Video Game Hall of Fame Welcomes GoldenEye 007, Tamagotchi, and Other Gaming Classics

The Strong Museum's Video Game Hall of Fame has added 4 new games to its prestigious collection, including the beloved Nintendo 64 first-person shooter GoldenEye 007.

GoldenEye 007, which was originally released for the Nintendo 64 console, has finally earned its place in the Video Game Hall of Fame after missing out on induction last year.

The game joins Defender, Quake, and Tamagotchi as the newest additions to the hall, which has recognized 49 influential games since its establishment in 2015.

The Video Game Hall of Fame was created with the purpose of honoring electronic games that have maintained popularity over long periods and significantly influenced the video game industry or had a major impact on culture and society. These four new games certainly meet those criteria, each having left its mark on gaming history in unique ways.

GoldenEye 007, based on the James Bond film of the same name, was praised by the Hall of Fame team for its groundbreaking achievements. "GoldenEye surpassed its contemporaries to become the third best-selling game on the Nintendo 64, beaten only by Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64," they noted. The game sold more than 8 million units worldwide and became known as a "killer app" for the Nintendo 64 console.

What made GoldenEye 007 truly special was how it revolutionized first-person shooters on consoles. Before its release, this genre was almost exclusively found on personal computers. The game combined engaging storytelling with strategic stealth elements, offering a more complex experience than many earlier shooters. Its split-screen multiplayer mode, which allowed up to four players to compete simultaneously, is still considered one of the best multiplayer experiences ever created for a Nintendo system.

Defender, another inductee, challenged conventional game design wisdom when it was released by Williams Electronics in 1981. Despite being incredibly difficult to master with its complex controls and unpredictable enemies, the game became enormously popular.

According to the Hall of Fame, Defender sold more than 55,000 arcade units, making it one of the best-selling arcade video games ever. It was also one of the first games to feature a scrolling world beyond the initial screen and helped popularize horizontally scrolling shooters.

Quake, developed by id Software and released in 1996, revolutionized the gaming industry with its true real-time 3D rendering. Unlike its predecessor Doom, Quake was built with the mouse in mind, making full use of 3D space. The game was particularly significant for its multiplayer features, which became incredibly popular as internet access expanded to more homes and college campuses.

Quake's influence extends far beyond its gameplay. It popularized the server/client architecture system for online play, allowing players to host their own servers. The game also received widespread mod support, keeping its community active long after most players would have completed the single-player campaign. Team Fortress 2, which remains popular today, began as a Quake mod.

Perhaps most significantly, Quake played a central role in establishing esports. The first online national game competition, "Red Annihilation," used Quake and helped spark the development of televised gaming competitions, now a billion-dollar industry.

Tamagotchi, the handheld virtual pet created by Bandai, may seem like an unusual addition to a video game hall of fame, but its influence is undeniable. First released in Japan in 1996, these egg-shaped digital pets sold about 20 million units in Japan alone during their first year, with another 20 million sold in other markets worldwide.

This tiny handheld device lets players raise and care for a virtual pet, feeding it, cleaning up after it, and making sure it stays happy.

Tamagotchi's popularity has endured far beyond what many considered a mid-90s fad. The brand has been rebooted several times, most recently in 2020 with the Tamagotchi Uni, which features Wi-Fi connectivity. According to Bandai representatives, around 40% of the game's current consumers are adults, showing how the brand has successfully bridged the gap between childhood nostalgia and contemporary gaming.

Source: Strong Museum