- In 1980, worked at HAL Laboratory as a part-time programmer.
- In 2000, became head of Nintendo’s corporate planning division.
- In 2011, created the Nintendo Online Press conference, Nintendo Direct
- Helped develop Pokémon Gold and Silver
- Assisted in the development of Super Smash Bros for N64
- Headed Nintendo team to create the Nintendo DS.
- Pushed development to create the Nintendo Wii.
- Lifetime Achievement Award at 2015 Golden Joystick Awards and the 2016 DICE Awards
The public is invited to submit names of individuals and games in a variety of categories for the 2016 Class of Inductees.
OTTUMWA, Iowa – March 21, 2016 – The International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum would like to remind the voting public that time is still available to submit nominations for the 2016 Class of Inductees.- Video Game Competitors
- Games
- Game Designers
- Industry Leader
- IVGHOF Community Action Award
- Walter Day Lifetime Achievement Award
Participants are also invited to provide information as to why the individual, game or company should be inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame.
The public nomination process is the first of three steps in deciding who is inducted into the 2016 IVGHOF Class.
After the public nomination process is completed, a selection committee will narrow down the names for each category to present to a final voting pool which will then determine the final list of inductees.
Nominations are open until 11:59 p.m. March 31.
Interested individuals can read about the Nomination and Induction Process here: http://www.ivghof.info/news/2016-nomination-and-induction-process/
Nominations can be made here: http://www.ivghof.info/2016-international-video-game-hall-of-fame-nomination-form/
The IVGHOF Board of Directors would like to thank everyone, in advance, for their submissions.
Thank you to everyone who has submitted their nominations for the 2016 International Video Game Hall of Fame Class. We appreciate the time and effort everyone has taken thus far to submit names of individuals and games as well as reasons these should be inducted.
Since nominations are still coming in, we are extending the submission period until 11:59 p.m. March 31, 2016.
We appreciate any sharing of this announcement with others to encourage them to submit their answers.
We would also like to note, if you do not have an answer to some of the required blanks, please put an answer of “No response” or “n/a” in the field and submit as normal.
You can view previous induction classes at the links below:
Class of 2010: http://www.ivghof.info/classes-of-inductees/class-of-2010/
Class of 2015: http://www.ivghof.info/classes-of-inductees/class-of-2015/
Individuals who were inducted in previous years are not eligible for induction a second time unless they qualify for the Community Action Award or Walter Day Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nominations can be made here: http://www.ivghof.info/2016-international-video-game-hall-of-fame-nomination-form/
As mentioned in the 2016 Nomination and Induction Process article, nominations are now open for four weeks, closing at 11:59 p.m. on March 7, 2016.
Instructions on how many nominations for each category is available within the form. If you provide more than the number requested, we will select the first 2-4 (depending on the amount limited to) from the names provided.
Users are encouraged to provide information as to why they feel an individual or game should be inducted, but are not required to do so.
Nominations can be made here: http://www.ivghof.info/2016-international-video-game-hall-of-fame-nomination-form/
The International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum are pleased to announce that we will be opening up nominations to the public as part of the 2016 Nomination Process.
On Feb. 8 we will post a link to a form for nominations. Nominations will be open for a month before moving on in the process outlined below.
The information below covers the categories and number of inductees for each category as well as the process for this year’s class of inductees.
Categories, Criteria and Number of Recipients
Video Game Competitors
Individuals nominated should exemplify the best characteristics in gaming, including but not limited to:
- Convey sportsmanship in the community
- Made significant contributions to the community or industry
- Strong consideration given based on world records earned, significant achievements and promotion of the positive aspects of playing and/or creating games.
Subcategories include:
- Golden Age Competitors (2 inductees between 1970s – 1989)
- The 90’s (90 – 99) (1 inductee)
- The 2000’s (2000-2011) (1 inductee)
Games
- Golden Age Games (1 inductee 1970s – 1990)
- The 90’s (90 – 99) (1 inductee)
- The 2000’s (2000-2009) (1 inductee)
- The 2010 to present (1 inductee)
Game Designer
Honoring individuals, companies, or organizations who have shaped the history of the global electronic gaming industry through their historic game creations or technological innovations. (1 Inductee)
Industry Leaders
Honoring individuals, companies, or organizations who have inspired the growth, vitality, and prosperity of the global electronic gaming industry through their business wisdom and creative vision. (1 Inductee)
IVGHOF Community Action Award
Presented to individuals who selflessly serve the global gaming industry through charitable activities while inspiring others to participate in harmonious community-building enterprises. (1 Inductee)
Walter Day Lifetime Achievement Award
Honoring individuals or organizations who have served the electronic gaming industry over the course of a long career, enriching the industry with their selfless contributions, strong leadership, and creative vision. The point of this award is that they have served for a long time, whereas the Community Action Award is directed at people who performed benevolent and charitable tasks during a recent small time period. (1 Inductee)
Nomination Process
Selection Process
This narrowed down list would be posted to the website with a bio for each nominee.
