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Title: Interview with Rich Huff: Photos_Rich_Huff
Creator: Rubio, Douglas, Atkins, James, Sipprell, Shawn, Viramontes, Daniel
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-09
Description: Midwest Pinball is privately owned and operated by Rich Huff. Rich does repair and cleaning work for pinball machines in the Chicago area....
Show moreMidwest Pinball is privately owned and operated by Rich Huff. Rich does repair and cleaning work for pinball machines in the Chicago area. Midwest Pinball does not do work on commercial units, as the company is structured to help residential customers who own pinball machines keep their machines like new. Midwest pinball has been in operation since 2001 when Rich worked part time as a pinball repairman and also worked full time as a business consultant. Rich eventually switched to working Midwest full time around 2008. Midwest services pinball machines of all types from a range of production dates. Rich has experience working on some of the earliest models of pinball machines all the way up to more modern units. Rich’s expertise in the industry and willingness to get the ball rolling will have you playing your games in no time at all.
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Title: Interview with Josh Tsui: 1_Tsui Transcription
Creator: Brazauskas, A.d., Hunt, Zulema, Affenit, Rachel, Ma, Xun
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-14
Description: Josh Tsui is the president and co-founder of Robomodo, a video game development studio in Chicago focused on producing quality games for the...
Show moreJosh Tsui is the president and co-founder of Robomodo, a video game development studio in Chicago focused on producing quality games for the Xbox and PlayStation console platforms. His passion for video games began when his older brothers introduced him to the arcades they managed in California; they would leave him to play with a stack of tokens as a way to keep him out of trouble. Through this experience, he developed a fondness for the open and friendly arcade atmosphere, as well as the arcade cabinets, which were optimized for the game inside. Tsui got his formal education studying film at Columbia College in Chicago, and became a regular occupant of the computer graphics lab. Once he graduated, he began working at Northwestern in research, at which point a friend at Midway recommended him to the hiring team for his skills in digitizing people’s movements. After a drawn-out interview process as the company tried to figure out how Tsui would fit into the corporate structure, he started work at Midway in 1993, the day after he returned from his honeymoon. The first game he worked on was WWF WrestleMania The Arcade Game, for which they scheduled regular recording sessions with wrestling legends like Bret Hart. He later joined the Mortal Kombat development team, and worked on a few of the Mortal Kombat sequels. He appeared in-game as Sub-Zero in an ending cutscene of Mortal Kombat 2, and Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 4. His image was also used as a playable character in NBA Jam TE. Seeking new challenges and opportunities outside of a more structured corporate environment, Tsui and few of his colleagues left Midway in 1999 to found a new game development studio called Studio Gigante. They worked on games such as Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus and WrestleMania 21. After Studio Gigante closed its doors in 2005 due to the waning popularity of the XBox and PS2 just before their successors were released, Tsui joined EA Chicago for two years before it was shut down during the financial crisis from 2007-2008. At this point, Tsui called up many of his former colleagues from EA Chicago, Midway, and Studio Gigante to create another independent studio called Robomodo in 2008. Since, they have made games for Activision such as Tony Hawk Ride, Tony Hawk Shred and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Tsui’s role in this studio is focused on managing and being available as a mentor for his teams at Robomodo. Tsui’s current project is a documentary called Insert Coin, which tells the stories of many of the giants in the video game development industry in the 90’s. He feels this brings his career full circle in many ways, as he finally gets to make his own film about an industry that he was an integral part of. They are currently in the process of finishing up the main interviews, and moving into the production stage.
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Title: Interview with Josh Tsui: Tsui Transcription
Creator: Brazauskas, A.d., Hunt, Zulema, Affenit, Rachel, Ma, Xun
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-14
Description: Josh Tsui is the president and co-founder of Robomodo, a video game development studio in Chicago focused on producing quality games for the...
