Landmark games back in spotlight
John Madden Football, Tomb Raider among inductees cited for greatness
ROCHESTER, N.Y. The World Video Game Hall of Fame has inducted John Madden Football, a giant of the multibillion-dollar video game industry that another new inductee — the 1962 Spacewar! — helped launch.
Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VII round out the class of 2018 honoured Thursday at The Strong museum, where the hall of fame is housed.
The inductees were chosen from among 12 finalists, including: Ms. Pac-Man, Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King ’s Quest, Metroid and Minecraft.
Experts say all have made a mark on the video game industry, popular culture and society.
Long before commercial video games existed, Steve “Slug ” Russell and other students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched Spacewar! on a PDP-1 minicomputer.
The game featured two starships firing torpedoes at each other and inspired the first mass-market arcade video game, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell’s Computer Space, according to The Strong.
“It also spurred computer users of all types to think about creative new uses for computers and helped turn the computer into the most powerful plaything ever created,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, vice-president and director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
The success of John Madden Football underlines the point, having sold more than 100 million copies and inspiring big-money tournaments and legions of fans. Electronic Arts has released yearly, updated versions since 1990, and even real-life football players have seen it as a tool to hone strategy and plays.
“John Madden Football’s actionoriented game play has changed the way we play and consume sports video games — and even the way actual sports games are broadcast,” said Jeremy Saucier, a Strong assistant vice-president.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame recognized the 1996 Tomb Raider in part for its female protagonist, Lara Croft, cited by Guinness World Records as the most recognized female video game character ever.