Six New Entries In Video Game Hall Of Fame

Space Invaders is among six titles in the second class of inductions for the World Video Game Hall of Fame. It joins Grand Theft Auto III, Oregon Trail, Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog and the Sims.

The hall already includes Doom, Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros, Tetris and World of Warcraft, all inducted last year.

The hall is housed at The Strong, which calls itself the National Museum of Play. It’s a physical museum in Rochester, New York and covers games and toys of all types.

While the precise selection system for the games isn’t publicly detailed, the museum says it is based on “the advice of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.”

In most cases an inductee must meet three criteria: it is “widely recognized and remembered”, has remained popular over time, and has widespread appeal. However, the key element is the game’s influence on other games, other forms of entertainment, or even culture and society as a whole; a particularly influential game can be inducted even if it doesn’t meet all of the other three criteria.

The newly inducted games will join last year’s class as permanent exhibits in the museum’s video game section.