Seminal fighting game “Mortal Kombat” was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York on Thursday.
It joined “Super Mario Kart,” “Microsoft Solitaire,” and “Colossal Cave Adventure” as part of the 2019 class. The four inductees span multiple decades, countries of origin, and gaming platforms, but all have significantly influenced the video game industry, popular culture, and society in general, The Strong said.
Published by Midway Games in 1992, “Mortal Kombat” is one of the most recognizable fighting games around. Its hyper violent content led to major controversy, several court cases, and the creation of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Since then, it’s become one of the biggest media properties of all time, spawning nearly a dozen sequels, a television series, comics, feature films, and more.
Twelve finalists were announced for the 2019 World Video Game Hall of Fame class. They reportedly received thousands of nominations from more than 100 countries. To be eligible, the games must have longevity, geographical reach, and influence. They also need to reach cultural icon status.
Here is the full list:
- “Candy Crush”
- “Centipede”
- “Colossal Cave Adventure”
- “Dance Dance Revolution”
- “Half-Life”
- “Microsoft Windows Solitaire”
- “Mortal Kombat”
- “Myst”
- “NBA 2K”
- “Sid Meier’s Civilization”
- “Super Mario Kart”
- “Super Smash Bros. Melee”
Previous inductees include “Donkey Kong,” “Doom,” “Final Fantasy VII,” “The Legend of Zelda,” and the “The Oregon Trail.”
Source: Variety