“Microsoft Solitaire,” a computer game played by more than 500 million people over the past 29 years, has been inducted in the World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y.
The digital version of the classic card game debuted on Windows 3.0 in 1990 and has been a featured program on every version of the software since. The Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant shared the news on its Xbox news site Thursday.
Microsoft said “Solitaire” has been distributed on over a billion computers around the world and successfully helped to teach computer owners how to use a mouse. In the process, it ended up becoming one of the most played video games in history, the company said.
“Solitaire” joins “Colossal Cave Adventure,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “Super Mario Kart” in the 2019 class of inductees into the Hall of Fame. The Strong said in its own news release that the four games “span multiple decades, countries of origin, and gaming platforms, but all have significantly affected the video game industry, popular culture, and society in general.” They emerged from a field of 12 finalists which included “Candy Crush Saga,” “Centipede,” “Dance Dance Revolution,” “Half-Life,” “Myst,” “NBA 2K,” “Sid Meier’s Civilization,” and “Super Smash Bros. Melee.”
“Microsoft Solitaire being inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame makes this a historic day!” Paul Jensen, studio manager for Microsoft Casual Games, said in the Xbox news posting. “We are humbly honored to have the opportunity to work on a game that has such broad appeal, is localized into 65 languages, and played in over 200 markets around the world, including Antarctica.”
The World Video Game Hall of Fame was established in 2015 to recognize individual electronic games of all types — arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile. Inductees are on permanent view on the museum’s second floor.
