World Video Game Hall of Fame inducts Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VII

The World Video Game Hall of Fame has four new inductees this year, and they include Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VII, among others.

Hosted in Rochester, New York, the museum inducted Spacewar!, John Madden Football, Final Fantasy VII, and Tomb Raider into its collection from a pool of 12 different finalists. Those other eight games included Half-Life, Call of Duty, Metroid, and Minecraft.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame opened in 2015 and is part of The National Museum of Play. The museum honors everything from noteworthy arcade and console games to popular PC titles and mobile apps.

Amid the four inductees’ announcement, various curators and executives at The National Museum of Play commented on each game and pointed to their relevance to the larger world of video gaming. For example, one curator praised Final Fantasy VII for introducing Japanese role-playing games “into mainstream popularity across the globe.” Another museum official pointed out that John Madden Football “changed the way we play and consume sports video games” and “the way actual sports games are broadcast.”

“The Guinness World Records cites Lara Croft as the ‘most recognized female video game character’ of all time,” one curator, Shannon Symonds, said in a press release. “The character is not without controversy for her early status as a sex symbol, but she’s evolved with the franchise to become the epitome of a strong female hero.”

All four inductees have since been added into the museum, where visitors can view each game on its second floor. For more information on the World Video Game Hall of Fame, head over to The National Museum of Play’s about page for the hall.

H/T Polygon