Show moreJosh Tsui is the president and co-founder of Robomodo, a video game development studio in Chicago focused on producing quality games for the Xbox and PlayStation console platforms. His passion for video games began when his older brothers introduced him to the arcades they managed in California; they would leave him to play with a stack of tokens as a way to keep him out of trouble. Through this experience, he developed a fondness for the open and friendly arcade atmosphere, as well as the arcade cabinets, which were optimized for the game inside. Tsui got his formal education studying film at Columbia College in Chicago, and became a regular occupant of the computer graphics lab. Once he graduated, he began working at Northwestern in research, at which point a friend at Midway recommended him to the hiring team for his skills in digitizing people’s movements. After a drawn-out interview process as the company tried to figure out how Tsui would fit into the corporate structure, he started work at Midway in 1993, the day after he returned from his honeymoon. The first game he worked on was WWF WrestleMania The Arcade Game, for which they scheduled regular recording sessions with wrestling legends like Bret Hart. He later joined the Mortal Kombat development team, and worked on a few of the Mortal Kombat sequels. He appeared in-game as Sub-Zero in an ending cutscene of Mortal Kombat 2, and Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 4. His image was also used as a playable character in NBA Jam TE. Seeking new challenges and opportunities outside of a more structured corporate environment, Tsui and few of his colleagues left Midway in 1999 to found a new game development studio called Studio Gigante. They worked on games such as Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus and WrestleMania 21. After Studio Gigante closed its doors in 2005 due to the waning popularity of the XBox and PS2 just before their successors were released, Tsui joined EA Chicago for two years before it was shut down during the financial crisis from 2007-2008. At this point, Tsui called up many of his former colleagues from EA Chicago, Midway, and Studio Gigante to create another independent studio called Robomodo in 2008. Since, they have made games for Activision such as Tony Hawk Ride, Tony Hawk Shred and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Tsui’s role in this studio is focused on managing and being available as a mentor for his teams at Robomodo. Tsui’s current project is a documentary called Insert Coin, which tells the stories of many of the giants in the video game development industry in the 90’s. He feels this brings his career full circle in many ways, as he finally gets to make his own film about an industry that he was an integral part of. They are currently in the process of finishing up the main interviews, and moving into the production stage.
Show less

Title: Interview with Josh Tsui
Creator: Brazauskas, A.d., Hunt, Zulema, Affenit, Rachel, Ma, Xun
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-14
Description: Josh Tsui is the president and co-founder of Robomodo, a video game development studio in Chicago focused on producing quality games for the...
Show moreJosh Tsui is the president and co-founder of Robomodo, a video game development studio in Chicago focused on producing quality games for the Xbox and PlayStation console platforms. His passion for video games began when his older brothers introduced him to the arcades they managed in California; they would leave him to play with a stack of tokens as a way to keep him out of trouble. Through this experience, he developed a fondness for the open and friendly arcade atmosphere, as well as the arcade cabinets, which were optimized for the game inside. Tsui got his formal education studying film at Columbia College in Chicago, and became a regular occupant of the computer graphics lab. Once he graduated, he began working at Northwestern in research, at which point a friend at Midway recommended him to the hiring team for his skills in digitizing people’s movements. After a drawn-out interview process as the company tried to figure out how Tsui would fit into the corporate structure, he started work at Midway in 1993, the day after he returned from his honeymoon. The first game he worked on was WWF WrestleMania The Arcade Game, for which they scheduled regular recording sessions with wrestling legends like Bret Hart. He later joined the Mortal Kombat development team, and worked on a few of the Mortal Kombat sequels. He appeared in-game as Sub-Zero in an ending cutscene of Mortal Kombat 2, and Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 4. His image was also used as a playable character in NBA Jam TE. Seeking new challenges and opportunities outside of a more structured corporate environment, Tsui and few of his colleagues left Midway in 1999 to found a new game development studio called Studio Gigante. They worked on games such as Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus and WrestleMania 21. After Studio Gigante closed its doors in 2005 due to the waning popularity of the XBox and PS2 just before their successors were released, Tsui joined EA Chicago for two years before it was shut down during the financial crisis from 2007-2008. At this point, Tsui called up many of his former colleagues from EA Chicago, Midway, and Studio Gigante to create another independent studio called Robomodo in 2008. Since, they have made games for Activision such as Tony Hawk Ride, Tony Hawk Shred and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Tsui’s role in this studio is focused on managing and being available as a mentor for his teams at Robomodo. Tsui’s current project is a documentary called Insert Coin, which tells the stories of many of the giants in the video game development industry in the 90’s. He feels this brings his career full circle in many ways, as he finally gets to make his own film about an industry that he was an integral part of. They are currently in the process of finishing up the main interviews, and moving into the production stage.
Show less

Title: Interview with Rich Huff: Transcription_Rich_Huff
Creator: Rubio, Douglas, Atkins, James, Sipprell, Shawn, Viramontes, Daniel
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-09
Description: Midwest Pinball is privately owned and operated by Rich Huff. Rich does repair and cleaning work for pinball machines in the Chicago area....
