Pokémon, Street Fighter, Halo, Donkey Kong Inducted into Video Game Hall of Fame

Four classic video games have just joined a handful of others in the World Video Game Hall of Fame for 2017 for their historic significance in the gaming industry. Among these titles are legendary first-person-shooter Halo and classic monster-hunting game Pokémon.

This hall of fame, located in The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, honors video game titles for their historic popularity and cultural impact. Until this induction, the hall of fame’s collection featured only 12 titles: DOOM, Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail, Pac-Man, Pong, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft.

The new additions include Pokémon Red and Green, Street Fighter II, Donkey Kong, and Halo: Combat Evolved.

Pokémon Red and Green released in 1996 in Japan and later came to North America as Pokémon Red and Blue. Since then, the creature-hunting franchise has swept the globe as a cultural icon with video game titles, trading cards, TV shows, and tons of merch. It’s rare you find someone who doesn’t know what the term “Pokémon” means, especially since the mobile app phenomenon that is Pokémon GO.

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior launched in 1991 to send the decade into an arcade renaissance, according to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. The one-on-one fighting game featured a wide cast of playable characters for your arcading pleasure. Jeremy Saucier, assistant director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, said Street Fighter II “helped give birth to a generation of fighting games.” The series is still popular in arcades and eSports today.

Donkey Kong, the 1981 arcade platformer, “captured the hearts of a generation,” said Saucier. Donkey Kong was one of the first game creator by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto and featured the main character Jumpman, who went on to become the iconic Mario from Super Mario Bros. Donkey Kong influenced both the arcade genre and Nintendo’s most iconic series to date.

Halo: Combat Evolved is the original Halo title released with the Xbox console in 2001. The game revolutionized both online multiplayer and the FPS genre for consoles, as shooter games were historically PC-only. The video game series is still continuing with new installments and has inspired several books, comics, and video series.

Are there more classic video games you think should join this list? Let us know in the comments.