Victoria E. Freile

@vfreile

Donkey Kong, Halo: Combat Evolved, Pokémon Red and Green and Street Fighter II are the latest games inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

The inductees were announced Thursday morning at The Strong museum in Rochester. They were selected from 12 finalists that were announced in March.

Established in 2015, the Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes individual electronic games of all types — arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile — that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general.

"Video games play an increasingly important role in play as we now have a generation of children who grew up playing video games having a tremendous impact on our culture," said Jeremy Saucier, assistant director of The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games. "All of the games inducted brought people together."

The 2017 inductees, the Hall of Fame's third class, joined video game staples such as Super Mario Brothers, Pong, Tetris, the Legend of Zelda and Space Invaders.

► 2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees

Donkey Kong,released in 1981, was Nintendo most profitable game to date. A mainstay in arcades in the 1980s, this arcade game also introduced the world to Mario the plumber, who went on to be featured in numerous other video games including Super Mario Brothers, which was in the Hall of Fame's inaugural class.

Released in 1991 by Capcom, Street Fighter IItransformed video game play in the 1990s, Saucier said. Players no longer faced off against the arcade game but each other, in a head-to-head competition. While the game popularized street fighting, it also sparked one-on-one arcade tournaments.

When Pokémon launched on the Nintendo Game Boy in 1996, the handheld game challenged players to collect 151 unique monsters. Pokémon Red and Greenlaunched a franchise that took the world by storm and fueled interested in the Japanese culture. And, as evidenced with last year's introduction of Pokémon Go,the characters remain incredibly popular, said Shannon Symonds, associate curator of the International Center for the History of Video Games.

Microsoft's Halo: Combat Evolved redefined combat games when it was released via XBox in 2001, Symonds said. The science fiction first-person shooter game combined a intricate storyline, memorable characters and a multi-player experience.

"These are all games I played as a kid and that inspired me to get into the video gaming industry," said Frank O'Connor, franchise creative director of Halo, 343 Industries at the ceremony. Video games have been around for a half century, and have evolved with technology.

"Video games don't replace traditional games, they complement them," he said. Video games "give kids places to explore and characters to meet. And it in no way replaces your imagination."

This weekend, the museum will host activities themed on past inductees,

The World Video Game Hall of Fame celebration weekend will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, at the museum, 1 Manhattan Square.

Thousands of nominations from more than 100 countries were considered by museum staff, Saucier said. A committee of video game experts then considered the 12 finalists. The games are judged on icon-status; longevity; geographical reach; and influence.

Besides the inductees, other finalists were Final Fantasy VII, Microsoft Windows Solitaire, 'Mortal Kombat, Myst, Portal, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider and Wii Sports.