Show moreMidwest Pinball is privately owned and operated by Rich Huff. Rich does repair and cleaning work for pinball machines in the Chicago area. Midwest Pinball does not do work on commercial units, as the company is structured to help residential customers who own pinball machines keep their machines like new. Midwest pinball has been in operation since 2001 when Rich worked part time as a pinball repairman and also worked full time as a business consultant. Rich eventually switched to working Midwest full time around 2008. Midwest services pinball machines of all types from a range of production dates. Rich has experience working on some of the earliest models of pinball machines all the way up to more modern units. Rich’s expertise in the industry and willingness to get the ball rolling will have you playing your games in no time at all.
Show less

Title: Interview with Rich Huff
Creator: Rubio, Douglas, Atkins, James, Sipprell, Shawn, Viramontes, Daniel
Date: 2016-12-09, 2016-11-09
Description: Midwest Pinball is privately owned and operated by Rich Huff. Rich does repair and cleaning work for pinball machines in the Chicago area....
Show moreMidwest Pinball is privately owned and operated by Rich Huff. Rich does repair and cleaning work for pinball machines in the Chicago area. Midwest Pinball does not do work on commercial units, as the company is structured to help residential customers who own pinball machines keep their machines like new. Midwest pinball has been in operation since 2001 when Rich worked part time as a pinball repairman and also worked full time as a business consultant. Rich eventually switched to working Midwest full time around 2008. Midwest services pinball machines of all types from a range of production dates. Rich has experience working on some of the earliest models of pinball machines all the way up to more modern units. Rich’s expertise in the industry and willingness to get the ball rolling will have you playing your games in no time at all.
Show less

Creator: De La Cerda, Edgar, Debose, Deion, Jiao, Larry, Rigg, Scott, Sutula, Oksana

Title: Interview with Andrew Breyer: DSC_1758-2
Creator: De La Cerda, Edgar, Debose, Deion, Jiao, Larry, Rigg, Scott, Sutula, Oksana
Date: 2015-10, 2015-10
Description: In the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different...
Show moreIn the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different games on its systems. One such player, Andrew “Andy” Breyer, competed in the world championship for Asteroids on the Atari 2600 in 1981. Breyer went on to win the world championship in the competition in Washington D.C. With such a great feat, he would serve as a monumental person in the history of Coin-Op in Chicago. Breyer’s interest in gaming began with Pong, one of the very first arcade games produced and developed by Atari in 1972. He enjoyed playing games that allowed for twitch reaction and skill. Games, such as Phoenix, Space Invaders, and Galaga, all caught his attention. Gaming grew into a passion for Breyer, which worked well for his competitive nature. He usually attended an arcade located in the mall about one and a half miles away from his home. This allowed for easy access to the arcade for long hours without much interruption. Soon after the release of the Atari 2600, Breyer obtained the popular gaming consoles and indulged in many of the first games. One such game being the infamous Asteroids. Soon after the release of Asteroids, Atari hosted a world competition for the game. Breyer attended the regional competition for his area. The game was played on several Atari 2600s available at the competition center. Participants stood in long lines to wait for a chance to attempt to get the high score. Each participant had several chances to get the highest score before time ran out. In the regional competition, Breyer faced many fierce competitors. Breyer sought to obtain at least an Asteroids t-shirt which was rewarded for a certain score. He tried several times before reaching the highest score in the competition which he obtained by a very small margin. This success rewarded Breyer not only with a Asteroids Deluxe, but also a chance to fly to Washington D.C. to compete in the world championship. After winning the regional competition, Breyer practiced Asteroids as often as possible before making the flight to D.C. After arriving, Breyer even opted out of free lunch to practice for the final competition. Participants in this competition received two chances to place a high score. The scores would be added together to determine the world champion. Breyer led the first round with the highest points. The other participants did not come close to his score. The second round was more troubling, as he lost many of his ships very early on and used his final ship to place a decently high score. With the completion of this competition, Breyer was named world champion. The competition did not mark the end of Breyers fame. About a year later, Breyer would be asked to participate in a commercial to popularize some Atari products and be reasonably compensated for his work. Today, Breyer is an IT manager, participates in a band, and delves into arcade games now and then. He is very much into the old arcade games and not interested in the newer video game industry. His experience as a world champion and competing in arcade game competitions makes him a valuable member in the history of Coin-Op. The insights he provides are very interesting and give a unique view on the industry. Learn more about Andrew “Andy” Breyer and his world championship experience in the provided interview.
