| Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lincoln Ruchti |
| Produced by | Michael Verrechia |
| Cinematography | Lisa Wiegand |
| Editing by | Eddie Brega |
| Release date(s) | 2007 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade is a documentary film directed by Lincoln Ruchti about the golden age of video arcade games. The film premiered January 22, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival and has also been shown at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival, as well as other film festivals.
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In the 1980s, video games were synonymous with arcades, and games were bringing in enough quarters to fill the Rose Bowl. This led Iowa entrepreneur Walter Day to declare himself the sole authority on high scores. In 1982, Day launched his Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard. Teenage superstars came from all over North America to join Walter in a Life magazine feature spread, which recognized them as video game world champions. This led to the nationally televised 1982 Video Game World Championships, a touring National Video Game Team, and the promise of fame, fortune and groupies.
The film revisits Day and the Life players, now middle-aged men, as they reminisce on the arcade scene, its demise, and the dreams that crashed with it.
Stephen Garrett of Time Out New York compared the film to the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, which covers similar ground and also premiered at the same time, opining that Chasing Ghosts explores the material far better.[1]
Pixar's Andrew Stanton, director of the films WALL-E and Finding Nemo, saw the premiere of the film at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and enjoyed it so much that he arranged for a private screening of the film at Pixar's Emeryville, California campus.[2]
| Gamer | Home Town in 1982 | Game of Note | In '05 Reunion/Documentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Blackburn | Wilmington, NC | Eagle | Yes |
| Jeff Brandt | Bloomington, IN | Donkey Kong, Jr. | |
| Michael Buck | Ottumwa, IA | Carnival | |
| Leo Daniels | Carolina Beach, NC | Tempest | Yes |
| Eric Ginner | Mountain View, CA | Moon Patrol | |
| Ben Gold | Dallas, TX | Stargate | Yes |
| Jeff Landin | McHenry, IL | Jungle King | |
| Mike Lepkosky | Spring, TX | Ms. Pac-Man | |
| Billy Mitchell | Hollywood, FL | Centipede | Yes |
| Doug Nelson | Bakersfield, CA | Pac-Man | |
| Darren Olsen (Chris Steele) | Calgary, AB | Centipede | Yes |
| Mark Robichek | Mountain View, CA | Tutankham | Yes |
| Steve Sanders | Clinton, MO | Donkey Kong | Yes |
| Ned Troide | Palm Harbor, FL | Defender | |
| Todd Walker | San Jose, CA | Joust | Yes |
| Joel West | Shelby, NC | Berzerk | Yes |
A modern reunion was held on September 24, 2005 in front of the downtown theater in Laconia, New Hampshire, in an attempt to mirror closely the look and feel of the original photo. Footage of this reunion is included in the final scenes of Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade. The group photo includes Walter Day, Billy Mitchell, Steve Sanders, Robert Mruczek, Ben Gold, Joel West, Sam Blackburn, Todd Rogers, Ron Bailey, Darren Olson (Chris Steele) and Kent Farries.
The classic 1982 Life magazine photo shoot with the 16 video game superstars was orchestrated by Enrico Ferorelli, an internationally noted photographer based in New York City who was brought in by Life to take the shot. Ferorelli still maintains his headquarters in New York City, under the name Ferorelli Studios.