GTA III, The Sims among 2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees
The Strong museum in Rochester, New York has announced its second annual list of games inducted into its Hall of Fame
Last June, the World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York introduced six games into its inaugural class: Pong, Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., DOOM, and World of Warcraft. Today, the museum unveiled another six inductees as its 2016 class: Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders.
Just like the previous year, the inductees were voted on (the editor of this website was on the voting committee for a second year in a row) from 15 finalists that also included Elite, Final Fantasy, John Madden Football, Minecraft, Nürburgring, Pokémon Red and Green, Sid Meier's Civilization, Street Fighter II, and Tomb Raider. Criteria for induction into the Hall of Fame included a game's icon status, its longevity (well remembered and popular over many, many years), its geographical reach, and its influence on other designers, games and society overall. Inductees will join previous games on display in The Strong's eGameRevolution exhibit.
It's hard to pick one standout from the incredible 2016 class, but Will Wright's The Sims is notable for being a video game to truly broaden the demographic. The franchise has sold upwards of 200 million units and is the best-selling PC game series in the industry's history. "The game has had universal appeal, with female players outnumbering males, and adults as passionate about the game as children," said Jon-Paul Dyson, director of The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games. "And by turning the computer into a toy to explore the complexity of the human experience, The Sims radically expanded the notion of what a game could be."
Check out what The Strong had to say about the other Hall of Fame inductees here.