The inaugural class is announced for the World Video Game Hall of Fame!

Super Mario, Pong among World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees @museumofplay http://t.co/6oiqeUTh5N pic.twitter.com/yDaUIqRMvB

— GamesIndustry (@GIBiz) June 4, 2015

The inaugural class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame have been announced and it is clear that the right games were chosen.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame is located at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The first class of inductees into this new Hall of Fame include Pong (1958), Pac-Man (1980), Tetris (1984), Super Mario Bros. (1985), DOOM (1993), and World of Warcraft (2004).

The Hall of Fame recognizes all game types and from them the inductees were selected according to the following criteria:

"Icon-status: the game is widely recognized and remembered.
Longevity: the game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time.
Geographical reach: the game meets the above criteria across international boundaries.
Influence: The game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general. A game may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three."

Other finalists for the Hall of Fame include Angry Birds, FIFA, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Pokémon, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders. I was upset to see that The Legend of Zelda didn't make it in, since it's my favorite franchise, but I have no doubt that it will be inducted in time.

You can find out more about each game and why they were selected at the World Video Game Hall of Fame official site.

Source: Twitter - GamesIndustry
Source: World Video Game Hall of Fame