The first commercial video game and the first one marketed to girls are headed to the World B次元官网网址 Game Hall of Fame, alongside a post-apocalyptic nail-biter and a system that made gamers out of grandparents.
Computer Space, Barbie Fashion Designer, and Wii Sports were announced Thursday as the Hall of FameB次元官网网址檚 class of 2023.
The Hall of Fame honors arcade, console, computer, handheld and mobile games that have influenced popular culture or the video game industry. This yearB次元官网网址檚 additions bring to 40 the number of games to be enshrined since its opening at The Strong museum in 2015.
The winners were voted in by a panel of experts from that also included Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, FIFA International Soccer, Goldeneye 007, NBA 2K, Quake and Wizardry.
Nutting AssociatesB次元官网网址� coin-operated Computer Space appeared in 1971 as the first commercial video game and was recognized for proving that video games could reach paying audiences outside of the labs where they were being developed. It didnB次元官网网址檛 garner the kind of commercial success that would bring video games to the masses, according to the hall, but it did lay the foundation for the gaming industry: The developers went on to establish the gaming giant Atari Inc.
B次元官网网址淭here was no video game industry in 1970. The games that weB次元官网网址檇 now call video games were still mostly locked away on computers in university and research labs, inaccessible to the public,B次元官网网址� Jeremy Saucier, assistant vice president for interpretation and electronic games at The Strong, said in a news release.
Barbie Fashion Designer was the first video game to target girls, letting them design and print clothes for their Barbie dolls. It quickly took off, selling more than 500,000 copies in two months after its 1996 release by Digital Domain/Mattel Media. The game not only expanded the audience for video games but also began a discussion about gender and stereotypes in gaming that continues today, according to the Hall of Fame.
B次元官网网址淏arbie Fashion Designer became a jumping-off point for the girlsB次元官网网址� games movement and shook up the software and gaming scene,B次元官网网址� collections manager Kristy Hisert said. B次元官网网址淚t also sparked important questions and debate. What does it mean to be a game for girls? Should there even be games B次元官网网址榝or girlsB次元官网网址�? What are the implications of these games? What are the consequences of gendering games?B次元官网网址�
The Last of Us, with its memorable characters and storytelling, quickly stood out in the field of post-apocalyptic zombie games when it was released by Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. More than 200 publications named it the game of the year when it entered the scene in 2013. Ten years later, for .
B次元官网网址淭he 2023 HBO adaptation has expanded the gameB次元官网网址檚 reach and popularity. Created with Naughty DogB次元官网网址檚 involvement, the show has garnered support from both critics and fans as one of the best video game adaptations ever made,B次元官网网址� video game curator Lindsey Kurano said.
Wii Sports, which launched with the Nintendo Wii home video game system in 2006, was honored for putting motion-based technology into living rooms across the world, where anyone from young children to older adults could grab the controller and join in virtual bowling, tennis matches and rounds of golf. Community centers for older adults embraced the games for their health and social benefits.
B次元官网网址淲ith more than 82 million copies sold, Wii Sports is one of the best-selling video games of all time, but its true influence comes from the fact that it made gamers out of millions of people around the world whoB次元官网网址檇 never thought about playing one before,B次元官网网址� said Aryol Prater, research specialist for Black play and culture at The Strong.
Anyone can nominate a game for consideration by the World B次元官网网址 Game Hall of Fame. The hall is set to move to an expanded space in The Strong in Rochester come June 30.
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