(reposted from rec.games.video.arcade.collecting)

NEWS RELEASE

Portland Arcade To Face Foes in Houston and Madison, Wisconsin During Classic Video Game Championship

Portland, Oregon -- May 28, 2004 -- Classic arcade gaming will get a big boost in Oregon the weekend of June 4-6, 2004 as regional video game champs gather at the Ground Kontrol classic arcade to try for record-breaking scores that will win listings in the forthcoming Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records.

But the Portland video champs will have their work cut out for them as they compete against similar groups of video players in Madison, Wisconsin and Houston, Texas, all seeking to grab a few remaining berths in the upcoming record book.

At the Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade in Portland, Oregon, the Aftershock RetroGames Arcade in Madison, Wisconsin and the Houston Area Arcade Group Expo in Houston, Texas, high score champions will spend three days celebrating the legacy of Pac-Man, Centipede, Donkey Kong and Frogger in the form of an interstate high-score championship titled: "Classic Video Game Championships Across America."

"Players at the three different locations will be going head-to-head for listings in the book of records," explains Walter Day, editor of the record book and coordinator of the event. "And, in Houston particularly, the contest - conducted only on the 4th and 5th -- will be part of a major classic gaming expo called: The 2004 Houston Area Arcade Group Expo, which expects close to 1,000 attendees during the weekend at the Holiday Inn NW at 14996 Northwest Freeway in Houston, TX 77040.

Numerous famous superstars have plans to compete in this Championship. Among them is Dwayne Richard of Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada, who will attend the Houston location and try to break the world records on many games,
among them Dig Dug and Tutankham -- two famous arcade classics issued in 1982. Richard currently holds the world records on more than a half dozen games, including Super Bagman, Warp Warp, Super Buster Bros. and Two Tigers.

And, at Ground Kontrol in Portland, William Carlton, who has already achieved the 5th highest score on Asteroids, will try to capture a world title on Astro Fighter, a highly contested game created by Sega in 1980.

"Though our Asteroids champ is our biggest draw," explains Anthony Ramos, Ground Kontrol proprietor, "we also have Ryan Coulter, a world-class Spy Hunter contender who may eclipse the current world record on that game."
Additional stars at Ground Kontrol will be tackling games like Galaga, Missile Command, Space Invaders and 720.

As classic gaming grips the nation, fueling renewed interest in playing Space Invaders and Ms. Pac-Man, more arcades are going "retro." Brad Van Kauwenbergh, founder of Aftershock RetroGames in Madison, is one of the
pioneers in classic gaming culture and believes that retro arcades will someday be found in every big city, a sign of the growing enthusiasm for the games of yesteryear. Kauwenbergh says: "Its great that these three locations are uniting their efforts with this contest, because it draws attention to the classic games of the past and shows the public that not only are these games still around, but that classic gaming competitions are a growing phenomenon."

During the three-day event, the management of each of the three locations will monitor high scores and submit them to the Book of Records for consideration in the forthcoming edition due out in the fall.

For more information, contact: Walter Day, Editor of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of
World Records at (641)472-1949 or at walterday@yahoo.com

Anthony Ramos, Kommander in Chief, at Ground Kontrol, 610 SW 12th Ave,
Suite A
Portland, OR 97205 (503)796-9364 anthony@groundkontrol.com

Brad Van Kauwenbergh at AfterShock RetroGames Arcade,
506 State Street, Madison, WI 53703 (608)240-0454 or at:
aftershockgames@aol.com

Callan Hendricks at Houston Area Arcade Group EXPO, c/o VidPin Amusements,
18914 Continental Plaza, Humble, Texas 77346 at (832) 347-6570 or at:
callan@vidpin.com. Or call the Holiday Inn NW at 713-939-9955 during the weekend.