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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.
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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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