The gaming industry has reason to celebrate this week.

Each December, the Nasdaq Stock Exchange evaluates its list of the top 100 non-financial companies trading on the market. Companies who are blazing a path to greatest are welcomed into the elite fold, while those who have fallen behind the curve are shown the door and dropped from the list. This year Nasdaq extended an invitation to a dozen new companies, including premier graphics chipmaker Nvidia and game developer Activision.

Activision and Nvidia are not the first companies in the gaming industry to join the Nasdaq 100. Rivals Electronic Arts and ATI were already on the list and have maintained their positions for the coming year. But the inclusion of Nvidia and Activision is a clear sign that the gaming industry is growing in strength and numbers.

The annual re-ranking of companies on the Nasdaq 100 is a highly anticipated event. It ultimately determines which elite companies are included in “one of the most closely followed indexes in the world,” noted Nasdaq Executive vice President John L. Jacobs. “The re-ranking process is objective, rules-based and transparent. [It] ensures the Nasdaq 100 Index will continue to be an important benchmark.”

Inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 is always welcome news for companies and their shareholders since the index serves as a guide to mutual find managers around the world. In addition, shares from each Nasdaq 100 company are included in the Nasdaq 100 Index Tracking Stock. This fund is among the world’s most actively traded exchange funds and the most actively traded security in the United States. This means that companies on the index frequently find a huge jump in investor interest in their shares, resulting in a large financial boom for the company.

Google, Urban Outfitters, Red Hat, Expedia, and Monster Worldwide are also among the newest additions to the Nasdaq 100. In order to make room for the newest additions, a dozen of underperforming companies were removed from the list. Departing companies include Dollar Tree Stores, Level 3 Communications, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Novellus Systems, and Sanmina-SCI Corporation.

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