ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Is it an asteroid? Guitar Hero? Maybe Tony Hawk's Pro Skater? These classic works are among his finalists for induction into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
The ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Strong National Museum of Drama and will be livestreamed here on RochesterFirst.com.
Elite, Metroid, Myst, Neopets, Resident Evil, SimCity, Tokimeki Memorial, Ultima, and You Don't Know Jack are also joining the 2024 nominees.
The Hall of Fame recognizes a game's longevity, geographic spread, and influence on video game design and pop culture. Inductees will be determined by a panel of journalists and scholars knowledgeable about the history of video games and their impact on society. A special fan vote will also be important this year.
The breakdown of the finalists is as follows:
asteroid
— Asteroids sold over 70,000 arcade units and became Atari's best-selling coin-operated game. A home version is now available for his Atari 2600.
elite
— Developed in the UK, Elite pioneered innovative 3D graphics and the idea of open-world gaming by allowing players to control ships sailing through the galaxy.
guitar hero
— Guitar Hero, with licensed music and social gameplay, has sold more than 25 million copies and earned more than $2 billion. Launched by Harmonix and acquired by Activision.
metroid
— With its protagonist Samus, Nintendo's Metroid gave the gaming industry its first playable human female character in a mainstream video game. This franchise has sold over 20 million copies of her worldwide.
mist
— Myst, released by Broderbund, became the best-selling computer game in the 1990s, selling more than 6 million copies. His early CD-ROM technology offered large storage capacities, but slow loading times, making it suitable for a slow-paced, meditative style of gaming.
neopets
— Browser-based free-to-play Neopets offered a social component where players could chat with each other and form guilds. It had 25 million active users at its peak in 2005 and served as a testing ground for cyber safety mechanisms and immersive advertising.
resident evil
— Resident Evil, known as Resident Evil in Japan, was the first game to popularize the “survival horror” genre. Resident Evil, a game created by his director Shinji Mikami and released by Capcom, inspired a film series that grossed over $1.2 billion at the box office.
sim city
— SimCity, released by Maxis, helped expand the video game audience by offering a city design simulator that appealed to both children and adults.
Tokimeki Memorial
— Konami's Tokimeki Memorial elevated the dating simulator genre, offering a consistent narrative, colorful graphics, and engaging gameplay.
tony hawk pro skater
— Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, released by Neversoft/Activision in 1999, spawned sequels and generated sales of approximately $1.4 billion. Hawk, a real-life skateboarder, said the game “both sparked and overshadowed my career.”
altima
— Designed by Richard Garriott, Ultima is credited with helping define and inspire the computer role-playing genre.
you don't know jack
— You Don't Know Jack reimagined the television game show for the home video game market. Multiplayer streaming versions of his games increased during the coronavirus lockdown.
