Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Iowa Aims to Establish International Video Game Hall of Fame

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the this-is-my-graceland dept.

eldavojohn writes "Anyone who's seen King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters knows that Ottumwa, Iowa is the Dodge City of video games. Yesterday, 3,500 people showed up to the kick-off speech that announced the intent to build the International Video Game Hall of Fame right there. Radio Free Iowa states Ottumwa's desire to become the 'video game capital of the world' and held a Halo 3 and Guitar Hero tournament there yesterday. Will this town of 25,000 residents secure the title?"

39 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Makes sense by Hatta · · Score: 1, Troll

    After all, there's not much else to do in Iowa.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    1. Re:Makes sense by negRo_slim · · Score: 1
      Oh yeah, but they...

      held a Halo 3 and Guitar Hero tournament there yesterday.

      Oh wait, I guess my local Wal-Mart does the same thing. And I bet the store alone sees more than 3,500 people on any given day.

      --
      On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
    2. Re:Makes sense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Being someone who has lived in Iowa his entire life, but who also spent a lot of time travelling inside and outside the country, I cringe when people make comments like that. But then again, a lot of Iowans who aren't from Ottumwa say the same thing about Ottumwa.

      I find it a little silly that they want to become the "videogame capital of the world". Most of the world can't find Ottumwa, or even Iowa on a map and those who can wonder why they would express such a desire, but you have to start somewhere I guess, and I wish them the best of luck.

    3. Re:Makes sense by jshackney · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, I travel to Iowa at least once a week from Michigan. I can't speak for Ottumwa (I've wanted to head down to Twin Galaxies to take a picture, but haven't had time), but Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Dubuque are all decent places to be. I've even spent a little time in a tiny town called Perry. Now, that's a place where there's not much to do. But it's still cool, they have the only hotel I've stayed at with a two lane bowling alley in the basement that is still functional.

    4. Re:Makes sense by Hatta · · Score: 1

      I lived in Coralville for 3 years actually. It's a great place. The ribbing is all in good fun.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    5. Re:Makes sense by Hatta · · Score: 1

      Also, MI to IA every week? That's a good 6 hours. Got a girl in IC or something? That's why I ended up moving to Omaha, and that was just a 4 hour trip every week.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    6. Re:Makes sense by tirefire · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Shhh!

      The more that the urban scum on the coasts think that Iowa is devoid of anything good, the better. As an Iowan, I can safely say that the state is best left sparsely populated with nice people whose personalities reflect its tranquil beauty.

    7. Re:Makes sense by SydShamino · · Score: 1

      When I was young I lived in a nice little town called Pleasantville, Iowa.

      I've now lived in Texas for almost half my life and married a native Texan, but despite that and the fact that I was born in Illinois and lived a quarter of my life in Louisiana, I still consider myself an Iowan. It's a state you can get attached to.

      --
      It doesn't hurt to be nice.
    8. Re:Makes sense by jshackney · · Score: 1

      I drive the corporate mailing tube there. It's about 1:45 there, and 1:20 coming home.

      One cool thing about Coralville is the fossil gorge, if you're into that sort of thing. Iowa City is good fun too. Lots of great food down the ped. mall. Not to mention the last place on earth I'd expect to find palatable nigiri sushi, but it's there. I actually look forward to going to work every week. It's weird.

  2. I didn't know... by NecroPuppy · · Score: 4, Funny

    that Ottumwa, Iowa was a real place.

    I thought it had been made up for MASH. You know, like Toledo, Ohio.

    --
    I like you, Stuart. You're not like everyone else, here, at Slashdot.
    1. Re:I didn't know... by Itninja · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of when I learned Nickelback was a real band. I thought it was just slang for a really sucky band.

      --
      I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
    2. Re:I didn't know... by MartinSchou · · Score: 1

      I didn't know... that Ottumwa, Iowa was a real place.

      That's what I thought about Hicksville, but I always thought it'd be in Alabama.

    3. Re:I didn't know... by whthat · · Score: 1

      Yes Ottumwa is a real place. So is Riverside, Madison County and Dyersvile.

    4. Re:I didn't know... by PoderOmega · · Score: 1

      Tom Arnold is from there, you insensitive clod! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Arnold_(actor)

  3. 25 by JustOK · · Score: 1

    They'll probably do it. They get three tries for a quarter.

    --
    rewriting history since 2109
  4. ummm... Quakecon? by Hadlock · · Score: 4, Interesting

    3,500 people showed up to the kick-off speech

    There are 3,500 people playing video games in one room at quakecon right now. Could they have picked a worse inaugural weekend to do this? Anyone who's anyone in the videogame press is at Quakecon, home to iD software, the SMU Guildhall and countless other software houses. Not to mention 2 hours south is Austin, where at any one point there are probably 3,500 people playing halo in the dorms at UT. Good luck with that.

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
    1. Re:ummm... Quakecon? by sexconker · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Honestly, neither Quake nor iD have been relevant for nearly a decade now.

    2. Re:ummm... Quakecon? by Keen+Anthony · · Score: 1

      Quakecon is somewhat irrelevant in this case. This is Twin Galaxies, and it's legacy with classic gaming sets it apart from the current- and next- gen gaming being done at Quakecon. I am more interested in what's going on at Twin Galaxies than what's going on elsewhere in the Id world. But yeah, even film festivals make an effort not to overlap so much that there's a collision.

