Walter Day

Walter Day (born May 14, 1949) is an American businessman and the founder of Twin Galaxies, an organization that tracks world records for video games and conducts a program of electronic-gaming promotions.[1][2]

Walter Day
Walter Day at Worldcon in Helsinki 2017
Born (1949-05-14) May 14, 1949
Oakland, California, U.S.
EducationSalem State College (left before graduating)
OccupationVideo game referee and scorekeeper
Years active1981–2010
2010–present (musician)
Known forTwin Galaxies
TitleFounder
Websitehttp://www.twingalaxies.com/ https://thewalterdaycollection.com/

Biography

Day was born in Oakland, California, on May 14, 1949.[3]

After moving to the town of Fairfield, Iowa, Day sold commemorative newspapers for a living and in 1980 went to Houston, Texas, to become an oil futures trader.[4] Day soon moved back to Fairfield and became a landlord, purchasing the Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, in 1981. That same year, he appeared on the cover of Time in an edition featuring video games, and he established an online platform to establish rules and compile records for competitive video game playing.[5] Twin Galaxies soon became known as the trusted database for high score records.[5]

Beginning in 1983, Guinness World Records recognized video games as a new category, and Twin Galaxies became the official supplier of verified scores. Day was designated as an assistant editor in charge of video game scores for the 1984 to 1986 editions.[5] At the opening of the 2017 Hugo Awards ceremony, Day presented a Guinness Record recognizing the Hugo Award as the longest-running science fiction award.[6][7]

Day has appeared in documentary films including Icon (2002), Coin-Op TV (2007), Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade (2007), The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007), Frag (2008), The Video Craze (2013), Gamer Age (2014), The King of Arcades (2015), Nintendo Quest (2015), and Man vs Snake (2015).

Day left Twin Galaxies in May 2010 to pursue a career in music.[8]

References
  1. Meredith, Luke (May 17, 2009). "Iowa town seeks status as video gamers' mecca". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  2. McKenna, Aaron (July 27, 2005). "Bitter games rivalry erupts between France and England". The Inquirer. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  3. "Walter Day - Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-07-24. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  4. "Walter Day - About". Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  5. Smith, William (March 16, 2012). "Area gaming icon to be honored at Smithsonian". The Hawkeye. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012.
  6. Newman, Mark. "Iowa man does the honors at Hugo Awards". Ottumwa Courier. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  7. Sanford, Tim (August 31, 2017). "Twin Galaxies' Walter Day Does Honors For Guinness At Hugo Awards Bash". Vending Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  8. Gilbert, Ben (March 6, 2010). "Walter Day retires from Twin Galaxies, gaming hall of fame to be opened". Joystiq. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
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