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This was my favorite arcade game for a while (in the very early days). See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Wars (

This was my favorite arcade game for a while (in the very early days). See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Wars (The arcade version was a direct derivative of the original described in the article.) I played this a lot with a buddy. One day some clown came into the arcade and saw me playing. He said he was the best in the world, and wanted to challenge me to one game (for $20). I kept trying to fend him off and decline his challenge, but my friend put up the money. I had never played anyone so good, and it took me a little while to adapt to his tactics. After a few minutes, I beat him. My friend collected his money, and then the guy started running around the arcade (Sega Center) yelling "This guy is the best Space War player!" over and over again while pointing at me. I was pretty embarrassed for him.

djmips 6y ago
This was my first and also favorite game circa 1978 and something that really started me along the path to computers. It had really great bass sounds. I recall being on a school trip to Niagara falls and slipping away into an arcade with a school friend to play this instead of going on the falls tour... It's funny how you were embarrassed for him. He probably wasn't embarrassed. Maybe he was right!
- masswerk 6y ago
  In the end, it was Bruce Baumgart, winner of the 1972 "Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics" described in the Stewart Brand article "Spacewar — Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums"? Probably the only person bearing the title "best Spacewar player in the world" with some legitimacy… ;-)
willcipriano 6y ago
> and then the guy started running around the arcade (Sega Center) yelling "This guy is the best Space War player!" over and over again while pointing at me. I was pretty embarrassed for him. He sounds refreshingly honest and self aware to me. He went around loudly letting everyone know he was the best player, when proven wrong he just as loudly informed everyone of the correction. Everyone should be more like the second best Space War player in the world.
- msla 6y ago
  Maybe he just wanted to let the Powers That Be know who to move on to. ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Pool_%28The_Twilight_Zone,_1959%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Pool_%28The_Twilight...
  - crshults 6y ago
    Nice reference. Gonna have to binge some Twilight Zone now. I can't find the exact quote from Highlander (TV series, not the movie) where Duncan has a friend, the "best swordsman in Europe", but he says something like, "don't ever be the best... God forbid you lose your nerve but they keep coming." Found the episode at least [0]. [0] https://highlander.fandom.com/wiki/Courage https://highlander.fandom.com/wiki/Courage

djmips 6y ago

This was my first and also favorite game circa 1978 and something that really started me along the path to computers. It had really great bass sounds. I recall being on a school trip to Niagara falls and slipping away into an arcade with a school friend to play this instead of going on the falls tour... It's funny how you were embarrassed for him. He probably wasn't embarrassed. Maybe he was right!

masswerk 6y ago
In the end, it was Bruce Baumgart, winner of the 1972 "Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics" described in the Stewart Brand article "Spacewar — Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums"? Probably the only person bearing the title "best Spacewar player in the world" with some legitimacy… ;-)

willcipriano 6y ago

> and then the guy started running around the arcade (Sega Center) yelling "This guy is the best Space War player!" over and over again while pointing at me. I was pretty embarrassed for him. He sounds refreshingly honest and self aware to me. He went around loudly letting everyone know he was the best player, when proven wrong he just as loudly informed everyone of the correction. Everyone should be more like the second best Space War player in the world.

msla 6y ago
Maybe he just wanted to let the Powers That Be know who to move on to. ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Pool_%28The_Twilight_Zone,_1959%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Pool_%28The_Twilight...
- crshults 6y ago
  Nice reference. Gonna have to binge some Twilight Zone now. I can't find the exact quote from Highlander (TV series, not the movie) where Duncan has a friend, the "best swordsman in Europe", but he says something like, "don't ever be the best... God forbid you lose your nerve but they keep coming." Found the episode at least [0]. [0] https://highlander.fandom.com/wiki/Courage https://highlander.fandom.com/wiki/Courage