Though very much still in its early days, The Strong National Museum of Play has already included The Legend of Zelda to The World Video Game Hall of Fame with its second batch of additions. Impressive!
The original NES game joins Grand Theft Auto III, Oregon Trail, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders as games that are said to have “significantly affected the video game industry, popular culture, and society in general.” These were selected from a list of 15 nominations, which featured the likes of Final Fantasy, Minecraft, Pokemon Red and Green and Street Fighter II.
On the website’s page for The Legend of Zelda induction, it explains that the game was selected for its non-linear approach and its influence on encouraging gamers to gather as a community. “Zelda players had no set path to follow and were free to explore the world of Hyrule in whatever order they chose. The game’s complexity encouraged gamers to speak with one another to share tips and tricks, and these conversations led to the creation of the Nintendo Fun Club newsletter (later Nintendo Power magazine) which included hints for games like Zelda.”
It’s NOT a secret to everybody! The Legend of #Zelda was just inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame! pic.twitter.com/GuugsIV7WL
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 6, 2016
Again, to stress how recently this Hall of Fame started up, it began last year with its first batch of titles: Pong, Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Doom, and World of Warcraft. So while initially it may not seem all that surprising at first to see our favourite franchise join the top ranks yet again in another list, it’s rather impressive to see it chosen so quickly amongst all of the greatest games in history. Congratulations Zelda!
