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The Art of Kong [Ottumwa Courier, Iowa :: ](Ottumwa Courier (IA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 28--OTTUMWA -- The Mona Lisa. Whistler's Mother. Donkey Kong? Don't be so surprised, said Walter Day, that video games and the surrounding memorabilia are being considered art. The creativity and artistic vision required to create a poster, said the founder of Twin Galaxies Arcade and video game scoreboard, are attracting the attention of collectors, art lovers and, of course, gamers. "This is very fulfilling to me," said Day, who now lives in Fairfield. "I've always wanted to do art, and an art show. In 1982, we issued our first poster. We tried to make them more graphically interesting. So not only would they commemorate an event, they also became a type of avant garde collectible. As the 200 posters [Twin Galaxies issued] developed, they became more and more artistically amazing." Day has stayed active in the gaming industry, supporting the Ottumwa Video Game Hall of Fame in the town's efforts to market itself as the Video Game Capital of the World. But he has also worked to memorialize all of the great moments in video game history through a series of trading cards. "The trading cards we're putting on display [at the gallery] are actually my own design, and the writing, too," he said. Each card has a photograph or drawing as well as historical information. The cards aren't meant to be a huge moneymaker, and though professional in appearance, they didn't cost as much as they would have if done by a corporate sponsor. "A big city company would have taken seven to 10 people on salary. It could have cost them a million dollars. And they would have had to make more money than just salaries. Since the Walter Day Collection was done only at the grassroots level, we didn't have the high overhead or responsibility to earn a profit for stockholders." Instead, the goal is documentation: "Cultural Anthropology," Day calls it, showing the growth of what he calls "the largest entertainment" media in the world. "I have a concern to finish helping Ottumwa to be the Video Game Capital of the World, and be a tourist attraction, inspiring people, exciting people's imaginations. I would be willing to donate a complete set to Ottumwa, which could stand [in a] visitor center; plus all the relics that have been donated to the Video Game Hall of Fame." He won't be able to cheerlead those efforts forever, and hopes Ottumwans will pick up the "capital and hall" fever. "They have a tremendous opportunity right in their hands," Day said. "This is an art show in Fairfield, but it's all about Ottumwa's legacy." Video game champions, game designers and noted video game industry personalities will be honored at 7 p.m. Saturday in an Awards Ceremony at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts in Fairfield. The Art Gallery Exhibition "The Video Game Trading Cards and Posters of Twin Galaxies" will be on display Aug. 1-23 at the famed Iowa Contemporary Art (ICON) Gallery, Fairfield. Attendance to the Gallery Exhibition and Awards Ceremony is free of charge. And at noon Sunday, the well-known 1982 Ottumwa photo featured in Life Magazine will be recreated in downtown Ottumwa. While some famous video gamers will be there, the public is also welcome to come down, and might even get into the photo. -- Follow Tweets by reporter Mark Newman @couriermark ___ (c)2014 the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa) Visit the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa) at www.ottumwacourier.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |