The World Video Game Hall of Fame added five new games to its honor rolls Thursday, recognizing titles that had major cultural or industry impact.
Asteroids, the puzzle game Myst, horror role-playing game Resident Evil, city building simulator SimCity and role-playing game Ultima were recognized not just for their contributions to the state of the video game art, but for the reach they had across wide audiences and age groups.
Atari's Asteroids, published in 1979, started in tens of thousands of arcades and worked its way into millions of homes over its lifetime. Its simple gameplay and graphics and even its simple sounds made it a cultural icon.
The fantasy role-playing game Ultima, launched in 1981, was a major early force in the PC gaming space. It has spawned eight sequels and inspired the development of modern titles such as Final Fantasy.
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SimCity, published in 1989, was widely accessible to those who were getting their first in-home computers. It challenged players to build and maintain the infrastructure of a city in the face of threats like power blackouts and fires.
And the mystery adventure Myst, launched in 1993, took advantage of the proliferation of the CD-ROM medium to deliver rendered environments more immersive than most other PC games of the time.
Resident Evil, launched by Capcom in 1996, delivered a more mature horror experience for older audiences and started a franchise of its own, including films.
Other finalists for this year's honors included spaceship trading game Elite, rhythm game Guitar Hero, the sci-fi action-adventure Metroid, Neopets, dating simulator Tokimeki Memorial, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and the trivia game You Don’t Know Jack.
Finalists are drawn from ranked votes by an advisory committee, which includes a vote by the public as a whole.
