Tag Archive: Tetris


Six games honored as inaugural class in World Video Game Hall of Fame

Filed under: EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), Written — Leave a comment
July 6, 2015

The Strong National Museum of Play has announced the 2015 class for the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

The six games to make the cut were DOOM, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft.

The Strong Museum, located in Rochester, New York, is well known for its International Center for the History of Electronic Games and already houses the National Toy Hall of Fame.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame was designed to “recognize 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,” said a press release from The Strong.

Games were picked based on four key criteria: icon-status, longevity, geographical reach, and influence. The six that make up the inaugural class were chosen from a field of 15, and were chosen by a committee of journalists, scholars, and individuals familiar with video game history. The games that were not inducted this year were Angry Birds, FIFA, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Pokémon, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders.

This year’s winners will be on permanent display at the museum’s eGameRevolution exhibit and nominations for the class of 2016 are now being accepted through March 31, 2016.

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KevinDDR first player outside Japan to reach Grand Master rank in Tetris

Filed under: EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), Written — Leave a comment
February 10, 2015

Tetris savant KevinDDR is the first American player to reach the rank of Grand Master in Arika’s Tetris: The Grand Master 3.

In order to become recognized as a Grand Master, one must pass the Grand Master Promotional Exam. This consists of players achieving a “GM” quality rank during the majority of their last several playthroughs. GM rank demands players fulfill many difficult requirements and reach the game’s maximum drop speed level by clearing dozens of lines in less than seven minutes.

During the exam, a potential Grand Master must complete the final challenge of playing a minute’s worth of Tetris during a credit scroll where pieces turn invisible when dropped. Yeah, you basically play the game from memory as you build an invisible wall.

There are currently only five other recognized Grand Masters in the world, all of which are from Japan. To see KevinDDR’s historic run, you can check out the replay on his Twitch channel.

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