The second part is where a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) would be sent to potential voters who are selected by the IVGHOF selection committee to place their vote on who gets inducted for each year. Voters will be selected each year by the selection committee and are subject to change. Voters are not allowed to disclose that they participated in voting on who is inducted into the IVGHOF. Any revelation they were involved would remove them from future opportunities. Numbers of voting groups may vary from year to year and those in the pool may change from year to year and will include, but are not limited to, past inductees of the IVGHOF, video game journalists, and gaming professionals. They would have 2 weeks to vote.
Once the votes are in, the majority vote (or two majority votes) wins for the categories depending on the number of inductees for each category.
In 2010, the International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Ottumwa, Iowa, the Video Game Capital of the World, announced and inducted its first class. At that time, 29 individuals and one video game were inducted into the IVGHOF. Now, five years later, the IVGHOF is pleased to announce the members of the 2015 class to be inducted at an event in 2016.
The 2015 class of inductees was selected by accomplished gamers, journalists and video game industry executives who have extensive knowledge of the achievements in gaming. We are pleased to announce the following individuals and video games are being inducted:
Gamers
Tim Balderramos, author of “The Perfect Game: Confessions of a Pac-Man Junkie,” holds the Pac-Man World Title, several other world records and is one of the top five Pac-Man players in the world. He retired from competitive gaming June 19, 2008.
Eric Ginner worked on a number of classic games for the Lynx. He also holds a handful of world records on different games
Steve Harris holds world records in Bega’s Battle, Red Alert and Wacko. He was the founding editor of Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine.
Josh Jones is a notable gamer who was a consummate fundraiser for various causes who passed away unexpectedly this year
Tim McVey, subject of the Man vs. Snake documentary on Nibbler, was the first gamer to achieve a billion points on Nibbler and holder of several Nibbler world records
Thor Aackerland was the winner of the Nintendo World Championships in 1990. He holds two world records on Tetris.
Kat “Mystik” Gunn is a professional gamer and cosplayer who is known for winning the second season of WCG Ultimate Gamer on the SyFy Channel. She has been named the highest earning female gamer in the upcoming Guinness World Records Book Gamer’s Edition.
Game
Defender – Defender was one of the most important titles of the Golden Age, selling over 55,000 units and becoming one of Williams Electronics best selling game and highest grossing arcade game. Game development was led by Eugene Jarvis and was his first video game project.
Game Designer
Eugene Jarvis is a well known game designer and programmer who produced games for Atari, Williams Electronics and Midway Games. He co-founded Vid Kidz and currently runs his own development studio, Raw Thrills Inc. Jarvis was named the first Game Designer in Residence by DePaul University’s Game Development program in 2008.
Industry Leader
Gary Stern, CEO and founder of Stern Pinball, Inc., has grown up with the gaming industry. Stern Electronics was created by his father in 1977 and they created games Stampede and Rawhide. Stern Electronics created both video arcade and pinball machines. Their most popular game, Bezerk, was created in 1980. Stern worked at Stern Electronics before moving on to Data East/Sega before creating Stern Pinball, INc., in 1994. Stern has been a leader in the gaming industry through its ups and downs and his company continues to appeal to gamers worldwide.
Walter Day Lifetime Achievement Award
David Bishop, Executive Vice President of NAMCO, has been involved in the video game industry since 1981 when he joined Barrel of Fun, Inc. as Vice President Technical Services. He moved on to Atari Operations Inc., as Director Operations in 1987. In 1990 he joined NAMCO’s team and has served in a variety of positions in his tenure there. David has been an industry leader, helping to advance NAMCO and gaming with his skills. His most recent project, Level 257, is a prototype arcade featuring a unique dining, entertainment and social experience inspired by PAC-Man.
The induction ceremony will coincide with the annual ICON Trading Card Event to be held in Ottumwa, Iowa, in Summer 2016 with a date to be announced in the near future.
For more information: http://www.ivghof.info/
About The International Video Game Hall of Fame
Located in Ottumwa, Iowa, the International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated to honoring excellence in the field of electronic gaming by recognizing the champions, industries and professionals related to this popular activity. We will build and maintain a state-of-the art interactive facility containing historical archive exhibits describing the historic milestones of the video game industry, and preserve significant video gaming relics, memorabilia and artifacts of the times past and present.
- CEO and founder of Stern Pinball, Inc.
- Stern Electronics created both video arcade and pinball machines. Their most popular game, Berzerk, was created in 1980.
- Gary worked at Stern Electronics before moving on to Data East/Sega before creating Stern Pinball, Inc., in 1994.
- Stern has been a leader in the gaming industry through its ups and downs and his company continues to appeal to gamers worldwide
- Original gamer at Twin Galaxies arcade in 1982
- First gamer to achieve a billion points on Nibbler.
- Subject of the Man vs. Snake documentary on Nibbler.
- Event Coordinator of Gaming World Wide
- Organized many highly successful events to benefit the American Cancer Society
- Various World records on M.A.M.E games such as Super Dodgeball and Best Bout Boxing
