Inducted Year: 2022
Ancient peoples of Greece and Rome amused themselves with toys resembling the spinning tops we know today. Archaeologists have found 5,000-year-old clay tops in Iraq and 3,000-year-old whip tops in China. Native peoples of the Americas played with tops in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Top makers have formed their tops from clay, metal, stone, wood, and, later, rubber, tin, and plastics. Shapes and types of tops also vary, leading to the different ways in which the tops are […]
Lite-Brite
Inducted Year: 2022
In 1966, a New York City window display featuring hundreds of colored lights inspired toy creators Marvin Glass, Henry Stan, and Burt Meyer. Convinced they could design and build a plaything employing this concept, they simplified and streamlined the idea, and reduced the light source to a 25-watt light bulb. Their design placed a perforated plastic panel in front of the bulb and covered the panel with a simple sheet of black construction paper. When colored translucent plastic […]
Sid Meier’s Civilization
Inducted Year: 2022
Steeped in the tradition of early strategy board games from companies such as Avalon Hill, including one called Civilization from 1980, Sid Meier sought to develop a computer game that allowed players to “build an empire to stand the test of time.” The game had a scope far vaster than that of other simulation games of the era, such as SimCity or MicroProse’s own Railroad Tycoon.Spanning centuries from 4000 BC to AD 2100, Civilization offers a unique opportunity […]
Ms. Pac-Man
Inducted Year: 2022
In 1980, Pac-Man captivated popular culture around the world with its mesmerizing but accessible gameplay and its cute, dot-munching hero. Millions of players fell in love with this simple maze chase game. And yet, most video game critics would agree that Ms. Pac-Man, which came out in 1982, is not only the better game but the more culturally significant one as well.
In terms of playability, Ms. Pac-Man improved on its predecessor in several ways. There were now four […]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Inducted Year: 2022
Released in 1998 for Nintendo 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first of the series to feature 3D graphics. Led by Shigeru Miyamoto, Ocarina of Time set a new standard for games with its freedom of movement in a three-dimensional world that felt expansive and vast, laying the foundation not just for the action games that would follow it, but for the gaming industry as a whole.
As implied by its title, Ocarina of Time […]
Dance Dance Revolution
Inducted Year: 2022
Music has been an integral part of human life since prehistoric times, so it comes as no surprise that musical games enjoy a unique popularity that spans ages, genders, and regions. Children play “Musical Chairs” and “Hot Potato” at birthday parties, while adults compete in karaoke competitions and “Name That Tune” trivia contests.
Rhythm games invaded the electronic market in the 1970s, with many early games following the “call-and-response” method popularized by Ralph Baer’s Simon (1978). In 1987, Human […]
Masters of the Universe
Inducted Year: 2022
The story of Masters of the Universe begins in 1979 when Ray Wagner of Mattel formed a Male Action Team to explore creation of the company’s next big action figure line. The company recognized that it needed to compete with the success of Kenner’s Star Wars action figures. Roger Sweet, a member of the team, added modeling clay to bulk up Big Jim. In turn, Mattel illustrator Mark Taylor developed the proposed aesthetics for the action figure and, […]
