Video Game Hall of Fame 2023 adds The Last of Us, Wii Sports and Barbie

The Strong National Museum of Play announced on Thursday that four new inductees have been added to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. BarbieFashion Designer, Computer Space, The Last of UsThen, Wii Sports. The Hall of Fame recognized the four classic games for their impact on pop culture and the gaming industry. They will now be displayed at The Strong National Museum of Play, which has been expanded this summer.

2023’s World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees beat out a strong list of nominees for this year’s inclusion, a group of finalists that also included Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, FIFA International Soccer, GoldenEye 007, NBA 2K, Quake, The following are some examples of how to get started: Wizardry.

In a news release, the Strong detailed the impact of each game, starting with Digital Domain and Mattel Media’s Barbie CD-ROM game. Barbie Fashion DesignerThe organizers remarked that this helped to prove a demand for girls-oriented games.

“Barbie Fashion Designer became a jumping-off point for the girls’ games movement and shook up the software and gaming scene,” said collections manager Kristy Hisert. “It also sparked important questions and debate. What is a game for women? Should there even be games ‘for girls’? What are the consequences of such games? What are the consequences of gendering games?”

Naughty Dog’s original The Last of Us was lauded by the Strong for its “in-depth storytelling, intimate exploration of humanity, thrilling game jumps and cutscenes, and memorable characters.”

“The Last of Us remains popular because of its quality of gameplay and strength of story,” said Lindsey Kurano, video game curator, in a statement.

Nintendo’s WiiSportIt was an important moment in the history of gaming. Barbie Fashion Designer, Wii SportsA market untapped. Aryol Pratter, Research Specialist for Black Play and Culture, pointed out that Wii Sports “made gamers out of millions of people around the world who’d never thought about playing one before. It became a gaming phenomenon as news stories proliferated about the game getting diverse groups of people—including those at many senior centers—off their couches and breaking a sweat with virtual bowling, tennis, and more.”

Finally, Computer SpaceA title inspired by World Video Game Hall of Fame nominee SpacewarIt was the first videogame to reach commercial success. Prior to Computer Space’s 1971 release, there really was no commercial “video game industry.”

“Computer Space didn’t bring video games to the masses,” said Jeremy Saucier, assistant vice president for interpretation and electronic games, “but by showing that video games could reach paying audiences outside of computer labs, it laid the foundations for the game industry.”

Barbie Fashion Designer, Computer Space, The Last of UsThen, Wii Sports join last year’s inductees, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Ms. Pac-Man, Sid Meier’s CivilizationThen, Dance Dance RevolutionHall of Fame Games World Video Game Hall of Fame now recognizes 40 total games.