Plus some game called “Resident Evil”?
Deep in my heart I know that Hall of Fame-type accolades are largely just a way of dressing up a way of marketing your awards show/museum/whatever, but I also like to occasionally cast away the cynic in me and imagine a world in which this industry’s most important games and creators are rightly recognised, celebrated and preserved rather than beinglocked away in the vault of billion-dollar companies and left to rot. Imagine!
Anyway, I’m particularly fond of the Hall of Fames curated by New York-based “museum of play” The Strong, partly because I think they tend to choose genuinely interesting picks from amongst video games, tabletop games and toys - and partly because I respect the fact they will induct things like “sand” (yes,just sand),sidewalk chalk,the stickand the humblecardboard box(for being the plaything of children, not for its appearances inMetal Gear Solid, alas) alongside commercial products like Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Wii Sports andTetris.
This year’s video game additions were whittled down from a list of a dozen finalists that also includedGuitar Hero,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,Neopets,You Don’t Know Jack, Tokimeki Memorial, Metroid andEliteto ultimately induct five classics into the pantheon of influential games.
