The Strong National Musem of Play have announced this year’s class of inductees for the World Video Game Hall of Fame. The four games joining are Barbie Fashion Designer, Computer Space, The Last of Us, and Wii Sports. Other finalists for this year’s class included Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, FIFA International Soccer, Goldeneye 007, NBA 2K, Quake, and Wizardry.
Barbie Fashion Designer came out in 1996, at a time when many games were marketed to male players. It proved that computer games targeted to girls can succeed, selling more than 500,000 copies in two months. The game helped expand the market for video games and opened important and ongoing discussions about gender and stereotypes in gaming. It also was innovative in bridging the gap between digital and physical by allowing players to design clothes for their Barbies and print them on special fabric.
“Barbie Fashion Designer became a jumping-off point for the girls’ games movement andshook up the software and gaming scene,” Kristy Hisert, Collections Manager said. “It also sparked important questions and debate. What does it mean to be a game for girls? Should there even be games ‘for girls’? What are the implications of these games? What are the consequences of gendering games?”
Computer Space was the first commercial video game and was created in 1971. The game was inspired by the early minicomputer and previous World Video Game Hall of Fame inductee Spacewar! Computer Space proved that video games could reach an audience outside of computer labs. The game inspired its creators to establish Atari.
“There was no video game industry in 1970. The games that we’d now call video games were still mostly locked away on computers in university and research labs, inaccessible to the public. Computer Space changed all that in 1971,” Jeremy Saucier, Assistant Vice President for Interpretation and Electronic Games. “Ultimately, Computer Space didn’t bring video games to the masses, but by showing that video games could reach paying audiences outside of computer labs, it laid the foundations for the game industry.”
The Last of Us took the world by storm when it was released first back in 2013. It was critically acclaimed by everyone in the entertainment industry, even those who were not into gaming. More than 200 publications named it the Game of the Year in 2013. It stood out among the rest at the time when video games were oversaturated with post-apocalyptic zombie games. It did it with in-depth storytelling, intimate exploration of humanity, thrilling game jumps and cutscenes, and its memorable characters. Its popularity grew, even more, this year with the critically acclaimed HBO adaptation.
Video game Curator Lindsey Kurano said “Despite debuting in 2013, The Last of Us remains popular because of its quality of gameplay and strength of story. The 2023 HBO adaptation has expanded the game’s reach and popularity. Created with Naughty Dog’s involvement, the show has garnered support from both critics and fans as one of the best video game adaptations ever made.”
Wii Sports launched back in 2006 with the Nintendo Wii home video game system. It introduced motion-based technology to living rooms across the world. With a simple swipe of the controller, players could serve a tennis ball, hurl a bowling bowl, throw a left hook, or drive a golf ball. The simple mechanics made the game accessible to almost anyone—allowing it to be played by young children and seniors alike—and helped to redefine the idea of who is a “gamer.” Ultimately, the game helped Nintendo to sell more than 100 million Wii consoles worldwide.
“With more than 82 million copies sold, Wii Sports is one of the best-selling video games of all time, but its true influence comes from the fact that it made gamers out of millions of people around the world who’d never thought about playing one before,” says Aryol Prater, Research Specialist for Black Play and Culture. “It became a gaming phenomenon as news stories proliferated about the game getting diverse groups of people—including those at many senior centers—off their couches and breaking a sweat with virtual bowling, tennis, and more.”
The inductees will be enshrined and on display in the new home for the World Video Game Hall of Fame, a 90,000-square-foot expansion of the Strong that is slated to open June 30. Part of the new expansion includes the largest playable Donkey Kong arcade game.