ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This year’s contenders for the prestigious World Video Game Hall of Fame feature pioneers in various gaming formats, including esports, electronic pets, and handheld systems, as well as a classic arcade game famously featured in an episode of the TV show “Seinfeld” in 1998.
The Hall of Fame has announced the 12 contenders for this year’s induction, opening a public voting period that lasts for a week. The successful entrants will be honored on May 8 at the hall’s recently relocated area within the Strong National Museum of Play, situated in Rochester.
The lineup of 2025 contenders encompasses: Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Defender, Frogger, Golden Eye, Golden Tee, Harvest Moon, Mattel Football, Quake, NBA 2K, and Tamagotchi.
“This year’s list of candidates spans various decades and includes arcade originals as well as one of the most widely played mobile titles ever,” stated Jon-Paul C. Dyson, who directs The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, in a press note. He added, “Each of these games has either significantly impacted popular culture or the gaming industry itself.”
Originally released in 1977, Mattel Football represented the first major success in portable electronic gaming. This innovation helped set the stage for later systems such as the Game Boy by Nintendo and today’s mobile gaming platforms, according to the hall. Fast forward three decades, and the advent of smartphones placed another nominee, Rovio’s 2009 hit Angry Birds, into the hands of millions. The game achieved billions of downloads and spurred the creation of movies and merchandise.
The Hall of Fame acknowledges certain nominees for their considerable influence on the domain of esports. These include Golden Tee: Fore! a golf arcade game from Incredible Technologies released in 1989, whose sequels eventually allowed competitive play by 1995; Sega’s NBA 2K from 1999, which laid the groundwork for a professional esports league; and Quake by Id Software, known for its foundational first-person shooter’s 3D engine that became a standard in the industry.
Acknowledged in the realm of bridging toys with video games, Tamagotchi earned its nomination for revolutionizing digital pet ownership in 1996, and it made a comeback in the form of an app by 2013.
Among the nominees are two classic arcade titles debuted in 1981: Defender, created by Williams Electronics, which the Hall of Fame credits with proving that complex and intricate gameplay had player appeal; and Frogger, the brainchild of Konami. Frogger was etched into mainstream consciousness through a 1998 “Seinfeld” episode where the character George humorously recreates the game’s iconic concept of navigating traffic with an arcade cabinet.
Moreover, Microsoft’s Age of Empires, launched in 1997, marked a milestone as the company’s best-selling PC game to date, maintaining a global audience, according to the Hall of Fame. The 1996 release Harvest Moon presented a tranquil alternative to the prevailing action-focused games, a sentiment echoed by fellow nominees Goldeneye 007, a 1997 collaboration from Rare and Nintendo, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare from Activision, which debuted in 2007.
Each year, the World Video Game Hall of Fame receives thousands of online nominations across arcade, console, computer, and handheld platforms. The finalists are then determined by staff through an evaluation of their impact, reach across different regions, and influence on game development and culture. The induction is decided by an international panel of experts, with the public contributing through their votes which count as one collective ballot in the final decision making.
The public voting concludes on March 13. The top three games based on public votes will count as one ballot in the final selection process.
