‘The Last of Us’ among finalists for Video Game Hall of Fame

The Last of Us may be on its way to the Video Game Hall of Fame.

The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, released the finalists for their 2023 Video Game Hall of Fame Wednesday morning, and the apocalyptic action-adventure game is on the list.

This follows the game’s spike in popularity after HBO adapted it into a series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The Strong National Museum of Play said of the game, “Released by Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2013, The Last of Us jumped into an oversaturated field of post-apocalyptic zombie games and quickly stood out among the rest with its in-depth storytelling, intimate exploration of humanity, thrilling game jumps and cutscenes, and its memorable characters.”

Other finalists include Age of Empire, Angry Birds, Barbie Fashion Designer, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Computer Space, FIFA International Soccer, GoldenEye 007, NBA 2K, Wii Sports, Quake and Wizardry. Past inductees include Pac-Man, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario Bros.

The museum chooses which games to include by taking nominations from the public, and determining which are the most influential on popular culture and the gaming industry. They display the Video Game Hall of Fame with other exhibits that capture the history of the act of play; for example, the eGameRevolution exhibit allows people from all generations to play games that span decades, from pinball machines to PlayStation 3.

The Strong Museum of Play usually announces inductees in May.

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