First 6 games inducted into Video Game Hall of Fame
There's a hall of fame for baseball and a hall of fame for rock and roll. Now there's a hall of fame for a pastime you've spent even more hours of your life on than those other two combined.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame, part of The Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y., inducted its inaugural field of honorees Thursday. Culling from a list of 15 finalists, a panel of experts selected six games that span decades, consoles and types of gameplay.
Click through to see which games made the cut -- and which ones got the axe.
Inducted: Pong
"Pong," introduced in 1972, is widely considered the first video game (never mind that it was Atari's second). A home version that debuted in 1975 was a best-selling hit that helped launch the video game revolution. Said the Strong: "By most measures of popular impact, 'Pong' launched the video game industry."
Inducted: Pac-Man
The Strong gives Pac-Man the nod for being the first video game character to become a pop culture star. "Pac-Man himself became the first iconic ambassador of the video game era -- at once symbolizing video gaming and transcending it as he crossed over into mass culture." "Pac-Man," which just turned 35, started in the arcades in 1980 and went on to become the best-selling arcade game of all time. It is still played on every gaming platform today.
Inducted: Tetris
Decades after it first came out on Game Boy in 1989, if you look to either side of you on the subway, you're like to find someone playing "Tetris." The falling puzzle game is an enduring challenge and a cultural icon, even without a charismatic character as its face.
Inducted: Super Mario Bros.
You can't underestimate the poster plumber of the gaming age. Created by famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the original "Super Mario" game has sold more than 40 million copies and left an indelible mark on pop culture.
Inducted: Doom
The Strong credited "Doom," introduced by Id Software in 1993, for the way it set the stage for today's first-person shooter genre. "Its most important legacy is the impact that it has had on the form, function, feel, and perception of so many games that followed, such as 'Half-Life' and 'Halo,'" the museum said.
Inducted: World of Warcraft
"World of Warcraft" is basically the reason the term "massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs)" exists. Over the last 11 years, it has counted more than 100 million players overall, with more than 10 million currently active players worldwide. It is the highest grossing video game of all time.
Game Over
Here, the full list of finalists, including the games that didn't make it into the Hall of Fame. Which would you have voted in?