2025 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees: Quake and GoldenEye Among Honorees

Alright, so here we go—this mind-boggling moment when the gaming legends Defender, GoldenEye 007, Quake, and (wait for it) Tamagotchi got the nod from the World Video Game Hall of Fame. I mean, who would’ve thought, right? The Strong Museum of Play tossed out that little tidbit the other day.

Got to admit, I was half expecting something like Angry Birds or maybe Call of Duty 4 to sneak in there, especially when I glanced at that 2025 nominee lineup. Pretty decent crew: Age of Empires, Frogger, NBA 2K, and more. They all have their fans, but nope, not this time.

So, The Strong tells us that these chosen four didn’t just sit around, they actually shaped culture and gaming itself. Like, they’re the rockstars here. They scored high on things like lasting fame and just how far they reached worldwide. Quake’s up there with Doom now—both crafted by id Software. Doom got its place back in 2015, which honestly feels like eons ago.

The why behind each game’s induction, though, that’s where the magic happens. Defender, GoldenEye 007, Quake, and Tamagotchi did more than just entertain. They changed the game (see what I did there?). Imagine sitting in a room full of judges and curators hashing that out. And there’s more: since 2015, 49 games found their new home here. Just last year, oldies but goodies like Asteroids and Myst joined the crew. SimCity and Resident Evil threw in, too, living it up in this digital pantheon.

Crazy times, indeed.