Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

Bejeweled, Minecraft among games inducted into hall of fame

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Jun, 2020 08:26 PM
  • Bejeweled, Minecraft among games inducted into hall of fame

The World Video Game Hall of Fame inducted Bejeweled, Centipede, King’s Quest and Minecraft in a virtual ceremony Thursday that recognized their influence on the industry and the gamers who have spent tens of billions of hours playing them.

The hall of fame's Class of 2020 was chosen from a field of 12 finalists that also included Frogger, Goldeneye 007, Guitar Hero, NBA Jam, Nokia Snake, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Uncharted 2, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Atari’s Centipede is credited with bringing more female players into arcades when it debuted in 1981, challenging players to fire on an insect as it zigzagged down the screen. Developer Ed Logg’s team included Dona Bailey, one of the decade’s few female developers.

“It’s also one of the bestselling arcade games of that era and its fast-paced, bug-blasting gameplay is as challenging and satisfying to play today as it was decades ago,” Jeremy Saucier, the hall of fame’s assistant vice-president for electronic games and interpretation, said in a news release.

King’s Quest, designed by Sierra On-Line co-founder Roberta Williams, was honoured for its continuing influence on adventure games since introducing players to the fantastical world of Daventry in 1984.

“More than any other game of its type, King’s Quest established or reinforced many of the conventions of the adventure games that followed it,” World Video Game Hall of Fame archivist Julia Novakovic. “Many games still today can trace their lineage back to King’s Quest.”

Seven sequels followed from Sierra On-Line, which Williams ran with her husband, Ken.

Bejeweled, created as a web-based Flash game in 2001, is the first mobile game to be added to the 6-year-old World Video Game Hall of Fame, recognized for popularizing the “match three” puzzle game. The game’s developer estimated in 2013 that it had been downloaded more than 500 million times.

“Players from around the world have devoted tens of billions of hours to playing Bejeweled and the games that it inspired. Now, Bejeweled and its successor puzzle games seem commonplace—a regular part of all our lives,” curator Shannon Symonds said.

The building game Minecraft has found its way onto devices around the world and into schools since 2009, letting players build elaborate structures out of pixilated blocks they mine. Students have honed STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills replicating their entire schools in the game. By last year, it had sold more than 176 million copies across all platforms.

“The success of Minecraft speaks to the maturing of video games as a cultural touchstone,” digital games curator Andrew Borman said. “No longer do game creators need to be obsessed about having the most realistic looking graphics. .... Minecraft came of age at a time when indie gaming had emerged to give individual developers a greater say in the games they developed, and no game is a better representative of this movement than this bestselling hit creation.”

The World Video Game Hall of Fame is located at The Strong museum, which also houses the National Toy Hall of Fame. The video hall recognizes electronic games of all types - arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile - that have had sustained popularity and influence on the industry or popular culture.

Anyone can nominate a game. The final selections are made on the advice of journalists, scholars, and others familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.

MORE Interesting ARTICLES

What to know about malaria drug and coronavirus treatment

Some politicians and doctors are sparring over whether to use hydroxychloroquine against the new coronavirus, with many scientists saying the evidence is too thin to recommend it now.

What to know about malaria drug and coronavirus treatment

Application process for emergency benefits for workers begins this morning

Application process for emergency benefits for workers begins this morning
OTTAWA — Applications open today for the new federal emergency aid benefit for Canadians who lost their income because of COVID-19.

Application process for emergency benefits for workers begins this morning

Taste of home schooling generating new interest among parents

Selena Valencia is on the fence when it comes to home-schooling her children.The mother from Olds, Alta., has her three youngest in the Catholic school system but the oldest, her 17-year-old son, is taught at home.  

Taste of home schooling generating new interest among parents

Diljit Dosanjh Hilariously Requests People To Stop Posting Workout Videos Amid COVID-19

It seems singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh is fed up of seeing people's workout videos and pictures amid coronavirus outbreak.    

Diljit Dosanjh Hilariously Requests People To Stop Posting Workout Videos Amid COVID-19

'Kitthon Aaya Corona?' Narendra Chanchal's Coronavirus Bhajan Goes Viral - WATCH

A video of bhajan veteran Narendra Chanchal at a recent Holi function has gone viral. The reason is, in his new jagrata hit that he performs at the event, Chanchal has chosen to focus on the one thing that concerns everyone right now -- coronavirus.

'Kitthon Aaya Corona?' Narendra Chanchal's Coronavirus Bhajan Goes Viral - WATCH

WATCH: NBA Player Utah Jazz Mocks Coronavirus In Press Conference, Tests Positive Thereafter

In a video that has gone viral since then, the Utah Jazz player can be seen mocking members of the Jazz media in a show of defiance or ignorance of public health guidelines about preventing the spread of the illness.

WATCH: NBA Player Utah Jazz Mocks Coronavirus In Press Conference, Tests Positive Thereafter