Show less

Title: Interview with Andrew Breyer: DSC_2441-2
Creator: De La Cerda, Edgar, Debose, Deion, Jiao, Larry, Rigg, Scott, Sutula, Oksana
Date: 2015-10, 2015-10
Description: In the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different...
Show moreIn the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different games on its systems. One such player, Andrew “Andy” Breyer, competed in the world championship for Asteroids on the Atari 2600 in 1981. Breyer went on to win the world championship in the competition in Washington D.C. With such a great feat, he would serve as a monumental person in the history of Coin-Op in Chicago. Breyer’s interest in gaming began with Pong, one of the very first arcade games produced and developed by Atari in 1972. He enjoyed playing games that allowed for twitch reaction and skill. Games, such as Phoenix, Space Invaders, and Galaga, all caught his attention. Gaming grew into a passion for Breyer, which worked well for his competitive nature. He usually attended an arcade located in the mall about one and a half miles away from his home. This allowed for easy access to the arcade for long hours without much interruption. Soon after the release of the Atari 2600, Breyer obtained the popular gaming consoles and indulged in many of the first games. One such game being the infamous Asteroids. Soon after the release of Asteroids, Atari hosted a world competition for the game. Breyer attended the regional competition for his area. The game was played on several Atari 2600s available at the competition center. Participants stood in long lines to wait for a chance to attempt to get the high score. Each participant had several chances to get the highest score before time ran out. In the regional competition, Breyer faced many fierce competitors. Breyer sought to obtain at least an Asteroids t-shirt which was rewarded for a certain score. He tried several times before reaching the highest score in the competition which he obtained by a very small margin. This success rewarded Breyer not only with a Asteroids Deluxe, but also a chance to fly to Washington D.C. to compete in the world championship. After winning the regional competition, Breyer practiced Asteroids as often as possible before making the flight to D.C. After arriving, Breyer even opted out of free lunch to practice for the final competition. Participants in this competition received two chances to place a high score. The scores would be added together to determine the world champion. Breyer led the first round with the highest points. The other participants did not come close to his score. The second round was more troubling, as he lost many of his ships very early on and used his final ship to place a decently high score. With the completion of this competition, Breyer was named world champion. The competition did not mark the end of Breyers fame. About a year later, Breyer would be asked to participate in a commercial to popularize some Atari products and be reasonably compensated for his work. Today, Breyer is an IT manager, participates in a band, and delves into arcade games now and then. He is very much into the old arcade games and not interested in the newer video game industry. His experience as a world champion and competing in arcade game competitions makes him a valuable member in the history of Coin-Op. The insights he provides are very interesting and give a unique view on the industry. Learn more about Andrew “Andy” Breyer and his world championship experience in the provided interview.
Show less

Title: Interview with Andrew Breyer: Transcription
Creator: De La Cerda, Edgar, Debose, Deion, Jiao, Larry, Rigg, Scott, Sutula, Oksana
Date: 2015-10, 2015-10
Description: In the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different...
Show moreIn the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different games on its systems. One such player, Andrew “Andy” Breyer, competed in the world championship for Asteroids on the Atari 2600 in 1981. Breyer went on to win the world championship in the competition in Washington D.C. With such a great feat, he would serve as a monumental person in the history of Coin-Op in Chicago. Breyer’s interest in gaming began with Pong, one of the very first arcade games produced and developed by Atari in 1972. He enjoyed playing games that allowed for twitch reaction and skill. Games, such as Phoenix, Space Invaders, and Galaga, all caught his attention. Gaming grew into a passion for Breyer, which worked well for his competitive nature. He usually attended an arcade located in the mall about one and a half miles away from his home. This allowed for easy access to the arcade for long hours without much interruption. Soon after the release of the Atari 2600, Breyer obtained the popular gaming consoles and indulged in many of the first games. One such game being the infamous Asteroids. Soon after the release of Asteroids, Atari hosted a world competition for the game. Breyer attended the regional competition for his area. The game was played on several Atari 2600s available at the competition center. Participants stood in long lines to wait for a chance to attempt to get the high score. Each participant had several chances to get the highest score before time ran out. In the regional competition, Breyer faced many fierce competitors. Breyer sought to obtain at least an Asteroids t-shirt which was rewarded for a certain score. He tried several times before reaching the highest score in the competition which he obtained by a very small margin. This success rewarded Breyer not only with a Asteroids Deluxe, but also a chance to fly to Washington D.C. to compete in the world championship. After winning the regional competition, Breyer practiced Asteroids as often as possible before making the flight to D.C. After arriving, Breyer even opted out of free lunch to practice for the final competition. Participants in this competition received two chances to place a high score. The scores would be added together to determine the world champion. Breyer led the first round with the highest points. The other participants did not come close to his score. The second round was more troubling, as he lost many of his ships very early on and used his final ship to place a decently high score. With the completion of this competition, Breyer was named world champion. The competition did not mark the end of Breyers fame. About a year later, Breyer would be asked to participate in a commercial to popularize some Atari products and be reasonably compensated for his work. Today, Breyer is an IT manager, participates in a band, and delves into arcade games now and then. He is very much into the old arcade games and not interested in the newer video game industry. His experience as a world champion and competing in arcade game competitions makes him a valuable member in the history of Coin-Op. The insights he provides are very interesting and give a unique view on the industry. Learn more about Andrew “Andy” Breyer and his world championship experience in the provided interview.