    3. Re:ummm... Quakecon? by Hadlock · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Perhaps, but the event is enough to draw more gamers who actually play games, than the entire town could muster, whether or not they actually play games. Maybe 30% of quakecon is actually playing a game made by iD at any one time, agreed, but there's far better towns in Texas (pick almost any town in Texas) that have a greater claim to gaming than somewhere in a flyover state.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    4. Re:ummm... Quakecon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      umm.... Texas IS a flyover state.

    5. Re:ummm... Quakecon? by Hadlock · · Score: 1

      Construction's been pretty light lately and yeah you have to average 90+mph but its doable and I've done it before; its by no means impossible, but I wouldn't try it on a friday or sunday, or within 2 days before or after ACL or SXSW.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
  5. Why there? by Atario · · Score: 1

    Shouldn't this be done in the birthplace of video arcade games -- Sunnyvale, CA?

    --
    "A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
    1. Re:Why there? by poormanjoe · · Score: 1

      Perhaps if California were not bankrupt.

      --
      I want to be retired when I grow up.
    2. Re:Why there? by Keen+Anthony · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Since Twin Galaxies has been doing its thing there for so long, Ottumwa actually seems like a sensible choice. I am one of those who scratched my head over Cleveland being selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite Cleveland's claims to being the location of the first rock concert and the first rock DJ. Ultimately, Cleveland offered the best financial incentives. Maybe Ottumwa was the only city even remotely interested.

  6. You mean... by Landshark17 · · Score: 1

    Are you telling me Ottumwa, Iowa isn't proud enough that it's the hometown of Walter "Radar" O'Reilly? That's not enough for them?

    --
    This sig is false.
    1. Re:You mean... by JustOK · · Score: 1

      Kirk too

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    2. Re:You mean... by mattack2 · · Score: 1

      Wrong. Kirk is (will be?) from Riverside, Iowa.

      Turn in your geek card on the way out.

    3. Re:You mean... by JustOK · · Score: 1

      All Iowa towns are the same.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
  7. Re:Ottumwa, IA greatest place on earth! by JustOK · · Score: 1

    Also, the home town of Tom Arnold, whom I ran into there once..

    Luckily, he's got lotsa soft padding.

    Did you see Radar O'Reily?

    --
    rewriting history since 2109
  8. Re:doesn't make since by sexconker · · Score: 1

    Russia made Tetris.
    Russia wins.

  9. Most famous MMORPG character by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 1

    Leroy Jenkins

  10. Sounds good by Chewy71 · · Score: 1

    I live in nearby Omaha Nebraska (No i am not a farmer and there are other things in Nebraska besides corn) and this seems pretty sweet especially since I'd be able to go see it in person.

  11. that game dev center of Ottumwa by timpdx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    makes about as much sense as locating the Hockey Hall of Fame in Rio de Janiero or calling Des Moines Surf City USA.

  12. No More Stupid Games HOF by Quizme2000 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Here in San Francisco we have the completely ignored "Walk of Game" in the Meteron which was heavily advertised but no one really cared, because its fucking dumb.

    Here's the kicker, its within walking distance to Bungie and probably and 4-5 large game publishers like Lucas Arts (well a cab ride anyway).

    Here's the Problem...Games are not Hall of Fame material that would dumb, only Gamers could be hall of fame material. (Kinda like the real HOF)

    However, gamers are the least interesting people in the world. Reference The Image Comment http://xkcd.com/621/

    If you want to make something people would actually give a shit about, make a museum gallery (not historical, more like MOMA style) that goes beyond button mashers and shows the interesting, weird, and beautiful games that never made it to the masses, that would never be seen unless a someone who knew where to find them was and put them on display to play.

    --
    "Get them before they get....
  13. If someone opened a museum, I'd relocate by CrazyJim1 · · Score: 1

    The trick is that the Museum must be populated with as many arcade games as possible. It has to have every good console game in existence. I'd pay 10$ every day to go to an arcade/museum just to meet other gamers and talk about video games. This is actually a dream of mine to do myself, but I don't have the funds. All I can do is emulators. But if I let anyone come play and someone rats me out to the feds, it will close down rapidly.

    --
    God spoke to me.
  14. the World != the real world by RotateLeftByte · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Remember that to most Americans, 'The World' is just the 48 States that makeup continental USA. Even Alaska & Hawaii are often perceived as 'foreign' places.

    Where are the European, African, Asian & South American teams in the 'World Series'?

    --
    I'd rather be riding my '63 Triumph T120.
  15. I can see the signs now by tengeta · · Score: 1

    Entering Iowa on the Interstate the new signs will read "FINALLY! We have more than corn! Giant statue of Mario on Exit 3"

    --
    "They confiscated everything, even the stuff we didn't steal!"
    1. Re:I can see the signs now by Sebilrazen · · Score: 1

      What's terrible is Ottumwa, Iowa is 50 miles from any interstate.

      --
      "There are no facts, only interpretations." --Friedrich Nietzsche.
  16. The REAL videogame museum already exists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    This Iowa thing is an absolute joke. For those who do not know, there is a REAL museum that really exists as something other than a pipe dream.

    http://www.classicarcademuseum.org/

    It is located at the Funspot Family Entertainment Center in NH. It has been rated as the largest arcade in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.

    http://www.funspotnh.com/