Ever heard of the city Ottumwa in Iowa? Well it was, apparently, the hub for a gaming craze that swept the world back in the 80s. In 1982, the city in Wapello County bestowed upon itself, the title of the “Video Game Capital of the World” and will now re-emphasize its claim and put forward its objective of building a game hall of fame. Move over Tokyo. Move over San Francisco. Enter Ottumwa, Iowa!
Kotaku reports that the city is planning a video game hall of fame and the city’s Mayor, council members, chamber of commerce director and representatives of the city’s development council and convention bureau will be standing in, to back the creation of this hall of fame which will function as a business development opportunity and tourism attraction.
Billy Mitchell, who holds the world record for his Donkey Kong score of 1,050,200 set in 2007, will be in Ottumwa and will pledge the arcade machine which he used to achieve the high score, to the hall of fame.