Walk Of Game Stars Celebrate First Induction Ceremony

The first ever inductees into the San Francisco “Walk of Game” exhibit have their stars unveiled this week as Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda) and Nolan Bushnell (co-founder of Atari and creator of Pong) became the first recipients of the Lifetime Achievement award. Four additional stars were unveiled with Master Chief (Halo), Link (The Legend of Zelda), Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog all receiving notice in the favorite games/characters category. The event was attended by the Mayor of San Francisco and by Nolan Bushnell, Simon Jeffery of Sega of America, Takashi Iizuka from Sega Studio USA, Marty O’Donnell of Bungie Studios and by Bill Trinen of Nintendo of America. “Video game sales have eclipsed Hollywood box office revenue and it’s time that those who aren’t aware of this stand up and take notice, or fail to do so at their own peril,” said Honorable Mayor Newsom to a crowd of both gamers and press. “San Francisco recognizes Walk of Game Day to honor and celebrate the incredible achievements made by video game icons and pioneers, and we are extremely proud to finally have a Walk of our own to honor these accomplishments.” The top four games/characters and the top two lifetime achievers were voted in by gamers worldwide and received a 24"x 24", customized star installed on the floors of Metreon, a 350,000 square-foot entertainment center in downtown San Francisco. 2006 nominations will be announced in late 2005.