Twin Galaxies
Video Game Olympics
Dirk on the Big Screen
Retro Pinball
The Houston Post/Sunday, February 20, 1983/7G
American Video Game Olympics
Ottumwa, Iowa
Video Game Capital of the World
Iowa town scores big with video game boom
By Alice Noble
"We're not a large arcade… we're not flashy, but what's important is the information
we provide."
Walter Day
Ottumwa, Iowa (UPI) - Until recently, Ottumwa's main claim to fame was as the hometown
of Radar O'Reilly of the M*A*S*H television series. Now it's known as the "Dodge City
of video games."
Twin Galaxies arcade manager Walter Day, who thrust the south central Iowa town into
the national limelight last year, now dally the city a "video Mecca."
The city council has officially proclaimed Ottumwa the "video Gaming Capital of the
World."
"Once upon a time, we were just an arcade," Day said, telling how he got Ottumwa on
the map. "We had a guy get a high score on the Defender game and it was so high we
wanted to know if it was a world record.
"So we started making phone calls and writing letters, but couldn't find out if it
was the high score.
Nobody kept those records."
Finally, Day said, he and his partner, John Bloch, declared their Defenders player
the world champion and further declared their little video arcade as the International
Scoreboard for video scores.
"It started with a couple of long distance phone calls coming in here each day to the
point where we get an average of 50 calls a day," he said, an there are usually 25
letters in the mailbox each day.
The International Scoreboard is kept on a computer disc and updated each week with
newly verified scores. Each new record must have an affidavit signed by several
witnesses and the arcade owner.
Day likened the arcade attraction to shootouts at Dodge City on television's old
Gunsmoke series.
"Remember the gunfights between the so-called 'fast guns' in Dodge City?" he asked.
"It's the idea of all the best people come to that one place where they can expect
to meet someone who can be a good match."
By being a clearinghouse for video game scores, Day said, the arcade has come to be
a clearing house for video game information and has catapulte4d several young players
into national recognition. "We're not a large arcade," Day said, motioning to the 23
games in the background. "We're not flashy, but what's important is the information
we provide."
The Twin Galaxies arcade sponsored the fist North American Video Olympics in Ottumwa
last fall, bringing in the best players from around the country to compete on five
games.
Camera crews from the That's Incredible television series filmed the event and the
competitors were featured in a two-page photo spread in Life Magazine.
He said the mayor and city council were so impressed last November they "declared
Ottumwa the Video Gaming Capitol of the World and gave me the key to the city. I
tried lots of doors but it didn't open any.
Photo: Walter Day stands outside his Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, which
He declared as the international scoreboard for video game record scores - UPI photo
twin galaxies video game Olympics
walter_day_video_game_olympics.jpg
Twin Galaxies: The most Famous Video Game Arcade in the World.
Ottumwa Iowa, 1982. Walter Day forms the Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard
at his Arcade. more... Day organizes the first North American Video Game Olympics
and hosts LIFE Magazine--in town to shoot an important photo.
Twin Galaxies: The most Famous Video Game Arcade in the World.
Ottumwa Iowa, 1982. Walter Day forms the Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard at
his Arcade. more... Day organizes the first North American Video Game Olympics and
hosts LIFE Magazine--in town to shoot an important photo. Within the video are 17 peopl
e being Photographed for being the best video game players in the world for Life Magazine.
LIFE Magazine Shoot (Video)
Link
January 8-9,1983
ABC-TV's "That's Incredible" Broadcasts History's First Video Game World Championship
Other historically significant pieces to be viewed are the: That's Incredible Ms. Pac-Man
World Championship, which was broadcast on October 11, 1982, and the North American Video
Game Olympics, which was co-produced by That's Incredible and Twin Galaxies on
January 8-9, 1983. This Olympics is now viewed to be video game history's first video
game world championship.
http://archive.gamespy.com/news/pressrelease.asp?id=325
Microsoft Sponsors Video Game Olympics. By Nate Mook, BetaNews ... like the "World"
Series of baseball consists only of MLB teams from North American
Microsoft Sponsors Video Game Olympics
By Nate Mook, BetaNews
April 14, 2006, 1:43 PM
Citing recent growth in "cybersports." Microsoft this week announced it would become the
premier sponsor of the World Cyber Games, the top competition in the video game industry.
The Redmond company will provide its Xbox 360 console for WCG events, along with games and
marketing.
Microsoft Windows and the Xbox will become the exclusive platforms for both PC and console
games in the WCG. The company's sponsorship will also cover three championship events in
South Korea, the United States and the the WCG Grand Finals in Monza, Italy.
http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_Sponsors_Video_Game_Olympics/1145036596
Pac-Man being Attacked
Dave and Busters Restaurant and Arcade:
http://www.daveandbusters.com/
Dave and Busters Advertisement:
"We have amazing food, two fully-stocked bars, and a midway bursting with games."
Game Works Restaurant and Arcade:
http://www.gameworks.com/
The Game Works Slogan:
"At Gameworks, it's eat and fun!"
Both Dave and Busters and Game Works have similar recipes for success.
The Dave and Busters video game arcade atmosphere works for this huge chain because
they offer more than just video games. They have great food, a full bar and other
sources of entertainment such as Pinball machines, pool tables, redemption games
(games paying out tickets), merchandisers, shuffleboard courts, and several private
conference rooms. The arcade is called the "Million Dollar Midway" with large-screen
A List of Some Classic Era Coin Operated Games
Ms. Pac-man
Tempest
Pac-Man
Centipede
Galaga
Asteoids
Star Wars
Donkey Kong
Tron
Joust
Donkey Kong Junior
Robotron
Defender
Space Invaders
Frogger
Battlezone
Galaxisn
Space Duel
Q*bert
Dig Dug
Can Classic Era Arcades be Cool Again?
I see classic games as one component of many different revenue streams that are
needed under one roof in order for a business to be successful.
Look at any major arcade that is successful and you will see that they have several
things going on to appeal to a larger audience and to hold that audience for a longer
period of time so they will spend their entire evening at the arcade premises.
The place has to be a cool place to hang out and spend money in and there has to be
a value to that entertainment which keeps the guest coming back for more. A true
classic gamer appreciates the original game playing as well as it did in 1981 with
the side art and controls and monitor all in mint restored original condition as
when it rolled out when it was new back in the Reagan Era. Food should be reasonable
yet great tasting and there should be lots of different things to do besides playing
the classics just because variety is the spice of life and if your going to go some
place every weekend it needs to have several different things going on and lots of
different people visiting. I'd like to see a business that has a major portion set
up to admiring the 1970's and 1980's era with live music recognizing that by-gone era
with merchandise to be bought celebrating that era including classic console carts,
t-shirts and everything else cool from that era. Don't forget a Lava Lamp here and
there.
Let's get back to when it was fun to hang out in the arcade and when it was cool
to socialize there and spend an evening of well spent quality time mastering
games.
Ground Kontrol Classic Retro Arcade Interview Link
A graphical representation of the games we play Review Link
Blasts From the Past:
What today's game designers can learn from Space Invaders. link