| 6/1/2006 | The Redcoats are Coming!
British Invasion - Top UK Gamers Infiltrate America | |
| British Invasion
Top UK Gamers Infiltrate America |
Fairfield, IA - May 20, 2006 -- Twin Galaxies declares a State of Emergency as British gaming superstars prepare to invade the annual Funspot event, the hereditary home of North America's most legendary arcade gamers.
Twin Galaxies has issued a poster commissioned by Billy Mitchell, the world's most-famous gamer, that warns America the "Redcoats are Coming." To impress upon America the degree of danger the nation faces, the following Proclamation was published on the poster above:
PROCLAMATION Whereas, Great Britain is sending to America a squadron of top classic video game champions in an attempt to demonstrate superior British Arms in video game playing...
And, Whereas, the American and British players represent a long-standing rivalry, fraught with issues of souvereignty, national pride and martial superiority...
And, Whereas, the Funspot VIII event in Weirs Beach, NH, is the hereditary gathering place of top American classic video game playing patriots, who regularly defend America's honor in the arena of video game playing....
And, Whereas, the invading British players, seeking to hit America at its most vulnerable spot, plan to dominate the Funspot VIII event, by capturing legendary video game titles from the American players who have held them for decades...
So, Therefore, I, Walter Day, of Twin Galaxies, representing the patriotic sentiments of the American gaming public, declare a State of Emergency, and urge able-bodied gamers every where to assemble at the Funspot VIII event on June 1st to defend America's honor against this British infiltation.
Moved by the Spirit of our Forefathers, I take pen in hand and affix my signature to this document on this day, June 1st, in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Six. Walter Day, Patriot
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NEWS RELEASE
Fairfield, IA -- May 20, 2006 --They come from small towns that no American has ever heard of -- places like Poole, Dukinfield and Ashbourne in Derbyshire.
But they're masters of classic arcade video games. Possibly as great -- or even greater -- than the most famous video game champs produced by the legendary arcades of Los Angeles and New York City back during the "Golden Age" of video game arcades.
They're the British and they're coming to America to compete in Funspot VIII, the annual classic gaming event held in Weirs Beach, NH..
"This is a British Invasion," explains Walter Day, editor of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, the electronic gaming industry's official record book. "Until recently, every major arcade world title was held by an American player, making the classic gaming field an impregnable fortress of American domination."
But that has changed. In the last two years, the world record titles on Missile Command and Galaxian have fallen to Brits, a trend that appears to be gathering momentum.
"The British are coming and they now have the skills to beat the Americans at their own game," warns Walter Day. "Enthusiasm for playing Donkey Kong, Galaga, and hundreds of other titles from the 80s, has grown in the United Kingdom, and players are gaining fast on the Americans."
Among the players coming from the UK are Tony Temple and Gary Whelan, both of whom recently grabbed worldwide headlines when they beat long-standing marks set by Americans more than 20 years ago. "It was a lot of work," explains Tony Temple, of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. "But after hundreds of games, I finally reached 1,967,830 points on Missile Command, breaking the 1.6 million-point-score that has stood since June, 1985."
Also poised to break more records is Gary Whelan, Galaxian World Champion, whose video game playing notoriety may now make him the most famous person to ever come from Dukinfield, UK. His unofficial 800,000+ point score on Galaxian may be lifted higher during the Funspot event, plus he has his eyes on other titles, too.
And Greg Mott, of Poole, UK, scored the sixth highest Robotron score ever during last year's Classic Gaming Expo -UK in Croydon, England. He will be focusing on Robotron as well as many other titles, too.
To document this invasion, Paul Drury, journalist for the U.K's foremost classic gaming magazine, RetroGamer magazine, is traveling as a member of this "fearsome four," urging his fellow countrymen on to greater glory, with plans to glorify their heroics in print back in England.
Meanwhile, the American and Canadian players are furiously practising -- as if they even have a chance.
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