Back from the Video Game Capital of the World
International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum kick-off in Ottumwa, IA. [source]
I’ve been rather absent from the web because I was preparing for and then executing a research trip — the first of what I suspect will be a fair number related to my dissertation work. This particular bunch of travels took me to Chicago and to Ottumwa, IA.
In Chicago, I was dredging through a few volumes of RePlay at the public library (the only place outside the Library of Congress that has any back issues), and in Ottumwa, I was conducting the first round of oral history interviews I plan to complete. Folks in Ottumwa were incredibly helpful, and I wound up being able to cram seven interviews into two days — all scheduled in about a week. So, in addition to feeling incredibly grateful to everyone in Ottumwa who took the time to talk to me or otherwise help me out, I’m really excited about the work I’m doing.
The reason I went to Ottumwa is that it was the home of the infamous Twin Galaxies Arcade and scoreboard and a number of people who were involved in Twin Galaxies are still in the area. I interviewed Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day, former Twin Galaxies players, current chamber of commerce executive director Terry McNitt, and former Ottumwa mayor Jerry Parker, who was the mayor who declared Twin Galaxies the video game capital of the world back when. I owe the whole community a debt of gratitude.
Ottumwa has been in the news as of late because of the efforts of folks in Ottumwa to build an International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum. [story] It was definitely worthwhile to be in Ottumwa in the midst of renewed interest in the city’s claim as a key point in the development of video gaming, and I will be following the hall of fame efforts with great interest. If you’re interested in the hall of fame campaign, I recommend joining the Facebook group. And, if you’re interested in a short video of me talking about my research, there’s one right here from KTVO 3.