Show less

Title: Interview with Larry Wilson: Transcription
Creator: Gonzalez, David, Curtis, Brian, Molitsky, Michael, Thai, Christopher
Date: 2015-10-08, 2015-10-08
Description: Larry Wilson is an electromechanical repair hobbyist, and has been one for most of his life. As a seventeen-year-old, Larry came across his...
Show moreLarry Wilson is an electromechanical repair hobbyist, and has been one for most of his life. As a seventeen-year-old, Larry came across his hobby when he discovered a Coke machine at a party. Larry was captured by the sleek look of the 1950’s themed machine and, with an initial investment of $75, launched his lifelong fascination. Although his parents disproved of him smuggling and concealing the Coke machine in his room for months, Larry’s intrigue never left him. He would later enroll at Triton College in Illinois to major in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in order to learn how to fix the Coke machine that he had bought. After realizing the simplicity of repairing the Coke machine, Larry realized that he especially enjoyed working on machines and fixing them. As a result, he decided to return to college to study electrical engineering. From there, his electromechanical collection grew with the addition of a jukebox and another Coke machine. Today, Larry owns an impressive electromechanical machine collection that ranges widely from pinball cabinets to shooting galleries to vending machines that are reminiscent of the 1960s era and his childhood. The machines have a high attraction value for visitors and mainly see action when special events and holidays are hosted in Larry’s home. Many of the machines in Larry’s collection are repaired and restored by Larry himself and are also maintained by his son, Kyle. Larry often figures out how to repair his electromechanical machines by studying schematics closely. While repair times for the machines vary widely depending on the accessibility of specific parts and the complexity of the machine, Larry estimates that 100 man-hours are needed to return a broken machine to working order. Because electromechanical repair is a niche area and quite labor intensive, Larry maintains that repairing machines will remain as a hobby for him. In order to obtain machines or parts to repair his machines, Larry consults with other members of a large and supportive network that specializes in electromechanical machines. As a result, Larry regularly enjoys contact with other hobbyists and specialists from all over the United States at large conferences – some that are hosted in Chicago. While at these conferences, Larry oftentimes finds machines that are worth repairing or scrapping for parts, as well as meeting other like-minded peers who help with his electromechanical repairs. Larry will continue to repair electromechanical machines as long as it is physically possible for him to do so. He describes his hobby as almost “addictive… but I guess it’s better than heroin”. For Larry, repairing a machine that has not worked in 60 years is incredibly rewarding for him – a “natural high” as he describes it. In addition, the amount of time and work put into each machine is very personal, and as a result, Larry does not foresee an end to his work with electromechanical machines.
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Title: Interview with Andrew Breyer: 1_DSC_1758-2
Creator: De La Cerda, Edgar, Debose, Deion, Jiao, Larry, Rigg, Scott, Sutula, Oksana
Date: 2015-10, 2015-10
Description: In the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different...
