Play Meter
Issue: 2017 August - Vol 43 Num 8 - Page 10
COIN-OP NEWS
U.S. National Video
Game Team launches
official website
The U.S. National Video Game Team launched the early
stages of its official website, (www.usnationalvideogameteam.
com), last month. The website currently focuses on educating
the public on the full history of the USNVGT groups from
the 1980’s and 1990’s.
From the Team’s true start in Jim Riley’s Electronic Circus
to the late ‘80s groups that became media superstars, the
entire timeline of the USNVGT is covered here for the first
time anywhere. The site also includes an alumni section, video
and image archives, and a section on the website’s progress.
“There is such a rich history here, one that inspired me at
a young age, yet few today really know the full story,” said
co-owner Patrick Scott Patterson. “The little bit of content
out there either focused on a portion of their earliest days or
chalked them up to the people that made the corny secret
code videos in 1989. Our desire is to be the first to tell the
full story from start to finish from an objective point of view.”
Patterson and charter team member Tim McVey of the
“Man VS Snake” movie fame are spearheading the new USN-
VGT concept. Also part of the new effort is USNVGT alumni
Donn Nauert, Jeff Peters, Martin Alessi, Chris Tang, and
Lonnie McDonald. Patterson was granted registration of the
trademark last year after filing in 2015.
Originally founded in 1983 and running well into the
1990’s, the U.S. National Video Game Team was one of
video gaming’s first player-based teams. Spearheading con-
cepts throughout each incarnation, the team was seen in
television commercials, product endorsements, and broadcast
video game competitions. The team also founded Electronic
Gaming Monthly.
In other USNVGT news, McVey and his wife, Tina,
recently attended an event celebrating the one-year anniver-
sary of Pixel Blast
Arcade in Lisle,
Ill.. This throwback
arcade is operat-
ed by USNVGT
alumni “Trickman”
Terry Minnich and
contains a wide
variety of arcade
classics from both
the 1980’s and
From left: USNVGT members Jeff Peters,
1990’s.
Patrick Scott Patterson, and Chris Tang.
Peters, Patter-
son, and Tang also recently attended the annual Electronic
Gaming Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, which was reportedly the
biggest E3 to date.
Upcoming USNVGT member appearances include Patter-
son and McDonald at the Let’s Play Gaming Expo in Irving,
Texas, Aug. 5-6. McDonald will play an exhibition on two
different Joust machines, one being the rare cocktail table
version. Patterson will be conducting video game history
tours of the event’s arcade and will host discussion panels
with Q*bert creator Warren Davis and the owners of the
Nintendo PlayStation Prototype.
Tang will be at the Game On Expo in Phoenix, Aug.
11-13, where he will take part in panel discussions and
emcee duties for some of the competitive events. Joining him
for part of the festivities is Thor Aackerlund, the winner of
the 1990 Nintendo World Championships.
Missouri Game Con will host Patterson, McDonald, and
McVey, Aug.12-13, for a series of video game exhibitions
and panels.
Team Dart 2018 moving to Westgate Las Vegas
The Amusement and Music Operators Association-Nation-
al Dart Association will be moving the date and place of its
Team Dart tournament next year. The dates of the event will
be May 3-9 at the Paradise Events Center in the Westgate
Las Vegas Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
“We are excited about this change, as it provides direct
savings to our customers,” said NDA President Shawn Smith.
“We continue to listen to our players and this move shows
the willingness to respond to better serve their interests.”
No plans have been finalized for Team Dart beyond
PLAY METER
2018. NDA has a written agreement with Bally’s Las Vegas
for future years through 2022, but opted to exercise its
cancellation clause for 2018 with the goal of enhancing the
experience for players, spectators, and all involved through
NDA.
Located just off the famed Las Vegas Strip, Westgate is
located just three miles from Fremont Street downtown.
Westgate is also a destination on the monorail, which ser-
vices several hotels on the Strip. For more information, visit
(www.ngadarts.com).
