The Last of Us, Barbie Fashion Designer headline Video Game Hall of Fame 2023 class
Four inductees joined the World Video Game Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play, organizers announced Thursday: BarbieFashion Designer, Computer Space, The Last of Us, and Wii Sports. The quartet of classic games was recognized by the Hall of Fame for their influence on popular culture or on the game industry, and will be on display at the expanded The Strong National Museum of Play this summer.
2023’s World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees beat out a strong list of nominees for this year’s inclusion, a group of finalists that also included Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, FIFA International Soccer, GoldenEye 007, NBA 2K, Quake, and Wizardry.
In a news release, the Strong detailed the impact of each game, starting with Digital Domain and Mattel Media’s Barbie CD-ROM game. Barbie Fashion Designer, organizers noted, helped prove a market for games targeted at girls.
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“Barbie Fashion Designer became a jumping-off point for the girls’ games movement and shook up the software and gaming scene,” said collections manager Kristy Hisert. “It also sparked important questions and debate. What does it mean to be a game for girls? Should there even be games ‘for girls’? What are the implications of these games? What are the consequences of gendering games?”
Naughty Dog’s original The Last of Us was lauded by the Strong for its “in-depth storytelling, intimate exploration of humanity, thrilling game jumps and cutscenes, and memorable characters.”
“The Last of Us remains popular because of its quality of gameplay and strength of story,” said Lindsey Kurano, video game curator, in a statement.
Nintendo’s WiiSports was a watershed moment for gaming; like Barbie Fashion Designer, Wii
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