Show moreIn the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different games on its systems. One such player, Andrew “Andy” Breyer, competed in the world championship for Asteroids on the Atari 2600 in 1981. Breyer went on to win the world championship in the competition in Washington D.C. With such a great feat, he would serve as a monumental person in the history of Coin-Op in Chicago. Breyer’s interest in gaming began with Pong, one of the very first arcade games produced and developed by Atari in 1972. He enjoyed playing games that allowed for twitch reaction and skill. Games, such as Phoenix, Space Invaders, and Galaga, all caught his attention. Gaming grew into a passion for Breyer, which worked well for his competitive nature. He usually attended an arcade located in the mall about one and a half miles away from his home. This allowed for easy access to the arcade for long hours without much interruption. Soon after the release of the Atari 2600, Breyer obtained the popular gaming consoles and indulged in many of the first games. One such game being the infamous Asteroids. Soon after the release of Asteroids, Atari hosted a world competition for the game. Breyer attended the regional competition for his area. The game was played on several Atari 2600s available at the competition center. Participants stood in long lines to wait for a chance to attempt to get the high score. Each participant had several chances to get the highest score before time ran out. In the regional competition, Breyer faced many fierce competitors. Breyer sought to obtain at least an Asteroids t-shirt which was rewarded for a certain score. He tried several times before reaching the highest score in the competition which he obtained by a very small margin. This success rewarded Breyer not only with a Asteroids Deluxe, but also a chance to fly to Washington D.C. to compete in the world championship. After winning the regional competition, Breyer practiced Asteroids as often as possible before making the flight to D.C. After arriving, Breyer even opted out of free lunch to practice for the final competition. Participants in this competition received two chances to place a high score. The scores would be added together to determine the world champion. Breyer led the first round with the highest points. The other participants did not come close to his score. The second round was more troubling, as he lost many of his ships very early on and used his final ship to place a decently high score. With the completion of this competition, Breyer was named world champion. The competition did not mark the end of Breyers fame. About a year later, Breyer would be asked to participate in a commercial to popularize some Atari products and be reasonably compensated for his work. Today, Breyer is an IT manager, participates in a band, and delves into arcade games now and then. He is very much into the old arcade games and not interested in the newer video game industry. His experience as a world champion and competing in arcade game competitions makes him a valuable member in the history of Coin-Op. The insights he provides are very interesting and give a unique view on the industry. Learn more about Andrew “Andy” Breyer and his world championship experience in the provided interview.
Show less

Title: Interview with Andrew Breyer
Creator: De La Cerda, Edgar, Debose, Deion, Jiao, Larry, Rigg, Scott, Sutula, Oksana
Date: 2015-10, 2015-10
Description: In the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different...
Show moreIn the early days of home video game systems, Atari hosted tournaments where the best players competed to be the world champion for different games on its systems. One such player, Andrew “Andy” Breyer, competed in the world championship for Asteroids on the Atari 2600 in 1981. Breyer went on to win the world championship in the competition in Washington D.C. With such a great feat, he would serve as a monumental person in the history of Coin-Op in Chicago. Breyer’s interest in gaming began with Pong, one of the very first arcade games produced and developed by Atari in 1972. He enjoyed playing games that allowed for twitch reaction and skill. Games, such as Phoenix, Space Invaders, and Galaga, all caught his attention. Gaming grew into a passion for Breyer, which worked well for his competitive nature. He usually attended an arcade located in the mall about one and a half miles away from his home. This allowed for easy access to the arcade for long hours without much interruption. Soon after the release of the Atari 2600, Breyer obtained the popular gaming consoles and indulged in many of the first games. One such game being the infamous Asteroids. Soon after the release of Asteroids, Atari hosted a world competition for the game. Breyer attended the regional competition for his area. The game was played on several Atari 2600s available at the competition center. Participants stood in long lines to wait for a chance to attempt to get the high score. Each participant had several chances to get the highest score before time ran out. In the regional competition, Breyer faced many fierce competitors. Breyer sought to obtain at least an Asteroids t-shirt which was rewarded for a certain score. He tried several times before reaching the highest score in the competition which he obtained by a very small margin. This success rewarded Breyer not only with a Asteroids Deluxe, but also a chance to fly to Washington D.C. to compete in the world championship. After winning the regional competition, Breyer practiced Asteroids as often as possible before making the flight to D.C. After arriving, Breyer even opted out of free lunch to practice for the final competition. Participants in this competition received two chances to place a high score. The scores would be added together to determine the world champion. Breyer led the first round with the highest points. The other participants did not come close to his score. The second round was more troubling, as he lost many of his ships very early on and used his final ship to place a decently high score. With the completion of this competition, Breyer was named world champion. The competition did not mark the end of Breyers fame. About a year later, Breyer would be asked to participate in a commercial to popularize some Atari products and be reasonably compensated for his work. Today, Breyer is an IT manager, participates in a band, and delves into arcade games now and then. He is very much into the old arcade games and not interested in the newer video game industry. His experience as a world champion and competing in arcade game competitions makes him a valuable member in the history of Coin-Op. The insights he provides are very interesting and give a unique view on the industry. Learn more about Andrew “Andy” Breyer and his world championship experience in the provided interview.
Show less

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