U.S. National Video Game Team

The U.S. National Video Game Team (USNVGT) was an American esports team in the early 1980s. It was founded in July 1983 in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States by Walter Day and Jim Riley as part of the Electronic Circus tour, with Steve Sanders as the first captain. After the Circus folded, Day re-established the team with himself as the captain, taking the team on a bus tour. The team challenged the players of arcades across the country and attempted to challenge other countries through visits to foreign embassies. In the years that followed the team ran numerous competitive contests.

U.S. National Video Game Team
FoundedJuly 1983; 41 years ago (1983-07)
Ottumwa, Iowa, United States

History

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Mark Hoff outside the original Twin Galaxies arcade location in Ottumwa, Iowa in 2014


 
Walter Day and his Business Partner from the early 1980s


References

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  1. ^ "U.S. National Video Game Team Rates Games", PlayMeter Magazine, March 1, 1984 Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Canadian Video Team Being Formed - CashBox Magazine, March 10, 1984 Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback MachineU.S. National Video Game Team at 1984 AMOA Expo - Vending Times, December 1, 1984 Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Around The Route" (PDF). Cash Box. July 13, 1985. pp. 39, 41.
  4. ^ Guinness sends letter to U.S. National Video Game Team, April 8, 1986 Archived July 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b Patterson, Patrick Scott (June 25, 2015). "ICONS: Donn Nauert is one of the fathers of eSports competition". SyFy. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  6. ^ "ICONS: Jeff Peters has left his mark on multiple aspects of gaming culture - Part 2". Syfy. May 8, 2015.
  7. ^ Owen Good (April 13, 2012), There was Once a U.S. National Video Game Team, and This Guy Was Its Captain, Kotaku, retrieved August 7, 2013
  8. ^ Greenland, Drew (January 1983). "Twin Galaxies - Ch. 04 - LIFE Magazine". LIFE Magazine. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ Video Game Masters Match Will Help March of Dimes, Vending Times, New York, NY, April 1, 1987 Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Video game champ buys 40 hours of play with 25 cents - Torrance Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA, July 12, 1987 Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ U.S. Video Team Holds Tourney - CashBox Magazine, October 22, 1983 Archived December 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ U.S. vs. Japan Video Tournament? - CashBox Magazine, August 27, 1983 Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ They're Masters of Video Games - Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, August 24, 1983 Archived December 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine