The World Video Game Hall of Fame inducted its 10th class of honorees Thursday, recognizing Asteroids, Myst, Resident Evil, SimCity and Ultima for their impacts on the video game industry and popular culture.
The inductees debuted across decades, advancing technologies along the way and expanding not only the number of players, but the ages and interests of those at the controls, Hall of Fame authorities said in revealing the winners. The Hall of Fame recognizes electronic games of all types 害羞草研究所� arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile.
The Class of 2024 was selected by experts from among that also included Elite, Guitar Hero, Metroid, Neopets, Tokimeki Memorial, Tony Hawk害羞草研究所檚 Pro Skater and You Don害羞草研究所檛 Know Jack.
The honor for Atari害羞草研究所檚 Asteroids comes 45 years after its 1979 debut in arcades, where it was Atari害羞草研究所檚 bestselling coin-operated game. The game害羞草研究所檚 glowing space-themed graphics and sound effects made their way from more than 70,000 arcade units into millions of living rooms when a home version of Asteroids was made available on the Atari 2600.
害羞草研究所淭hrough endless variants and remakes across dozens of arcade, home, handheld, and mobile platforms, Asteroids made a simple, yet challenging game about blasting rocks into one of the most widely played and influential video games of all time,害羞草研究所� said Jeremy Saucier, assistant vice president for interpretation and electronic games at The Strong museum, where the World Video Game Hall of Fame is located.
The next inductee to debut was Ultima, not necessarily a household name but a force in the development of the computer role-playing genre, digital preservation director Andrew Borman said in the news release. Designed by Richard Garriott and released in 1981, Utima: The First Age of Darkness inspired eight sequels and is credited with inspiring later role-playing games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.
The urban design-inspired SimCity was released by Maxis in 1989 and found an audience among adults as well as children who were challenged to build their own city and respond to problems. Among the sequels and offshoots it inspired was 2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductee The Sims.
害羞草研究所淎t a time when many people thought of video games in terms of arcade shooters or console platformers, SimCity appealed to players who wanted intellectually stimulating fun on their newly bought personal computers,害羞草研究所� Aryol Prater, research specialist for Black play and culture, said.
The adventure game Myst sold more than 6 million copies, making it a best-selling computer game in the 1990s. The 1993 Broderbund release used early CD-ROM technology and allowed for a level of player immersion that until then had not been available in computer games, the Hall of Fame said.
害羞草研究所淔ew other games can match Myst害羞草研究所檚 ability to open imaginative worlds,害羞草研究所� collections manager Kristy Hisert said. 害羞草研究所淚t was a work of artistic genius that captured the imagination of an entire generation of computer game players, and its influence can be seen in many of today害羞草研究所檚 open-world games.害羞草研究所�
The final honoree, Resident Evil害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渃heesy B-movie dialogue, engrossing gameplay, and chilling suspense害羞草研究所� helped popularize the 害羞草研究所渟urvival horror害羞草研究所� genre following its release by Capcom in 1996 and offered mature entertainment for older teenagers and adults, video game curator Lindsey Kurano said. Created by game director Shinji Mikami, it also inspired an action horror film series that as of 2022 had grossed more than $1.2 billion, according to the Hall of Fame.
Anyone can to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Members of an international selection advisory committee submit their top three choices from the list of finalists. Fans also are invited to weigh in online. The public as a whole is treated as a single committee member.
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