The original Pong from 1972.
Categories

Here’re the inaugural winners in the World Video Game Hall of Fame — and how it tallied the votes

The Strong National Museum of Play has selected its first-ever list of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. The winners — chosen on the basis of iconic status, longevity, geographic reach, and influence — are Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Doom, and World of Warcraft.

Each of these games needs almost no introduction, and they go back to beginning of the industry. The Strong is announcing the winners at an event at its museum today in Rochester, N.Y. I couldn’t join the ceremony, but I had the honor of being one of 21 game journalists and other experts who served on the selection committee for picking the top games.

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X! Join now to enjoy our free and premium perks. 

Join now →

Sign in to your account.

Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.