10
AUGUST 2017
U.S. National Video
Game Team launches
official website
The U.S. National Video Game Team launched the early
stages of its official website, (www.usnationalvideogameteam.
com), last month. The website currently focuses on educating
the public on the full history of the USNVGT groups from
the 1980’s and 1990’s.
From the Team’s true start in Jim Riley’s Electronic Circus
to the late ‘80s groups that became media superstars, the
entire timeline of the USNVGT is covered here for the first
time anywhere. The site also includes an alumni section, video
and image archives, and a section on the website’s progress.
“There is such a rich history here, one that inspired me at
a young age, yet few today really know the full story,” said
co-owner Patrick Scott Patterson. “The little bit of content
out there either focused on a portion of their earliest days or
chalked them up to the people that made the corny secret
code videos in 1989. Our desire is to be the first to tell the
full story from start to finish from an objective point of view.”
Patterson and charter team member Tim McVey of the
“Man VS Snake” movie fame are spearheading the new USN-
VGT concept. Also part of the new effort is USNVGT alumni
Donn Nauert, Jeff Peters, Martin Alessi, Chris Tang, and
Lonnie McDonald. Patterson was granted registration of the
trademark last year after filing in 2015.
Originally founded in 1983 and running well into the
1990’s, the U.S. National Video Game Team was one of
video gaming’s first player-based teams. Spearheading con-
cepts throughout each incarnation, the team was seen in
television commercials, product endorsements, and broadcast
video game competitions. The team also founded Electronic
Gaming Monthly.
In other USNVGT news, McVey and his wife, Tina,
recently attended an event celebrating the one-year anniver-
sary of Pixel Blast
Arcade in Lisle,
Ill.. This throwback
arcade is operat-
ed by USNVGT
alumni “Trickman”
Terry Minnich and
contains a wide
variety of arcade
classics from both
the 1980’s and
From left: USNVGT members Jeff Peters,
1990’s.
Patrick Scott Patterson, and Chris Tang.
Peters, Patter-
son, and Tang also recently attended the annual Electronic
Gaming Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, which was reportedly the
biggest E3 to date.
Upcoming USNVGT member appearances include Patter-
son and McDonald at the Let’s Play Gaming Expo in Irving,
Texas, Aug. 5-6. McDonald will play an exhibition on two
different Joust machines, one being the rare cocktail table
version. Patterson will be conducting video game history
tours of the event’s arcade and will host discussion panels
with Q*bert creator Warren Davis and the owners of the
Nintendo PlayStation Prototype.
Tang will be at the Game On Expo in Phoenix, Aug.
11-13, where he will take part in panel discussions and
emcee duties for some of the competitive events. Joining him
for part of the festivities is Thor Aackerlund, the winner of
the 1990 Nintendo World Championships.
Missouri Game Con will host Patterson, McDonald, and
McVey, Aug.12-13, for a series of video game exhibitions
and panels.
Team Dart 2018 moving to Westgate Las Vegas
The Amusement and Music Operators Association-Nation-
al Dart Association will be moving the date and place of its
Team Dart tournament next year. The dates of the event will
be May 3-9 at the Paradise Events Center in the Westgate
Las Vegas Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
“We are excited about this change, as it provides direct
savings to our customers,” said NDA President Shawn Smith.
“We continue to listen to our players and this move shows
the willingness to respond to better serve their interests.”
No plans have been finalized for Team Dart beyond
PLAY METER
2018. NDA has a written agreement with Bally’s Las Vegas
for future years through 2022, but opted to exercise its
cancellation clause for 2018 with the goal of enhancing the
experience for players, spectators, and all involved through
NDA.
Located just off the famed Las Vegas Strip, Westgate is
located just three miles from Fremont Street downtown.
Westgate is also a destination on the monorail, which ser-
vices several hotels on the Strip. For more information, visit
(www.ngadarts.com).
10
AUGUST 2017
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).