Creating a video game hall of fame - part 1

Ottumwa, Iowa 1982 Copyright Enrico Ferorelli 2007

A few weeks ago on the GameHounds podcast, I was involved in a rather heated (re: NSFW) discussion with Gamer Edie about Ottumwa, Iowa wanting to establish the Video Game Hall of Fame in their town. My stance was that anyone who knows the true history of the gaming culture should know that Ottumwa is the home base of Walter Day and Twin Galaxies, the first and only official score keepers in the video game world. Edie’s viewpoint was simple: something as significant as the video game hall of fame should be in a more prestigious, and more easily accessible by plane, area than Iowa. Now, rather than simply posting a play-by-play of the discussion (or the profanity riddled Chewbacca Defense) from that episode of GameHounds (number 64 if you’re interested), I instead want to focus on something that we only briefly touched upon in the show. A topic that I feel is even more important than the location of a hall of fame; how to properly create one. As you can see from the title, this is going to be an ongoing look into various ideas and concepts that I have regarding the idea of the creation of a Video Game Hall of Fame. However, and I hope you agree, I feel this truly is a topic that is worth exploring quite deeply. After all, if there really is to be a hall of fame for this medium that we all love so dearly, shouldn’t we as gamers do our best to make sure it’s done correctly? Let’s get started…

Depending on whom you ask, the answer to the question of “What systems are legendary enough for inclusion in a hall of fame?” will vary wildly. Some people will tell you that the Playstation 2 is the epitome of a classic system. When you look at the numbers, it does paint an impressive picture; 136 million units sold worldwide, 1800+ titles available, 8 years on the sales charts… it makes sense. However, should the popularity of a console be the primary influence on a system being included? What about systems like the NEC TurboGrafx-16? During its incredibly short lifespan in the early-90s, it managed to only eek out 10 million units sold worldwide, with only 2.5 million of those being in the United States. But, from a purely historical standpoint, the TurboGrafx-16 is one of the most important pieces of video game hardware to have been released, as it was the first games console to have the ability to play titles stored on CD-ROM. Certainly this marks it as an important milestone in the industry, and should be remembered for its historical contribution.

Now, before you finish that angry comment you’re writing in your head, I’m not saying that the Playstation 2 didn’t make important contributions (it was the first system to have games on DVD-ROM after all), but certainly, a system like the TurboGrafx-16 rightfully deserves a place in the hall of fame along side of it. Take a moment and think about it; did you know that the TurboGrafx-16 was the first system with a CD-ROM option? Did you even know that the system existed before you read about it in this article? Therein lies one of the many problems; most gamers (even those that call themselves ‘hardcore’ or ‘journalists’) are unaware of the existence of the TurboGrafx-16, or the pioneering efforts made by NEC when they designed it. This brings us, perhaps not as elegantly as I’d hoped, to the next problem: who gets to decide what systems and games should be included in a video game hall of fame?

Who is in charge of what makes its way into the proposed video game hall of fame is probably the most difficult question to answer in this entire problem. Certainly, and you can disagree with me if you’d like, there should be a dedicated committee that is responsible for the choosing of items. Be it games, hardware, controllers, what have you: an assigned group of people need to be the ones actually making the calls. This group should be comprised of knowledgeable industry analysts and veterans that truly know and understand the history of the medium. Much in the same way that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a governing body that invites members into the voting body for the Academy Awards, a video game hall of fame  would need a core group of individuals that in turn bring in others to vote. I’m not saying that the AMPAS is the only model we should adhere to, but in the case of a voting body, it is a good fit. It would allow a solid mix of industry experience and knowledge, combined with a mix of people with perhaps more contemporary and fresh ideas about the video games industry. It would be an ever evolving way for the voting body to keep up with an always changing entertainment medium, just like the film industry. Now comes the $25,000 question; who gets to be in the core governing group? Personally, I think it should be a mix of industry veterans like Shigeru Miyamoto (the father of Mario) and people like… well… me.

OK, not ME specifically (although I think I’d be a pretty darn good fit for the job), but people that have a rich understanding of the historical aspects and lessons of the video game industry. Knowledgeable people that know the intricate details that make up the fabric of the medium from an outsiders perspective. Having those two viewpoints on the committee would certainly allow a sense of balance; on one hand, you would have the creative, the visionaries that have carried the industry forward on their backs. On the other; the analytical minds that see the industry from outside the walls, and are able to dissect, evaluate, and rationalize the details necessary to develop informed opinions. Unfortunately, there isn’t exactly a test that can be given to find individuals like this, so it would likely be based on a person’s credibility. Although I can already predict that the list of applicants for a station like this would be immense. This also presents us with the question of who chooses these people out of the, quite frankly, ridiculous amount of people qualified for the role of the governing body? Is it yet another team of people, or a single person that is trusted with control of the entire voting body? If this person, or president you could say, is responsible, how are they chosen? Certainly this is a task that easily falls outside of the scope of this article, but I feel that what I’ve presented so far gives a solid foundation to the idea of a governing committee. I told you this was probably the hardest question, didn’t I?

As you can see, I’ve managed to only scratch the surface of this idea in this first article. There are many more things to explore, and I plan to. I truly do believe that this medium has reached the point where it is vital for it to have a definitive archive. As a ‘retro gamer’ (although I don’t really believe there’s such a thing), I take great pride in my knowledge and understanding of the history of the video game as an industry. There are so many aspects that go into it; hardware, software, art direction, sound design, character design… the list goes on. The time has come for people like me to help honor and remember the accomplishments made thus far by helping to document and preserve the already rich history of this still young medium. For example, I've taken on the task of creating a photographic record of videogame consoles and accessories, that I hope will serve as a rich visual reference guide for anyone interested in learning more about older game systems. It's a small step, but one that I hope can help make a meaningful impact down the road. After all, much like music, or baseball, or any other activity or medium that deserves a hall of fame; documenting the past is vital to shaping the future.

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