzzles and haunting sights. The game used early CD-ROM technology that offered large storage capacity but slow loading times. However, the discs meshed well with the game’s slow, contemplative style and allowed for a level of player immersion never before seen in PC gaming. Mist became the best-selling PC game of the 1990s, selling more than six million copies.
Says Christy Hissert, Collections Manager, “Few other games can compare Mistthe ability to open imaginary worlds. It was a work of artistic genius that captured the imagination of an entire generation of PC gamers, and its influence can be seen in many of today’s open-world games.”
regarding Resident Evil: Although it wasn’t the first horror video game, Resident Evil (or Biological hazard as it was known in Japan) was the first game to popularize the survival horror genre. Created by game director Shinji Mikami and released by Capcom in 1996. Resident Evil created a multi-billion dollar media franchise while helping to demonstrate that video games could offer adult entertainment to older teens and adults. As of 2022, films based on the Resident Evil franchise have grossed over $1.2 billion in total.
Says Lindsey Kurano, video game curator, “Resident EvilThe combination of incredible B-movie dialogue, gripping gameplay, and chilling tension made it a favorite of gamers looking for more mature video games, and helped establish one of gaming’s most enduring franchises.”
regarding SimCity: Released by Maxis in 1989, SimCity helped expand the video game audience by offering a city building simulator that appealed to both adults and children. Based on real-world urban design principles, it allowed players to build their own city and respond to ever-changing challenges. The game spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs – such as the 2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductee The Sims — and influenced the development of many city-building simulation games and even real-time strategy games such as Command and conquer and The Age of Empires.
Ariol Prater, Black play and culture researcher, says, “Sims are one of the oldest forms of video games, but few have had the popularity, influence or sustainability of SimCity. At a time when many people thought of video games as arcade shooters or console platformers, SimCity attracted players who wanted intellectually stimulating entertainment on their newly purchased PCs.
regarding Ultima: Ultimate: The First Age of Darkness helped define the PC RPG genre. Designed by Richard Garriott and released in 1981, Ultima combined RPG mechanics, a massive fictional world, and fantasy and science fiction themes. UltimaThe innovative gameplay laid the foundation for one of the most enduring and influential game franchises of all time (with eight sequels). Many top game designers credit it with the inspiration for their later RPGs, such as Dragon Quest and Final fantasy.
Says Andrew Borman, Director of Digital Preservation, “Ultima helped define the PC RPG genre. While it may not be a household name, the game and the series it spawned are legendary among RPG fans and game developers around the world.
