Who is the world's best classic video game player?? That question will be answered May 31-June 3 when top classic game players from around the world gather at the Funspot Family Entertainment Center for the first-ever Classic Video Game World Championship.
The winner will be determined by a no-holds-barred shootout on seven games from the classic era that will put the best players in the world to the ultimate test of their abilities in a demanding and challenging tournament setting.
Scheduled to coincide with the 3rd Annual Funspot-Twin Galaxies Classic Video & Pinball Tournament - which is the industry's most famous high-score tournament on classic video games -- the 2001 Classic Video Game World Championship lasts for four days (May 31st-June 3rd) and requires players to compete on seven different games, including: Wizard of Wor, QIX, Donkey Kong, Joust, Robotron, Pole Position and Frogger. After four straight days of contest play, the champions of the classic video game world will be crowned in a special ceremony on Sunday evening, June 3rd.
Created by the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard, the 2001 Classic Video Game World Championship is a replica of the Video Game World Championship that Twin Galaxies co-produced with ABC-TV's That's Incredible in January, 1983. Game historians now view this 1983 event as the video game industry's first-ever video game world championship. Winners of the 2001 contest will receive awards certificates and listings in the forthcoming edition of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game and Pinball Book of World Records.
This contest is an expression of the times," says John Saxon Wendell, webmaster for Twin Galaxies' online scoreboard at www.twingalaxies.com. "In a year that saw ancient world records fall on games like Donkey Kong and Centipede, classic video game playing has never been hotter. And, with the top players of the early 1980s coming out of retirement to reclaim their titles, the demand for an "official" Classic Video Game World Championship has never been greater."
To determine the winners, Twin Galaxies will monitor the high scores achieved on the seven different games. Each player must achieve at least one score on each game to be counted in the standings. The highest score achieved on each game will be made equal to 100% with all other lesser scores compared proportionally to the top score. For example, if the highest score on Donkey Kong during the contest is 100,000 points, and another player scores only 45,000, the top player would be made equal to 100% and the lesser score would get 45%. After adding together each player's seven percentage amounts - one per each game - a final standings is established to crown an official champion of the classic video gaming world.
Since the competition is based on high-scores, a player can join the event on any day, arrive at any time, or play as many games as they choose. But each player must achieve at least one score on each game to be counted in the standings.
Though most contests currently conducted throughout the world focus on one or two titles, players are enthusiastically embracing Twin Galaxies' decision to include seven different titles in the competition. Ken Sweet, a New Hampshire-based referee for Twin Galaxies points out that "each of these seven games require different kinds of skills and different kinds of intelligence to master them. Only a great player can succeed at all these games."
Walter Day, Chief Scorekeeper at Twin Galaxies, agrees with Sweet and says: "Twin Galaxies has always believed that the true champions of the video game world should be required to prove themselves on all types of games, including those which demand fast reaction time, analytical thinking, problem solving skills and great eye-hand-coordination."
Day notes that Funspot was chosen for the unique distinction of hosting the first Classic Video Game World Championship because of its undying support of the classic gaming hobby. "Funspot's collection of 200 classic video games, maintained in perfect condition, is the most complete in the world," says Day. "And, their games are all set on the official tournament settings required by Twin Galaxies for publication in the forthcoming Book of Records." The 3rd Annual Funspot-Twin Galaxies International Classic Video & Pinball Tournament is the industry's most famous high-score contest focusing solely on the classic video games popular during the period 1974-1986.
Funspot, selected as "Arcade of the Year'' in 1999 for its key role in spearheading the revival of interest in classic, non-violent video gaming, is the world's second largest arcade. It has over 500 electronic games ranging from the classics to today's high-powered interactive games such as Hydro Thunder, Daytona II and Star Wars Trilogy.
The first two perfect scores ever achieved on the classic arcade game Pac-Man were recorded at Funspot in July of 1999 by video game legend Billy Mitchell of Hollywood, Florida and Canadian video game ace Rick Fothergill. Numerous other video game records have been set at Funspot, the most recent of which took place last November when Donald Hayes, 32, of Salem, New Hampshire, broke the 14-year-old world record on Atari's classic arcade video game, Centipede.
Hayes earned 7,111,111 points to eclipse the former world record of 5,500,000 points set by G. Ben Carter, Jr., on June 28, 1986 at the Aladdin's Castle in Fremont, Nebraska.
One of New England's most popular attractions, the Funspot Family Entertainment Center is located on a 33-acre site just a mile from 44,000 acre Lake Winnipesaukee. It draws 600,000 people a year to its 60,000 square foot-entertainment complex.
It will mark its 50th year in business next summer, all under the direction of its original founders, Bob and John Lawton.
Twin Galaxies has been keeping score for the world of video game and pinball playing since 1982 and is recognized as the Official World Referee and Scorekeeper for the Interactive Entertainment Industry. After nearly 20 full years of judging the best there is behind the joystick and mouse, Twin Galaxies continues to sanction the contests, enforce the rules, and set the standard for competitive video game play on console, PC and arcade titles. Its mission is to transform electronic gaming into a recognized sport by building upon a rich tradition of champions and their world records. The organization publishes Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game and Pinball Book of World Records, verifying world records achieved by gamers in more than thirty-one countries.
The current world records on any game title can be viewed at Twin Galaxies at
www.twingalaxies.com.
For more information on the 2001 Classic Video Game World Championship, contact: Walter Day, Chief Scorekeeper, at Twin Galaxies. Or email
walter@twingalaxies.com or call (641) 472-3882.
To register for the 2001 Classic Video Game World Championship, email Gary Vincent at
gvincent@funspotnh.com.
For information on the 3rd Annual Funspot-Twin Galaxies International Classic Video & Pinball Tournament, call Gary Vincent at Funspot at (603)366-4377 or go to
http://www.funspotnh.com.
