Strong Museum Announces Semifinalists For Video Game Hall Of Fame Coin-Op Classics Lead

ROCHESTER, NY -- The Strong Museum, home to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, has announced the 15 semifinalists for induction into its World of Video Game Hall of Fame. Voted on by fan ballots, they include games from the coin-op, home console, computer and mobile channels.

Coin-op classics appear to dominate the list of potential videogame inductees. The museum's selection committee, made up of scholars, journalists and historians, is evaluating the semifinalists. Museum officials estimate that between five and seven games will make the final cut for induction into the hall. Inductees will be announced during a ceremony at the facility on June 4. The semifinalists are:

Pac-Man: As the first videogame [character] icon, and the face of a mass cultural phenomenon that transcended generations and videogame culture in general, Pac-Man introduced videogames to millions of people worldwide and set the stage for other iconic videogame characters, such as Mario, Lara Croft and Master Chief. With its basic but addictive maze gameplay, Pac-Man took the arcade by storm in 1980, became the best-selling Atari 2600 game of all time after appearing on that system in 1982. It is still played on every gaming platform today.

Pong: Introduced in 1972, Pong is often viewed as the "first videogame" in the popular imagination and was the first videogame that millions of people played in the 1970s. A home version that debuted in 1975 was a best-selling hit. Pong's simple and accessible tennis-like game mechanics helped launch the video game revolution.

Space Invaders: The first Japanese arcade game to use a microprocessor, Space Invaders debuted in 1978 and launched the international arcade game craze of the late 1970s and early 1980s by challenging players to fight off waves of attacking aliens. The game's exciting play and innovative features popularized the "space shooter" game and the idea of achieving a "high score."

Tetris: Created by Soviet programmer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984, the game's simple but compelling play has become universally known, with references to it on hit shows like "The Simpsons." Versions of it have even been produced for display on the sides of skyscrapers.

Other videogame categories are represented by:

Angry Birds: Launched in 2009, it became the first mobile game to achieve worldwide prominence and brand identity, with more than 2 billion downloads.

Doom: Introduced in 1993, this first-person shooter by Id Software popularized the genre with fast-paced action and smooth-scrolling graphics. It also created controversy and outrage from critics for the level of violence.

FIFA: The long-running soccer game franchise has been going strong since its release by Electronic Arts in 1993.

The Legend of Zelda: Debuting in 1986, it became the first game for the Nintendo Entertainment System to sell more than 1 million copies as a standalone title as well as spinning off a number of other products, including comic books and a television series.

Minecraft: Introduced in 2009, it has become a global phenomenon with a worldwide player base and sales of more than 54 million copies for computers, consoles, and mobile devices.

The Oregon Trail: Since its introduction in 1971 as an educational game, this iconic title has migrated from mainframe computers to PCs and mobile phones.

Pokémon: First released in 1996 for the Game Boy, the Nintendo franchise has sold more than 260 million games, and 21.5 billion trading cards, and has 800 TV episodes and 17 movies.

The Sims: Rolled out in 2000 for PCs, this "virtual dollhouse" has sold more than 175 million copies in 60 countries and more than 20 languages.

Sonic the Hedgehog: The iconic Sega Genesis game console game eventually led to more than 20 additional games and spinoffs, as well as a television show and comic book, making Segas's mascot recognizable to millions of people who may have never played the game.

Super Mario Bros.: This NES game brought fame to Mario, a plucky plumber. Created by famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, its appealing game play, memorable characters and catchy music helped it sell more than 40 million copies.

World of Warcraft: Boasting more than 100 million players since its release 2004 and more than 10 million current players worldwide, this multiplayer online role-playing game is the highest-grossing videogame of all time.