Four video games including Animal Crossing, Starcraft, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, and Microsoft Flight Simulator have been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
The Rochester, N.Y.-based organization chose these titles from a field of finalists that also included FIFA soccer, Guitar Hero and the racing classic Pole Position.
The games “have influenced popular culture and the video game industry,” according to a press release announcing the class of 2021.
The hall of fame was established in 2015, when Doom, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris and World of Warcraft were inducted.
Animal Crossing (2001) was praised for its innovative freedom of play while real-time strategy game Starcraft (1998) set the mold for what would be a slew of games that built a powerful genre.
Meanwhile, the Carmen Sandiego game (1985) received accolades for its staying power, illustrated by its recent run on the streaming platform Netflix.
Microsoft’s venerable Flight Simulator was the longtime forerunner to simulation games that have grown in popularity in recent years.
“It’s hard to overestimate what a groundbreaking program Microsoft Flight Simulator was when it debuted in 1983,” saidJeremy Saucier, assistant vice president for interpretation and electronic games at the museum. “For the first time, amateur and professional aviators could navigate the skies—without ever leaving home. “
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