New York museum unveils the inductees slated for 2025's Video Game Hall of Fame.
HOST:
Step into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, nestled in Rochester, New York, where fresh inductees have made their mark. Jon-Paul Dyson, the museum's vice president for exhibits, isn't named after a Pope, despite the jokes.
JON-PAUL DYSON: I always joke that the popes were named after me!
HOST: One of the games in the prestigious 2025 class is "Defender," an action-packed space shooter from 1981.
DYSON: You take control of a spaceship, fending off alien attacks while saving the humans they kidnap. Its intricate gameplay showed that players were ready to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously and react swiftly.
(SOUNDBITE OF ELECTRONIC BEEPING)
DYSON: It was the complexity and fast-paced action that separated it from the pack.
HOST: In the '90s, handheld Tamagotchi digital pets were the trend. These digital companions offered a unique blend of gameplay and emotional connection.
DYSON: Caring for your Tamagotchi, ensuring its survival, and nurturing its happiness brought a whole new level of engagement to gaming.
(SOUNDBITE OF BEEPING)
HOST: Memories of the early loss of your first Tamagotchi are etched forever. Another inductee is "Quake," a revolutionary first-person shooter.
DYSON: You battle terrifying monsters across a 3D world, a first for the industry at the time.
(SOUNDBITE OF GROWLING)
DYSON: "Quake" made waves by introducing online multiplayer matches, paving the way for today's Esports competitions.
HOST: Lastly, a classic first-person shooter, "GoldenEye," based on the James Bond movie.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DYSON: It seamlessly integrated the James Bond character into the gaming world. Relive your childhood memories by playing it in our lab.
(SOUNDBITE OF ELECTRONIC GUNFIRE)
DYSON: With "Pac-Man," "Super Mario," and others, Defender, Tamagotchi, Quake, and GoldenEye 007 have now joined the esteemed ranks of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Enjoy this walk down gaming nostalgia lane!
(SOUNDBITE OF VG COVER JUNKIES' "GOLDENEYE 007")Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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The four games inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2025—Defender, Tamagotchi, Quake, and GoldenEye 007—each have unique characteristics and significant impacts on the gaming industry. Defender, released in 1981, showcased high difficulty and impressive graphics for its time, pioneering the arcade game scene. Tamagotchi, popular in the '90s, blurred the lines between toys and video games by requiring users to care for their virtual pets on a handheld device. Quake, released in 1996, was a first-person shooter with a 3D engine that set a new standard for the FPS genre and influenced multiplayer gaming. GoldenEye 007 revolutionized story-driven FPS and multiplayer gaming with its four-player split-screen mode, achieving remarkable success despite being on the Nintendo 64, a relatively less popular console at the time. Each of these games contributed to the evolution of the gaming industry in distinct ways, from pioneering graphics and gameplay to innovative multiplayer features and cultural phenomena.
The 2025 inductions into the World Video Game Hall of Fame included the action-packed space shooter "Defender", the handheld digital pet sensation Tamagotchi, the revolutionary first-person shooter "Quake", and the James Bond-themed first-person shooter "GoldenEye 007". Each of these games pushed the boundaries of entertainment and technology in distinct ways, shaping the evolution of the gaming industry.
