FHS esports team meets video game stars

FAIRFIELD – Members of Fairfield High School’s esports team were honored to meet video game superstars of yesteryear, who paid them a visit during a practice in November.

The video game stars had come from all over, some as far as California, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa on Nov. 10. The arcade was founded by Fairfield resident Walter Day, and it became famous for keeping a scoreboard of the top scores of video games from players around the world.

Ottumwa Mayor Tom Lazio declared Nov. 10 “Esports History Day” in honor of Twin Galaxies. Ottumwa will also be the site of a 230-pound bronze plaque commemorating a photograph of video game champions that appeared in LIFE Magazine in 1982. Day said the publication of that photograph played an important part in launching the “esports age.”

After the ceremony in Ottumwa that morning, the video game stars traveled to Fairfield High School, where they were given a tour of the esport team’s room where they play their games and conversed with members of the FHS team.

John Grunwald, director of the FHS esports team, said members of the team attended the ceremony in Ottumwa, and were impressed to meet video game players who had accomplished so much in the field.

Day said several of the people in attendance held world records in one game or another. Dennis Bartlett holds the high score in the game Aztarac, and has held it since 1984, the longest standing record of any in Twin Galaxies’ database.

Another attendee was Billy Mitchell, who became the first person to record a perfect score in the game Pac-Man and has held the world record high score in the game Donkey Kong.

Grunwald said he was not as much into video games as these record-holders, but it was fun for him to reminisce with people from his “era.” He said the group that visited FHS was interested in what the school was doing with esports.

“After a brief discussion, it was like a bond was formed that transcended generations,” Grunwald said. “They were pleased to know how the image of the gamer has changed. It was almost like a taboo activity in their day, and now the students are encouraged to do this in school and can even receive scholarships for college now.”

One of the older gamers, Steve Sanders of Kansas City, told the FHS esports team that they were “cool,” compared to how gamers were viewed in the 1980s when they were “nerds.”

Jerry Bynum, president of the International Video Game Hall of Fame, told the youngsters that parents in the 1980s didn’t want their children to spend time at the arcade.

“You could be grounded if you went there,” he said.

Several of the older gamers told the esports team that they were lucky to have Day in town with his years of wisdom to rely on.

Grunwald said the older generation of gamers was impressed by how younger gamers can manipulate complex controllers.

“The controls they had when they were playing were much less complicated,” Grunwald said. “They imparted some of their knowledge and were glad to see you students carrying on some of the skills that they recognized as far as collaboration, critical thinking, communication and creativity.”

Day said the video game stars wanted the young gamers to know that they were now “carrying the baton,” that they were now the face of video games.

“The video game stars were impressed with the astuteness and sense of participation [of the younger gamers],” Day said. “In addition to having fun, they’re taking on a big responsibility by being esports pioneers for this area.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com