Many great games came out 30 years ago in 1981 and plenty of those games are iconic enough to hold players attention today. Among the more famous ’81 titles is Donkey Kong which has become more popular after the documentary The King of Kong made some waves. To celebrate 30 years of this and other great games, the Star Worlds Arcade in DeKalb, IL is holding a Classic Video Game celebration this weekend. It starts on Friday as they host a birthday party for Donkey Kong, followed by a visit from Walter Day on the following day as a picture is taken for a new Ottumwa Time Capsule. Also this weekend the Syracuse Film Festival will be underway, where you can check out the new documentary Star Worlds: A Pocket Full of Tokens and I’m Heading to the Arcade.
For more details, check out the press release below
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Classic Video Game Celebration
DeKalb, IL (September 16, 2011) – What do a video game, a time capsule, and a film festival all have in common? They are all part of a celebration weekend at a classic video game arcade in DeKalb, Illinois. To begin the weekend, on Friday, September 23, Star Worlds Arcade is hosting a birthday party for Donkey Kong, a video game character that has been around now for 30 years.
At noon on Saturday the 24th, Star Worlds Arcade is gathering gamers from the area for a photograph at the arcade to be included in the Ottumwa Time Capsule. According to Walter Day, founder of the international video game high score organization Twin Galaxies, the time capsule is being created at a time when the first generation of gamers are still alive and able to tell their stories. This generation was the first to embrace video game playing and turn it into the world’s largest entertainment industry, while establishing a worldwide gaming culture and a rapidly growing professional sport. Ottumwa is considered the “Video Game Capital of the World.” Walter Day will be celebrating this special moment with the guests at the arcade.
This is also the weekend the first annual Sycamore Film Festival, in Sycamore, IL. Among the films accepted to the film festival is a documentary recently created by two Northern Illinois University graduate students. The video tells the story of how this small town arcade came about and continues to keep the spirit of the video game arcade alive. A Donkey Kong video game tournament will be hosted at the film festival block party. Walter Day will be on hand and is expected to make some presentations during the two-hour tournament. Afterwards, another Donkey Kong birthday party is scheduled back at the arcade.
More information about the weekend’s events can be found on the Star Worlds Arcade or Sycamore Film Festival web pages, or you can call the arcade for details.
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About Star Worlds Arcade
Star Worlds Arcade is an independently and locally owned company located in DeKalb, IL. It is a classic video arcade that has survived since the 1980s and maintains a clean and friendly family atmosphere.
