NEW YORK — Four video games — Ms. Pac-Man, Dance Dance Revolution, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Civilization — have joined the World Video Game Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play.
Ms. Pac-Man was released in 1981 as Midway’s follow-up to Pac-Man, which was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015. Ms. Pac-Man became one of the best-selling arcade games of all time, according to The Associated Press.
“Ms. Pac-Man promoted and signaled the broadening of gameplay across the genders. There was nothing inherently gendered about early video games, but the coin-op industry certainly advertised them that way. By offering the first widely recognized female video game character, Ms. Pac-Man represented a turn in the cultural conversation about women’s place in the arcade as well as in society at large,” says senior archivist with the Strong National Museum of Play, Julia Novakovic.
The inductees are chosen based on all types of electronic video games for the year — arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile. It is based on how popular they are and the level of their influence in the video game world, as well as in pop culture.
The Class of 2022 finalists included Assassin’s Creed, Candy Crush Saga, Minesweeper, NBA Jam, PaRappa the Rapper, Resident Evil, Rogue, and Words with Friends.
To learn more and to nominate a video game for the World Video Game Hall of Fame, visit the Strong Museum of Play.
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