U.S. National Video Game Team Explained

U.S. National Video Game Team
Founded:	Ottumwa, Iowa, United States

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.

History

• January 14, 1984: Working with the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard, the USNVGT conducted the 1984 Coronation Day to crown the 1983 players, manufacturers, and magazines of the past year.
• February 12, 1984: The U.S. National Video Game Team attends the February 1984 AMOA Expo in New Orleans, beginning a long tradition of reviewing new games for the video game industry.^[1]
• February 1012, 1984: Canada-USA Video Game Team Conference is organized by USNVGT.^[2]
• The first annual U.S. National Video Game Team competition was held in 1985. Arcade video games at the competition included the fighting game Karate Champ (1984), the beat 'em up title Kung-Fu Master (1984), the run-and-gun shooter Commando (1985) and the sports video game Gridiron Fight (1985).^[3]
• April 8, 1986: The U.S. National Video Game Team is authorized by the Guinness Book of World Records to organize contests.^[4]
• In 1986, the USNVGT continued on without Day under Jeff Peters and Steve Harris with Donn Nauert as team captain.^[5] The team extended their reach to include publishing the Top Score Newsletter and Electronic Game Player Magazine a short time later.^[6] Nauert appeared in television commercials for the Atari 7800 and served as the referee for Incredible Sunday on That's Incredible!, a three-game competition on the Nintendo Entertainment System that served as a precursor to the Nintendo World Championships 1990.^[7]
• April 1, 1987: U.S. National Video Game Team Conducts 1987 Video Game Masters Tournament for Guinness.^[8]
• July 12, 1987; The U.S. National Video Game Team organizes the 1987 Video Game Masters Tournament for Guinness Record Book.^[9]
• 1991–1994: Every month Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), published a full-page high-score table titled "The U.S. National Video Game Team's International Scoreboard".^{[10] [11] [12]}

Publications

The U.S. National Video Game Team founded many publications in the 1980s. The first was the Top Score Newsletter (published by the Amusement Players Association), which was followed by the four-issue Electronic Game Player Magazine. In 1989, the Electronic Game Player Magazine format was improved and relaunched as Electronic Gaming Monthly. The USNVGT name appeared in the title of the magazine for the first several issues and within the magazine until 1995.^[13]

Notes and References

1. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=703 "U.S. National Video Game Team Rates Games", PlayMeter Magazine, March 1, 1984
2. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1128 Canadian Video Team Being Formed - CashBox Magazine, March 10, 1984
3. Around The Route . . July 13, 1985 . 39, 41 .
4. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1387 Guinness sends letter to U.S. National Video Game Team, April 8, 1986
5. Web site: Patterson. Patrick Scott. June 25, 2015. ICONS: Donn Nauert is one of the fathers of eSports competition. November 8, 2015. SyFy. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112522/http://www.syfygames.com/news/article/icons-donn-nauert-is-one-of-the-fathers-of-esports-competition. September 24, 2015.
6. Web site: ICONS: Jeff Peters has left his mark on multiple aspects of gaming culture - Part 2. Syfy. May 8, 2015.
7. Twin Galaxies - Ch. 04 - LIFE Magazine. Drew. Greenland. LIFE Magazine. January 1983. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160806033335/http://www.twingalaxies.com/content.php/626-Ch-04-LIFE-Magazine. August 6, 2016.
8. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1413 Video Game Masters Match Will Help March of Dimes, Vending Times, New York, NY, April 1, 1987
9. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1388 Video game champ buys 40 hours of play with 25 cents - Torrance Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA, July 12, 1987
10. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1133 U.S. Video Team Holds Tourney - CashBox Magazine, October 22, 1983
11. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1140 U.S. vs. Japan Video Tournament? - CashBox Magazine, August 27, 1983
12. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=705 They're Masters of Video Games - Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, August 24, 1983
13. Web site: ICONS: Part 2 of a feature on Jeff Peters - G4@Syfygames. www.syfygames.com.