(Thanks to Patrick O’Malley for the info)
This past weekend the Star Worlds Arcade in DeKalb, IL held a special event to celebrate 30 years of Robotron 2084 (you might recall that a lot of big names are turning 30 this year) and the highlight of the event was the man who designed the game appearing to play it, Eugene Jarvis. In addition to playing the game and hanging out with players, Mr. Jarvis received an award from Walter Day of Twin Galaxies, honoring his lifetime of achievement in video games. Since Robotron, Jarvis has been behind many other games (Defender, Blaster, NARC, Smash TV, Crusin USA, among many others) and still works in the video arcade industry today, particularly with his company made to replace Midway’s exit from the amusement industry, Raw Thrills. It’s certainly an award he has earned and deserves.
More pictures and details of the event can be seen here at the Robotron 2084 Guide Book. Also below is a press release for the event that I missed until it had passed.
Also for any interested, an arcade flyer for Robotron 2084 from back in the day.More to be seen at The Arcade Flyer Archive
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Classic Video Game Creator Honored at Local Arcade
DeKalb, IL (June 14, 2012) – It is the year 2084 and robots have taken over the world. That is the premise of the popular 80’s game Robotron:2084. This Saturday, June 16, 2012, Star Worlds Arcade in DeKalb, IL will be kicking off their summer long celebration of this classic game. Walter Day, founder of the international video game high score organization Twin Galaxies, will be attending the event to honor the creators of the game with the newest trading card in the Twin Galaxies Trading Card series.
Eugene Jarvis, one of the creators of the game, will be on hand to accept the award. He is considered one of the top video game designers to have influenced the video game industry. His company, Raw Thrills, continues to be in the forefront of current video game design.
Interest in Robotron’s 30th anniversary sparked the creation of a web site dedicated to playing the game, (http://www.robotron2084guidebook.com/), and has had drawn interest from gamer’s as far away as United Kingdom and Japan.
Star Worlds Arcade is a classic neighborhood video arcade that was inducted into the Twin Galaxies International Registry of Historic Video Game Arcades as one of history’s original Golden Age Arcades from the 1980s. The celebration, entitled Camp Robotron, will continue at the arcade throughout the summer with ongoing video game and pinball tournaments. More information about the event, contact Star Worlds Arcade.
# # #
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.
