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These Six Games Just Got Into Gaming Hall of Fame

Strong Museum's second wave of inductees include some of the most influential games ever.

35 Comments

Six more games have been added to The Strong National Museum of Play's World Video Game Hall of Fame following last year's inaugural class. This year's inductees include titles across many genres and decades.

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They are: Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders.

These games were chosen from a pool of 15 finalists. Games that were nominated but did not make it into the Hall of Fame this year included Elite, Final Fantasy, John Madden Football, Minecraft, Nürburgring, Pokemon Red and Green, Sid Meier's Civilization, Street Fighter II, and Tomb Raider.

Inductees for the World Video Game Hall of Fame include games that "have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general." More details about selection criteria can be seen here.

Last year, the following games became the first in the World Video Game Hall of Fame: Doom, Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft.

What do you make of this year's lineup of inductees? Let us know in the comments below!

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Johny_47

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Elder Scrolls Oblivion or Skyrim should definitely get a place in there, even if for its music alone ; )

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deactivated-57d7734d3cfbd

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Who are these people? Why do they have a Gaming Hall of Fame? Who voted? Why? Who the hell are these guys?

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Jimbowesker

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Happy to see Sonic & GTA 3 here but I feel like there also others who deserved a spot in this year's inductees way more. Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II to name a few. Resident Evil also remains a noteworthy mention.

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RGLGAThrawn

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Edited By RGLGAThrawn

I can see why GTA 3 got in. It popularized the open-world sandbox type of game. Yes, Shenmue came first, but GTA 3 was hands down the more influential and popular game.

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SloganYams

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Uhhh, Super Mario 64, anyone?

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rosinmonkekyx17

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Keep Minecraft out of the Gaming Hall of Fame please....

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Ixilion

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Of those that got in, I think The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hegehog and maybe Space Invaders definitely deserves the spot. Either way, congrats to the six games that got enshrined!

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xantufrog

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xantufrog  Moderator

hell yes to Sonic the Hedgehog and TLoZ. The others... all fun in their own way but not HoF material in my book

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SloganYams

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@xantufrog: Space Invaders definitely deserves a spot in any Hall of Fame for video games. The real question is why Super Mario 64 isn't there yet.

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deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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@xantufrog: It's not about fun, but impact on the industry in general.

In that sense, I have no idea how FF and SF2 didn't get in.

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deactivated-59ed237d0261a

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@Barighm: They will eventually.

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Mito-EVE

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Pokemon should've been added, in my opinion. Final Fantasy too, but I'm a huge Square fan, so that might be my bias towards them showing off a bit.

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deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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@mito-eve: There is nothing bias about the impact the FF franchise has had on the industry. Pokemon too for that matter.

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Blk_Mage_Ctype

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GTA3, seriously? How the hell did that game get in while Final Fantasy, Street Fighter II, and frickin' Pokemon didn't?
What criteria made GTA3 more relevant/noteworthy than all of those other games which made significantly more of an impact in the world of gaming?
Seriously, Final Fantasy was essentially the game which popularized JRPGs in America, Street Fighter II essentially popularized the fighting game genre, and Pokemon was a HUGE craze in late 90s/early 2000s which has remained popular for going on 3 decades! GTA3 was just a late-to-the-party "ooh, violence! So edgy!" video game with open-world, sandbox-style gameplay which had already been done better elsewhere.

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deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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@Blk_Mage_Ctype: GTA kicked off the GTA craze, so it's influential, although I totally agree with you. GTA should get in there at some point, but not before other more influential games.

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Dark_Mits

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How are these games being voted? GTA3 is in but Final Fantasy isn't? The Sims is in but Pokemon isn't?

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franklucito

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Out of all of those classics who built the foundation of gaming, GTA3 makes it? I call shenanigans.

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Ice12Tray

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@franklucito: GTA3 was groundbreaking and really changed the landscape of gaming. I fully think it's worthy, the sims though I would have left out.

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franklucito

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@ice12tray: I absolutely disagree. When Final Fantasy and Street Fighter 2 each solely defined and set the bar for their respective genres and way before GTA3 was even imagined, there's no reason you can give me that justifies GTA3 being inducted into the Hall of Fame before those two games. The Sims, on the other hand, I can kinda agree with you.

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franklucito

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@orionsangels: First of all: Really? Gonna resort to name calling? Real mature. Your opinion now means nothing to me. Secondly: I never said GTA didn't deserve an induction, I just meant that games who laid the foundation of the gaming industry should have been inducted first. So YOU calm down, GTA fanboi. I, on the other hand, was perfectly calm.

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Ice12Tray

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@franklucito: I agree Final Fantasy should have been in this years class (especially over the sims). No arguments whatsoever. While I also agree that Street Fighter 2 set the bar for fighting games, and should be inducted one day, that's the only genre it did set the bar for. It had no other impact on other genres while mechanics and themes from GTA 3 are used throughout all kinds of games today. I'm not saying that GTA3 should be inducted before anything else, just stating why I can understand.

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Dark_Mits

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@ice12tray: GTA3 didn't change anything in gaming. It is only known as a game with lots of sales. All other games that have appeared have actually had measurable effect in videogaming either by hundred of games trying to copy them, or by becoming real popular in pop culture.

If anything, GTA3 isn't even responsible for the popularity or springing of its sandbox genre. Shenmue is more responsible for that.

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Ice12Tray

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@Dark_Mits: Sadly, Shenmue is nothing more than a small cult hit worldwide.... And games do try to emulate and copy the grand theft auto formula... Nothing before it gave you that level of freedom with such critical acclaim and commercial success. If you were to poll people on the street, people would know about Grand Theft Auto (For better or worse)....

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deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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@ice12tray: But this isn't about popularity or sales. It's about influence. If Shenmue was the best title to begin the genre (I never played), then it should get in before GTA.

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Tithenion

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@Barighm: If you're gonna say that, then I would argue that Doom shouldn't be in there and instead it should have been Wolfenstein 3D. Wolfenstein did it before Doom, but ask anybody and Doom is what kicked off the FPS craze. That's why you had the term "Doom clone" for so long any time there was an FPS game.

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Ice12Tray

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Edited By Ice12Tray

@Barighm: Popularity is one of the factors in deciding these games (pop culture influence). And GTA 3 was much more critically acclaimed (currently holds a 97 metascore), Shenmue really was good not amazing in my opinion. It was just kind of there..... I honestly forgot the series existed until last years E3 when they asked for money to make a new one....

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Validifyed

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Edited By Validifyed

Im amazed the last 5 where not already in tbh...

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Ice12Tray

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Edited By Ice12Tray

@validifyed: well it is only in its second year.

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