These Are the 2023 Video Game Hall of Fame Candidates

Every video game fan has a key entry point at which a game appeals to them and drew them into this world of pixelized ones and zeroes. Whether it was a console, handheld, PC, or arcade game, we tend to remember our first foray into gaming in a fond light. Even as outdated as that first game may seem now that the video game industry has progressed to the point of nearly immersing us physically into games via virtual reality and augmented reality. 

But nothing hits quite like the classics. 

It is in this spirit that the World Video Game Hall of Fame announced the finalists for consideration in this year’s inductees. The finalists for 2023 induction include: Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Barbie Fashion Designer, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Computer Space, FIFA International Soccer, GoldenEye 007, The Last of Us, NBA 2K, Quake, Wii Sports, and Wizardry. 

The 2023 crop of hall of fame inductees will be announced on Thursday, May 4, 2023 in a virtual ceremony.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame is part of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. Every year the museum considers nominations spanning the most influential video games in every genre for commemoration. 

A consistent set of criteria are used to determine which nominees make the finalists lists and which become inducted into the hall of fame. These criteria are well thought out and take a wide range of elements into account, including: 

• Icon Status - the game is widely known and remembered

• Longevity - the game has staying power among players and its presence in culture

• Influence - the game influences its genre, video games as a whole, or pop culture

• Geographical Reach - the game fits the above parameters across international borders

Games must score highly in each category and be clear-cut picks in order to move from finalist to inductee status. This is, after all, the hall of fame!

Ahead of this year’s Video Game Hall of Fame inductee announcement, GameCrate interviewed Shane Rhinewald, Senior Director of Public Relations at The Strong on how the hall of fame came about, what it takes to make the cut, and how the selection process works. 

GC: What went into The Strong's decision to create a Video Game Hall of Fame?

Shane: The Strong began collecting electronic games and related artifacts in earnest in the early 2000s in recognition of the influence of electronic games on pop culture and the way that people play. The museum amassed the world’s most comprehensive collection of electronic games in the ensuing years, launched its International Center for the History of Electronic games to study and preserve games, and added some onsite exhibits related to gaming, including the eGameRevolution exhibit. All of those additions allowed the museum start a conversation around the historical importance of games, at least on a smaller scale. The museum launched the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015 to bring that conversation to a broader population and to further highlight the role of electronic games in society.

GC: What does it take for a video game to be considered for a spot in the Video Game Hall of Fame?

Shane: The World Video Game Hall of Fame creates an opportunity to talk about what makes not only a good game, but what makes an influential game—both on society and within the industry. Gamers love to talk about the merits of each game and debate whether or not they deserve a hall of fame spot. But even people that don’t consider themselves gamers stop to think about the impact that a game like Pac-Man or Super Mario Bros.—first ballot inductees, of course—have had globally. 

So there’s a higher purpose in bringing attention to the importance of games and the museum’s work in preserving them—but it’s also just fun!Video games must meet some basic criteria for induction—icon-status, geographic reach, longevity, and influence. It’s not necessarily about the best-designed games or the most fun games, but what games became well-known, crossed geographic boundaries, and had some staying power. Of course, many of the inductees meet those criteria and are just darn great games, too. Legend of Zelda is my personal favorite. 

Also, influence can trump all the other criteria, whether influence on society or the video game industry. Spacewar!, for example, isn’t well-known, wasn’t a commercial game and therefore not played by many, and didn’t stick around. It was one of the earliest electronic games and directly led to the first arcade game, Computer Space, though, so it changed gaming forever.

GC: How many members comprise the National Selection Advisory Committee that determines this year's inductees?

Shane: The International Selection Advisory Committee has 29 members currently from multiple countries. It's comprised of journalists, scholars, and historians who understand the importance of games—but aren’t part of the industry.

The International Selection Advisory Committee solely votes on the 12 finalists and provides feedback on their choices. A few individual members act as scholars-in-residence for other gaming projects at the museum on a limited basis.

Previous inductees into the Video Game Hall of Fame include: 

2015

• Pac-Man

• World of Warcraft

• DOOM

• Pong

• Tetris

• Super Mario Bros.

2016 

• Grand Theft Auto III

• The Oregon Trail

• The Legend of Zelda

• The Sims

• Sonic the Hedgehog

• Space Invaders

2017

• Pokémon Red and Green

• Halo: Combat Evolved

• Street Fighter II

• Donkey Kong

2018

• Tomb Raider

• Spacewar!

• John Madden Football

• Final Fantasy VII

2019

• Super Mario Kart

• Mortal Kombat

• Microsoft Solitaire

• Colossal Cave Adventure

2020

• Bejeweled

• Minecraft

• King’s Quest

• Centipede

2021

• Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

• StarCraft

• Microsoft Flight Simulator

• Animal Crossing

2022

• Dance Dance Revolution

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

• Ms. Pac-Man

• Sid Meier’s Civilization

Find out more about the Video Game Hall of Fame and The Strong National Museum of Play at https://www.museumofplay.org.