Sometimes it’s a mystery why the World Video Game Hall of Fame‘s International Selection Advisory Committee votes the way they do. But in other years, such as this year, you can definitely see the thought process behind the ballots.
For example, just look at FIFA International Soccer. The soccer sim from EA Sports has made multiple appearances as a finalist for induction to the Hall of Fame. But with an actual World Cup looming in the not-too-distant future (and in North America, no less), it easily made the cut as part of the Class of 2026.
“EA Sports FIFA was an instant success,” said Jeremy Saucier, the Vice President for Interpretation and Electronic Games at the Strong Museum of Play. “Despite launching in December of 1993, it was the best-selling game in Europe for that year. Given soccer’s worldwide popularity, it had a larger global imprint than other popular sports titles.”
The Strong Museum of Play announced a total of four inductees this year, and you can also clearly see the seams behind the selections of Enix’s Dragon Quest and Konami’s Silent Hill. Both franchises benefited from the release of at least one critically-acclaimed remake over the last two years, and several promising new adventures are in the works. The best time to honor both games was definitely now.
“It would be difficult to imagine the modern roleplaying games without Dragon Quest,” said Lindsey Kurano, the Strong’s Electronic Games Curator “While Dragon Quest’s popularity has always been greater in Japan than abroad, it’s influence on the gaming industry and other iconic RPG games is undeniable.”
“More than its clear commercial success, Silent Hill’s significance lay in the ways that it pushed the horror genre in new, psychological directions that engaged players’ emotions as much as their reflexes,” said Andrew Borman, the Director of Digital Preservation at the Strong.
Finally this year, Rovio’s Angry Birds was picked as part of the Class of 2026. Unless I missed it, there wasn’t any kind of catalyzing force that helped push Angry Birds over the top. But its bird-smashing gameplay was novel on mobile devices in 2009 and is just as fun today.
“Angry Birds helped launch not only billions of birds but the entire mobile gaming revolution,” Kristy Hisert, the Strong’s Director of Collections Management. “It shattered records and helped transform people’s relationships with the palm-sized communication and gaming devices they carry in pockets and purses.”
A total of 53 games have now been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame since its opening in 2015. All of the games will be included as part of the next update to the Video Game Canon, which is currently scheduled for later this year. And don’t forget, you can get a jump on nominating a game for consideration for next year’s group of finalists at MuseumOfPlay.org
The global recognition of the Japanese RPG can be placed squarely at the feet of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, which launched outside of Japan within 12 months of each other in 1989-1990. But interestingly, the genre itself goes back much further than you might realize, and you’d need to take a detour that goes through Sir-Tech’s Wizardry, Koei’s Dragon and Princess, and Tetris to get the full picture.
