World Video Game Hall of Fame: Ms. Pac-Man, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Among 2022 Inductees

Ms. Pac-Man sold a whopping 1,25,000 cabinets within just five years of its release in the early ‘80s.

Ms. Pac-Man was released in 1981.

Source : Getty

New Delhi: Ms. Pac-Man and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, two timeless classics that defined generations of games following their release, have finally been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Two more all-time greats — Dance Dance Revolution and Sid Meier’s Civilization — were also inducted alongside. Located at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, US, the World Video Game Hall of Fame celebrates electronic games across all genres and platforms, which have not only tasted great success and popularity, but also influenced the video game industry or overall pop culture over the years. 

One of the best-selling arcade games of all time, Ms. Pac-Man sold a whopping 1,25,000 cabinets within just five years of its release in the early ‘80s. Coming in as a sequel to the even-more-popular Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man was published by Midway Games to appeal to the female fans of the original title. Interestingly, Pac-Man was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 2015. 

Dedicated fans would claim that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the greatest video game ever made. And it’s hard to argue with that. Published by Nintendo in 1998, the critically-acclaimed action-adventure title sold over 7.6 million copies around the world. Defining what a 3D action game could be, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the only game with a Metacritic score of 99, ranked at the top of All-Time Best Game Releases by User Score on the platform. 

As far as strategy games go, not many can hold up to the 1991-classic Sid Meier’s Civilization even today. On the other hand, Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution paved the way for music-centred games since 1998. 

The World Video Game Hall of Fame accepts nominations for video games from anyone. The final call to induct is made on the basis of inputs from scholars, journalists, and other experts in the field.