The Strong Museum of Play will open a World Video Game Hall of Fame this summer. They're now accepting nominations for the hall's inaugural class.
“There is no other video game award and recognition program such as this, which focuses solely on individual game titles across platforms and their impact over time and across international borders,” said G. Rollie Adams, president and CEO of the Rochester, New York-based museum. "Our experience with the museum’s National Toy Hall of Fame—which receives widespread international attention each year—provides both a proven model for such a hall of fame and evidence that it can advance understanding and appreciation of the impact of video games on culture and society. Electronic games have changed how people play, learn, and connect with each other, including across boundaries of culture and geography."
The World Video Game Hall of Fame will recognize arcade, console, PC, handheld, and mobile games. To be considered, they must meet one or more of these criteria
- Icon-status: the game is widely recognized and remembered.
- Longevity: the game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time.
- Geographical reach: the game meets the above criteria across international boundaries.
- Influence: The game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general. A game may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.
The Strong Museum will induct the first class of the Hall of Fame by June 2015. You can nominate games through this online form from now until March 31st. The form asks you, among other things, to explain why the game in question is important to you.
"Final selections will be made on the advice of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society," the Hall of Fame's website says.
The Strong describes itself as a museum "devoted to the history and exploration of play." Its collection of electronic games and related historical materials has over 55,000 items now. The museum also has over 350,000 other objects related to play including board games, dolls, toys and books.
The inductees will be displayed in a section of the museum's eGamesRevolution section. eGamesRevolution has a wide range of interactive exhibits so visitors can "play their way through video game history." For example, they can use a create pixel art on a giant electronic wall, play a super-sized game of Tetris or test their skills in an arcade filled with dozens of games. Some of the games featured in their arcade now range from recent releases like Jetpack Joyride and Guitar Hero to old classics like Galaga and Centipede.
The museum also features artifacts from video game history. The historical items on display include notes and drawings from famous designers like SimCity creator Will Wright.
It's unclear how many games will be part of the Hall of Fame's first class. I hope they keep the number low so each of the inductees gets the proper amount of spotlight. The flood of end-of-the-year and convention awards have cheapened praise for video games. It would be nice if there was an honor out there that still, I don't know, meant something. Having only, say, ten inductees per year for this Hall of Fame would be much more meaningful than a hundred.
