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."U.S. National Video Game Team Rates Games", PlayMeter Magazine, March 1, 1984 February 1012, 1984: Canada-USA Video Game Team Conference is organized by USNVGT.Canadian Video Team Being Formed - CashBox Magazine, March 10, 1984 U.S. National Video Game Team at 1984 AMOA Expo - Vending Times, December 1, 1984 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). April 8, 1986: The U.S. National Video Game Team is authorized by the Guinness Book of World Records to organize contests.Guinness sends letter to U.S. National Video Game Team, April 8, 1986 In 1986, the USNVGT continued on without Day under Jeff Peters and Steve Harris with Donn Nauert as team captain. The team extended their reach to include publishing the Top Score Newsletter and Electronic Game Player Magazine a short time later. 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. April 1, 1987: U.S. National Video Game Team Conducts 1987 Video Game Masters Tournament for Guinness.Video Game Masters Match Will Help March of Dimes, Vending Times, New York, NY, April 1, 1987 July 12, 1987; The U.S. National Video Game Team organizes the 1987 Video Game Masters Tournament for Guinness Record Book.Video game champ buys 40 hours of play with 25 cents - Torrance Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA, July 12, 1987 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".U.S. Video Team Holds Tourney - CashBox Magazine, October 22, 1983 U.S. vs. Japan Video Tournament? - CashBox Magazine, August 27, 1983 They're Masters of Video Games - Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, August 24, 1983
U.S.National VideoGame Team Tournaments In 2016, Lonnie McDonald won a USNVGT "cutthroat rules" Joust tournament on the game at the Let's Play Gaming Expo before defeating John Newcomer - the creator of the game - in a special live exhibition match.
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