You might not know that a Video Game Hall Of Fame exists, but trust us when we say it’s real and a big deal. The Strong Museum runs it, and they nominate games every year that can make it into their ranks of treasured video game titles. An important thing to note is that they don’t “start at the beginning and work their way forward.” Instead, they look at the entirety of video game history, including recent history, and see what games deserve to be nominated for their impact on the gaming world. That’s why the 2023 nominees are so diverse.
First, there’s Wii Sports. It’s not surprising to see this game be nominated because, technically, it’s one of the best-selling games of all time. Furthermore, the game came bundled with the Nintendo Wii more often than not and helped people get used to the console and its motion controls.
The next title is one that many of you also know, Goldeneye 007. The title from the N64 era, which recently got ported to several modern systems in its classic form, is one of the most influential and beloved first-person shooters ever. The 4-person co-op and use of weapons and characters from the spy franchise influenced many over the years and even created new franchises like Perfect Dark.
Another big nominee is one we’ve talked about plenty over the last few months, The Last of Us. Naughty Dog’s smash hit title wowed everyone when it came out in 2013 and later went on to have a sequel and a live-action adaptation on HBO that recently ended its first season. So even if this game didn’t get in this year, you know it’ll get in eventually, given the love people have for it.
Going back to FPS titles, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, the original one, is also a nominee. The original is on the list because it single-handedly saved the franchise. Recall that the franchise was stuck in its tracks because of its focus on World War II. But by taking things to the modern era, they were able to make things feel impactful again, and it kickstarted a new era of success for the series.
The other nominees for this year include Quake, the FIFA franchise, Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Barbie Fashion Designer, Wizardry, and the original commercial video game in Computer Space.
That’s not a bad selection. If you want to vote on what gets into the Video Game Hall Of Fame, you can vote once a day via this link.
