The World Video Game Hall of Fame 2021 Inductees have been announced, highlighting four of the greatest games of all time including the original Animal Crossing and some other very familiar friends.
Entertainment legends are featured at The World Video Game Hall of Fame since 2015, a feature of The Strong — the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. Previous inductees include many classics such as the original Doom, Final Fantasy 7, and Grand Theft Auto 3. Now, four more games have been announced as the inductees for 2021 via a press release.
What Are the World Video Game Hall of Fame 2021 Inductees?
Each of the four World Video Game Hall of Fame 2021 inductees are well-known to most gamers, even if you've never played them. There are no big surprises here — each and every one of these games has made a huge impact in the industry ever since they were first launched.
Here are your World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees for 2021!
Animal Crossing
Nintendo – GameCube, 2001
Animal Crossing first debuted in the West on the Nintendo GameCube, but that's not where it got its start — a somewhat less complete version of the first game originally exclusively launched in Japan on the Nintendo 64. Most people, however, are more familiar with the GameCube game.
Players are plopped down in a village filled with animal creatures of all types. This game is all about making friends and collecting cool stuff and it's certainly proven a popular formula over the years, especially with the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons last year — it quickly became the second best-selling Nintendo Switch game of all time and still comfortably holds that position with 32.63 million copies sold to date.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft – PC, 1982
The 2020 version of Microsoft Flight Simulator has proven to be pretty popular with enthusiasts, but some of you might not know just how long this franchise has been around — it first launched all the way back in 1982 for IBM PCs.
As one might expect, the earliest version of the game was pretty limited — you could only fly a Cessna 182 around Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, or Seattle. Since then, the newest version of the game has expanded to include the entire world, dozens of planes and airports, and some of the prettiest graphics we've ever seen.
Starcraft
Blizzard Entertainment – PC, 1998
Real-time strategy games have been around for decades, but Starcraft set the standard for what makes a good RTS game. Featuring three factions — the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss — the original Starcraft proved wildly popular and is still played in tournaments today, especially in Korea where it remains a popular game to play at PC bangs (net cafes).
Unlike many of the other inductees, there have only really been two core games in the Starcraft franchise. It took more than a decade before we got to enjoy the first of three parts of Starcraft 2, a highly-anticipated sequel that released its third and final part in 2015. The newer version is still getting updates today with an enhanced focus on co-op content through the "Commander" game mode.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Brøderbund – PC, 1985
The final inductee to the Hall of Fame is Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, an "edutainment" game that stood out from the rest for one simple reason: it was actually fun.
Players would travel the world searching for the thief Carmen Sandiego, a flashy villainess who would steal valuable relics. Playing the game taught you a bit about geography and world history, and future games expanded to more regions and other gaming platforms; notably, the Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game included an actual miniature encyclopedia that still proudly sits on my shelf at home. It also inspired an educational game show on PBS with a memorable theme song sung by Rockapella.
And that's it for the World Video Game Hall of Fame 2021 inductees! You can check out all of the other legendary games that have received this honor at The World Video Game Hall of Fame website. If you'd like to check out the museum for yourself, you can do so from the comfort of your home by taking a virtual tour.
What do you think of the new inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Which of the four games do you think had the most significant impact on the industry? Let us know in the comments below!
