By Simon Moore on June 9, 2015 at 4:21am
A committee of journalists, scholars and video game industry members has inducted “Super Mario Bros.” into the new Video Game Hall of Fame in the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The original game for the Nintendo Entertainment System is one of six inductees in this inaugural class.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes electronic games that meet the following criteria: icon-status, longevity, geographical reach and influence.
Launched in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, “Super Mario Bros”. is one of the most well-known and best-selling games of all time, selling more than 40 million units worldwide and starring instantly recognizable characters like Mario, Luigi and Bowser. 18 games have followed this 2D side scrolling adventure about an Italian plumber saving the mushroom kingdom, who said video games needed to be complicated?
This year it’s the 30th anniversary of the franchise and Nintendo are showing no signs of stopping yet. Nintendo is launching “Mario Maker", a game for the Wii U console that lets players play, create and share their own Super Mario Bros. levels using four Super Mario Bros. game themes – from the 8-bit pixel art of the original game to the world and characters of “New Super Mario Bros. U”.
