Forwarded from Walter Day:

NEWS RELEASE>> > CONTACT: Gary Vincent at Funspot at 1-603-366-4377, gvincent@funspotnh.com > CONTACT: Walter Day 1-515-472-3882, walter@twingalaxies.com>> > For Immediate Release: May 26, 2000>> > Video Game "High-Scores" Worth Thousands of Dollars at New Hampshire Contest>> > WEIRS BEACH, NH -- When the 2nd Annual Funspot-Twin Galaxies International > Classic Video & Pinball Tournament takes place next week in Weirs Beach, NH, > the Funspot arcade will be filled with camcorder-totting video game addicts > hoping to take home thousand dollar prizes for breaking video game world > records.> > Scheduled for June 1-4, 2000 at the Funspot Family Entertainment Center in > Weirs Beach, the event promises a thousand dollar cash purse to any player > who breaks a world record during the contest on any of two dozen classic > video games from the early 1980s, including: Arkanoid, Berzerk, Carnival, > Congo Bongo, Crystal Castles, Elevator Action, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong, > Jr., Frogger, Galaxian, Galaga, Hypersports, Joust, Kangaroo, Kung-Fu > Master, Mappy, Marble Madness, Missile Command, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position, > Popeye, QIX, Rally-X, Robotron and Track and Field.> > The prizes are guaranteed by the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic > Scoreboard??which has been the video game industry's official scorekeeper > since 1982??and by Billy Mitchell, a noted video game player and industry > activist who has put his own money on the line to spur worldwide > appreciation for the classic games of the 1980's. Mitchell, who was crowned > the video game "Player of the Century" at the 1999 Tokyo Game Show, says: > "These prize monies are just the beginning. Within the next couple years, > classic game contests could become as well-attended as competitions on > today's PC hits like Quake or Starcraft."> > In addition to the 24 featured game titles, the Funspot tournament will see > competitors try to establish new world records on over 100 other classic > titles. The highest scores logged during the four day event will be > published in the next edition of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & > Pinball Book of World Records-which is the official book of records for the > worldwide electronic gaming industry.> > Organizers of the event describe the Funspot contest as "a gathering of the > tribes." Walter Day, editor of the Book of Records and chief scorekeeper at > the event, has been receiving emails from players in Europe, Canada, Mexico > and South America who are not only planning to come, but are contributing > games and labor. Canadian Dwayne Richard, who is loaning video game parts to > the contest, says: "The support from the players is great. For example, I > know one player in New England who has promised to loan his Tempest and > Zookeeper games to Funspot for the weekend."> > Gary Vincent, Operations Manager at Funspot, sees classic video game playing > as a burgeoning new hobby. "Not only are old-time players in their 40's > coming to this event," explains Vincent, "but newer, younger players will be > competing who missed the video game 'golden age' of the 80's, but learned > Galaga, Tetris and Arkanoid much later on their Playstation or Dreamcast > game consoles."> > The event is decidedly breaking down the barriers between the diverse > segments of electronic gaming. Robert Mruczek, an accountant from New York > City who established a new world record on Star Wars at last year's Funspot > event, believes all video game players share the classic titles as a common > cultural experience. He says: "Even though many of these younger players are > more at home with Playstation, Dreamcast or PC-based games, they all know > Pac-Man and Zaxxon and are inspired to attend this contest."> > Numerous Playstation champions will be trying to translate their PS skills > into big-score performances on classics like Tetris and Excitebike at the > tournament. "Right now," says an anonymous superstar, "I am a contender on > Playstation's Tony Hawk Pro Skater but believe I can convert my talents over > to some of these older games."> > Other console champions are equally as confidant. Among them are David > Nelson, of Laconia, New Hampshire and Brian Laskiewicz of Morris Plains, NJ, > who plan to utilize their home game skills to break arcade records. > Laskiewicz, in particular, thinks his world record on Playstation's Pac-Man > World 2000 has prepared him for success on the 1985 arcade hit, Pac-Mania.> > And with big cash bounties promised for new world records, > "high-score-fever" is gripping the hearts of players, making a trip to > Funspot a major summer destination for the whole family.> > One such family is that of Zack Hample, a 22-year-old English major from > Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, who recently joined the > ranks of the video game elite when he managed to break the world record on > the arcade edition of Arkanoid. Hample has already reserved rooms in Weirs > Beach for himself, his parents and siblings, and plans to turn the contest > weekend into an outing for his entire family, while he goes > face-to-face with another legendary Arkanoid champ, Stephen Krogman, of Boca > Raton, Florida.> > But for Hample or any other player to qualify for a $1,000 cash prize, they > must commit their stellar performances to videotape in case a surprise world > record falls in their lap. "The world's top players now rely on videotape as > the medium of proof to authenticate their high-score achievements," says > Funspot's Vincent. "And, during the contest, some players will even go so > far as to bring their own film crews to Funspot."> > Interestingly, the trend to videotape has spread even beyond the confines of > Funspot. Tim Curtis, a recreation director for the Kentucky state park > system has booked a Louisville pizza parlor as the site of his June 3rd > world record attempt on Space Firebird, a 1980 classic video that currently > lacks an established world record. "You can bet we will videotape the entire > game," promises Curtis, "if only to remove any shred of doubt in the other > players' minds.> > To publicize the rapid growth of this new hobby, Twin Galaxies will be > sending its own six-man Twin Galaxies Television crew to Funspot to record > all the high-score hijinks as well as document the growing popularity of > classic game playing. Twin Galaxies' Walter Day points out that playing the > classic games was a universal experience: "The video game phenomenon back in > the early 1980's was not just an American experience. There are a group of > players coming to Funspot from Finland who knew and loved Pac-Man and > Centipede just as much as any kid from New York City or Detroit and have > just as much right to take home some world records."> > Funspot is famous for owning one of the world's largest collections of > classic games and is one of the largest indoor arcades in the United States. > Located on a 33-acre site near Lake Winnipesaukee, it draws between 500,000 > and 600,000 people a year to its 60,000 square-foot-entertainment complex. > Operated by the Lawton family for 49 years, Funspot offers over 500 games, > ranging from the classics to today's high-powered interactive games such as > Daytona II and Star Wars Trilogy.> > The Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard, based in Fairfield, Iowa, has > been keeping score for the world of video game and pinball playing since > 1982 and monitors the highest scores on all home and arcade video games, > PC-based games and pinball. Its most well known product is the Twin > Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records. For contest > information, contact Walter Day at (515)472-3882 or go to > http://www.twingalaxies.com. Or call Gary Vincent at Funspot at > (603)366-4377 or go to http://www.funspotnh.com.>

-- Mark Longridge (cubeman@iname.com), May 27, 2000