Have you ever heard of GTA 3? Or maybe you've heard of The Legend of Zelda; Or perhaps Oregon Trail is more your speed. In any of these cases you will be happy to hear that all of those games and more have been inducted in to the World Video Game Hall of Fame!
It should be noted that last year, the World Video Game Hall of Fame decided it was best to deny The Legend of Zelda from joining the list of inductees (it appears as though they changed their mind).
These champions, legends and heroes of the game industry are all worthy of being inducted for leaving a mark on the world that will never disappear. But incase you have been living under a rock here is a short break down on the games and a few reasons as to why they are worth recognition.
Let's begin with the grand father of the game industry, Space Invaders. If you've ever played a game with a highscore, you owe the position of those numbers to this game and it's creator Tomohiro Nishikado. After it's run in arcades, Space invaders went on to become the most popular game on the Atari 2600.
Moving on to the architect of many childhoods:
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Oregon Trail: If you've ever sat in a class room with a computer in the 80's or 90's you've almost assuredly played this fun little game in your spare time. Which is fitting considering that the game was made by three student teachers in 1971. To date the game has sold more than 65 Million copies and it's still available in one form or another. And if you're bored of heading to Oregon for a new life, maybe you'd like to escape zombies in a game based on this classic: Organ Trail.
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The Legend of Zelda: Need I say more? Who doesn't know about this little gem? Who doesn't know that Shigeru Miyamoto used his childhood cave explorations as inspiration for this wonderful fantasy game? The people that don't know that are probably the people that think that Link is named Zelda. But with the rumors that the next game might feature a female version of Link, it might not be a stretch to imagine that his/her name is Zelda. The Legend of Zelda was the first console game in the US market to boast a saving mechanic. Not to mention that it was possible to play a New Game + when you were done. If you want to find out why this game was inducted you need only play it for yourself. It is still available on virtually any nintendo console.
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Sonic the Hedgehog: Mario's business rival and the Captain America to Maro's Iron Man. These days the two have an uneasy truce. And while Sonic only appears in lackluster games and the occasional sporting event at the olympics, there was a time that Sonic and Mario stood head to head in the first great console wars. Sonic was cool, fast and above all he did what "nintendon't". Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the Sega Genisis' best-selling games with over 15 million units sold. This acclaim allowed sonic to be the very first game-inspired balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
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The Sims: Have you ever locked a person in a door-less and window-less room so you can watch them cry themselves to death in a puddle of their own blue urine? If you have then you have for sure played a game in the Sims series. Described more as a toy or digital doll house, The Sims sold 200 million copies in 60 countries and boast high appeal with the female audience. Having the title as the best-selling PC game franchise ever the Sims continues to be a highly popular and worthwhile franchise and if you haven't tried it once, it is worth at least one playthrough.
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GTA 3: The last game we'll discuss here will take us up to the era of playstation and deep in to the controversies that games can cause. There was a time that just the mention of the game would get you put on a list somewhere. Grand Theft Auto III; GTA 3 broke on to the scene in 2001 and fired up debates about violence in videogames. It sparked debates about whether videogames were responsible for warping the minds of innocent children and whether games can be for adults. GTA III has been a model for all open world games that followed. The game industry today would not be the same without GTA III.
So how many of these games have you played and how have they personally affected your life? Do you agree with the induction of these games or would you have selected something else?
