Twin Galaxies to Create Official Contests for CGE 2000
$5,000 cash prize offered for New Joust World Record
<p>
More than five hundred classic video gamers are expected to immerse
themselves in video game history at this week's Classic Gaming Expo 2000 at
the Jackie Gaughan Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, July 29-30. And, to add spice
to a show already famous for historic game displays and celebrity speakers,
the CGE management has invited the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard to
bring its competitive brand of "high-score contests to the fray. Cash prizes
will be handed out to the winners of two primary contests - a ten-game
Atari/Coleco Decathlon and the Highest Score of the Expo on eight other
classic arcade titles.
<p>
Also, video game legend Billy Mitchell - the man who scored history's first
perfect score on Pac-Man last year - has pledged $5,000 cash (out of his own
pocket) to the first player to break Brett Watt's 15-year-old world record
on Joust during the event.
Although the score to beat is a whopping 1,537,050 points and has been
achieved by only five players, classic game players are expected to flock to
the Twin Galaxies High Score contest to take their best shot at the record.
<p>
Mitchell, the founder of Rickey's World Famous Hot Sauce, knows some players
doubt the validity of Watt's score, which was achieved at the Game Room
Arcade in Citrus Heights, California on July 2,1985, but wants to put up his
own money to attract players who can prove that the score is possible. He
plans to continue offering high score prizes so that classic arcade games
will be brought back into the limelight. "I believe the games from the early
1980's are far superior to today's games, states the Hollywood,
Florida-based Mitchell, who has already awarded thousands of dollars in cash
prizes to players who have broken decades-old high scores."
<p>
Walter Day, Chief Scorekeeper at Twin Galaxies - now in its second year of
conducting the official contests at the CGE, sees classic video game playing
as a growing money sport. Its still a hobby for most, Day explains, but more
and more players are turning their skills into high scores - which, in some
cases, could mean income." Among the star players who agree with Day's
assessment is Canadian Dwayne Richard, who hopes to pocket Mitchell's cash
at this year's CGE. "At last year's contest," says Richard, "I won $1,000
from Billy Mitchell for breaking Mark Robichek's 18-year-old record on
Tutankham and hope to surpass my feat by winning this year's offer on
Joust."
<p>
The main High Score Contest attraction is the Atari/Coleco Decathlon, which
offers cash prizes of $300 (1st Place), $200 (2nd place) and $100 (3rd
place) to the overall Atari and Coleco champions. The Decathlon will feature
competition on ten classic console titles, including Atari's Yar's Revenge,
River Raid, Kaboom!, Berzerk and Asteroids, as well as Colecovision titles
like Zaxxon, Mr. Do!, Donkey Kong, Lady Bug and Mousetrap. "All game play
will be set on Twin Galaxies Tournament Settings," says Rita Rencis, Special
Events Manager at Twin Galaxies, "and will be refereed by Ron Corcoran, the
Twin Galaxies Worldwide Editor for Atari, who operates the Twin Galaxies'
Atari Scoreboard at http://www.snipercade.com."
<p>
Twin Galaxies will publish all CGE contest results in the 2nd edition of
Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, which is
the industry's official book of world records. Prizes will be doled out by
Twin Galaxies Chief Scorekeeper Day, who will also award cash prizes to
players posting the highest scores on classic arcade games like Toobin, Mad
Planets, Reactor, Juno First, Arabian, Zaxxon and more -- all games donated
by Blast From The Past (<www.arcadeclassics.com>).
<p>
To honor the great luminaries of video game history, a Friday night banquet
(July 28th) will feature an awards presentation emceed by Walter Day.
Numerous individuals and organizations will be cited for their important
roles in video game history, or for significant contributions to the growing
body of wisdom pertaining to the earliest years of the video game industry.
<p>
John Hardie, a co-founder of the Classic Gaming Expo, agrees with Twin
Galaxies that there is a need to honor work in the video game field. "The
organizations or individuals receiving these awards have served the video
game community quite well and deserve commendations for their work," he
said.
<p>
In addition to awards going to distinguished players and game designers,
numerous citations will be awarded to online organizations. Among them are:
the Killer List of Video Games, an online compendium of arcade data at
KLOV.com and the Video Arcade Preservation Society, an online society that
unites video game collectors and historians at VAPS.org.
<p>
The CGE2K will be open Saturday 10:00 a.m.- 6:45 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m.
- 4:00 p.m. Day-of-show admission is available at the CGE Registration Booth
at a cost of $35 for the weekend. Single day admission is $20 for Saturday
and $15 for Sunday.
The CGE2K is solely devoted to celebrating the history of video, arcade, and
computer games and is a product of CGE Services, a Valley Stream, NY-based
organization which can be reached at info@cgexpo.com. The URL is:
http://www.cgexpo.com.
<p>
Twin Galaxies has been keeping score for the world of video game and pinball
playing since 1982 and publishes world records at its Internet web site at
http://www.twingalaxies.com. Its best known product is the Twin Galaxies Official
Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records
(http://www.netsales.net/pk.wcgi/twingal/prod/1319909-1) (ISBN 1887472-25-8), which
is a 984-page book containing scores from players in 31 different countries
compiled since 1981.
<p>
For more information, contact Twin Galaxies at (641) 472-3882 or go to
http://www.twingalaxies.com.
<p>
Regards,
Steve Krogman
<p>
Ps I'll be there this coming weekend with Billy Mitchell and looking foward in seeing John Rhodes (Joust God) this weekend.
<p>
--
skrogman@concentric.net
Classic Gaming Expo News Release
Moderator: Chad