Class of 2017

Click on the inductees below to learn more about each inductee.

Carrie Swidecki

Carrie Swidecki

2000’s Era Gamer
Class of 2017 Inductee
Carrie Swidecki is a teacher from Bakersfield, California, who holds various dance game world records and encourages students to exercise through video games like Just Dance and in general.
Chris Ayra

Chris Ayra

1990’s Era Gamer
Class of 2017 Inductee
Chris Ayra was a gaming legend long before most of today’s gamers were even born. As one of the original pillars of arcade gaming, Chris Ayra was the Guinness World Records Ms. Pac-Man champion for nearly 20 years.
David Crane

David Crane

Walter Day Lifetime Achievement Award
Class of 2017 Inductee
David Crane is one of the most successful designers of entertainment software in the world. His award winning video games, led by Pitfall!, Ghostbusters, A Boy and His Blob, and Amazing Tennis are acknowledged as some of the most innovative and popular in the interactive entertainment industry.
Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong

Golden Age Game
Class of 2017 Inductee
Donkey Kong is a 1981 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for arcades. As Mario (occasionally referred to as “Jumpman” at the time), the player runs and jumps on platforms and climbs ladders to ascend a construction site and rescue Pauline from a giant gorilla, Donkey Kong.
Extra Life

Extra Life

Community Action Award
Class of 2017 Inductee
Extra Life is a fundraising event. The proceeds of which go to branches of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 100% of all donations go directly to the hospitals.
Halo

Halo

2000's Era Game
Class of 2017 Inductee
Halo is a military science fiction video game series and media franchise, originally developed by Bungie and currently managed and developed by Halo Studios (previously 343 Industries), part of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios.
Howard Phillips

Howard Phillips

industry Leader
Class of 2017 Inductee
Howard Phillips is a video game consultant and producer who was an early employee of and spokesman for Nintendo of America in the 1980s. Phillips was recruited to leave Nintendo and joined LucasArts in 1991.
Joel West

Joel West

Golden Age Gamer
Class of 2017 Inductee
Joel was one of the original members of the famous TIME Life Magazine photo shoot in Ottumwa, IA outside the original Twin Galaxies arcade. He was best known for scores on Frenzy, and Berzerk, where he holds a number of world records on both the Fast and Slow versions.
Justin Wong

Justin Wong

2000's Era Gamer
Class of 2017 Inductee
Justin Wong is an American professional fighting game player residing in Canada. Wong has won more EVO titles than anyone else with nine tournaments won:
Rebecca Heineman

Rebecca Heineman

Golden Age Gamer
Class of 2017 Inductee
Rebecca’s journey in the gaming industry began at Interplay Entertainment (1983-1995), where she co-founded the company and played a pivotal role in the development of iconic titles like The Bard’s Tale (1986) and Wasteland (1988).
Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog

1990s Era Game
Class of 2017 Inductee
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 1991 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who can run at supersonic speeds.
Warren Davis

Warren Davis

Game Developer
Class of 2017 Inductee
Warren is a game designer and programmer. Q*Bert was his first and most well-known game. He has worked at such companies as Gottlieb, Williams/Bally/Midway, and Disney Interactive.
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