Twin Galaxies To Host Historic Plaque Dedication Ceremony On Aug 16

OTTUMWA, IA -- A bronze plaque commemorating the establishment of the Twin Galaxies arcade will be dedicated at the original site of the famous videogame venue here on August 16.

The 220-pound plaque, which measures 35" x 48", commemorates the site as "The Historic Birthplace of Organized Competitive eSports." It was commissioned and donated by game enthusiast Eric Tessler (La Habra, CA), an acclaimed member of the arcade restoration community and a supporter of videogame cinema. The ceremony will be highlighted by a formal ribbon-cutting as well as speeches by local officials and videogame notables.

The original Twin Galaxies Arcade was cofounded by Walter Day in 1981. Inspired by a story on videogames that appeared in the January 1982 issue of Time magazine, Day began collecting high scores attained on the most popular games from locations around the country. The original Twin Galaxies arcade closed in 1984, but Day continued to augment his videogame scores archive. And the fame of Twin Galaxies continued to grow, winning recognition in 1982 of Ottumwa as the "Videogame Capital of the World"

Day's meticulous research and record-keeping earned him a post with the Guinness Book of World Records as an editor in the mid-1980s. He later went on to pen his own book-length compilation of high scores, published in 1997 to coincide with the launch of the Twin Galaxies website. That site has become the go-to source for information on historic high videogame scores, offering both early records and up-to-date stats.

Day retired from videogame record-keeping in 2010, but he continues to serve as an information resource on the history and lore of videogames. He has been consulted by the Smithsonian Institution on its coin-op amusement exhibits.

MONUMENT:Twin Galaxies cofounder Walter Day (left) and former Ottumwa, IA mayor Jerry Parker admire 200-lb. bronze plaque identifying the building that housed Twin Galaxies Arcade, recognized by videogame historians as the birthplace of competitive e-sports, from 1981 through 1984. In 1982, then-Mayor Parker declared Ottumwa "The Videogame Capital of the World," a designation that has received substantial assent from experts. The formal unveiling at 226 E. Main St. (which now houses The Optical Shoppe) is set for Sunday, Aug.16.