The 1983 Video Game Olympics, held at the Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, pitted nineteen players against each other in five events: Frogger, Millipede, Joust, Super Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong, Jr. The three finalists went on to compete in the Video Game Invitational, hosted by ’80s car-wreck That’s Incredible. Thanks to the original owner of the Twin Galaxies arcade, the full episode is now online in Quicktime format.
A tape glitch skips over the moment when the winner reaches the high score on Buck Rogers and crosses the finish line, but it’s still well worth watching. Don’t miss John Davidson and Cathy Lee Crosby’s in-game color commentary of Cosmos, Burgertime, Millipede, Donkey Kong Jr. and Buck Rogers. (“Now comes a swarm of bees and Ben gets stung!”) Thanks to Mathowie for the tip.