About a month ago, I made a bet with my dad that by the end of May, we could track down a very particular coin-op - the first video game I ever played, when I was growing up in Sacramento. (You can read the whole story here.) This seemed like a pretty stupid bet at the time, but in the last few weeks and with a lot of help from friends and strangers, we've gotten really close to finding the same Mr. Do! I played in the late '80s. In fact, we're one step away from locating it.
Trouble is, while I found a game collector who can tell us where it is, he asked me to do something before he gives up the intel. Specifically, he needs me to round up as many scores on coin-op video games as I can find. So I'm asking all my friends and acquaintances to go out and play video games - real, out-in-public, pay-for-play video games, just like we had in the '80s. All the scores will be added up into one big sum, and we'll get clues at 100,000, 500,000, and 1 and 2 million points. And if we make it to 5 million points, my source will just hand us the answer.
So I'm asking anyone who reads this to do me a favor. This week, and this Memorial Day weekend, keep an eye out for a coin-op. Retro and classic is better, but I'll take anything. Pop in a quarter, play it, and write down your score. A camera phone pic would be ideal, but I'll trust you if you tell me the place, the game, and the score. In return, I'll be your friend forever, I'll print your name on my blog, and most of all, you'll help me track down this machine - and oh yeah, video games are actually fun! When's the last time one quarter meant this much to you?
MAY 20, 2009 07:50 AM
MAY 27, 2009 02:19 PM
I was the only reply. That's sad.
Unfortunately, I didn't see any arcade games all week. 
MAY 27, 2009 02:36 PM
MAY 27, 2009 09:05 PM
MAY 28, 2009 03:38 PM
MAY 30, 2009 08:32 PM
So, your account, screen name, nominal real name etc are part of a viral marketing campaign thought up by Hutchins and Weisman for that book. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, and the stuff 'you' (?) are writing for the newswire is interesting. It's also nice that you are actively participating in the subsequent discussion on those topics with members, something that many paid newswire authors don't do.
Am I off base in my assumptions?
I'm more interested in who you really are and how you came to this gig. There are many artfully crafted facades on the internet and each person or company behind them has a story to tell.
PS - this isn't intuitive or obvious, but site etiquette here is to reply to a comment in your journal by commenting in the other person's journal. That way, the person knows you replied as there is no notification otherwise.
