The video games that were selected had to fit the selection criteria.
Icon-Status: The game is widely recognized and remembered.
Longevity: The game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time.
Geographical Reach: The game meets the first two criteria across international boundaries.
Influence: The game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games or on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general.
The last criteria seems to be the most important one. A game can be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame on the basis of that criteria alone (even if it has not met the other three criteria).
The official list of the first class of inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame are: Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, Tetris, Doom, and World of Warcraft. They are the 2015 class of inductees. Nominations for the 2016 class of inductees are being considered now. You can nominate a video game by filling out a form on the website of The Strong at the National Museum of Play.