‘Pokemon,’ ‘Mario’ Finalists for World Video Game Hall of Fame at Strong Museum Induction Ceremony

Earlier this year the Strong Museum created the World Video Game Hall of Fame in order to recognize all games on any and all platforms. The finalists for the first initial year are definitely a diverse bunch. They include the Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, Oregon Trail, Pac-Man, Pokemon Red & Blue, Pong, the Simes, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders, Super Mario, Tetris and World of Warcraft.

The finalists from this group will be announced in a ceremony on June 4. The induction criteria include icon-status, longevity, geographical reach and influence.

You'd have to think that some of the no-brainer inductions will be Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Brothers, Pokemon, the Sims and World of Warcraft. The only thing with more longevity than each of these titles is the James Bond movie franchise. Every year Nintendo manages to toss out a new rendition of Mario and Pokemon and a character such as Sonic the Hedgehog has been a longstanding survivor in the gaming industry.

At the end of each application gamers were asked a series of questions including what the reason for nominating the game was and why it was important to them as well as any experience they had while playing the game.

@MuseumOfPlay announces World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists: https://t.co/WFoZA4ZQFI Do you have a favorite? pic.twitter.com/FJN1cUAnH3

— TWC News Rochester (@TWCNewsROC) April 28, 2015

The Strong Museum opened up its doors to the public in 1982. Since its inception it has made some major expansions twice in 1997 and 2006. Some of its current exhibits are the eGame Revolution, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street, American Comic Book Heroes, The Berenstein Bears: Down a Sunny Dirt Road and Game Time.

The museum even has two rides. The Strong Express is a small indoor train ride and the Elaine Wilson Carousel is a carousel created in 1918 by the Allan Herschell Company. That ride is located in the lobby.