Internationally-renowned arts and entertainment group Meow Wolf will ignite its first annual live and live-streamed video gaming event SCORE WARS from Thursday, March 29 to Sunday, April 1, 2018 with a Galaga World Championship that brings together the best players on the planet for an epic four-day throwdown to smash world records and crown a new world champ. Event hosts have just been announced and include Jon Carnage, Brit Wiseman, Jose Sanchez, and Zeke III.
Meow Wolf will fly the following top qualifiers to Santa Fe to compete for the $10,000 top pro-level prize against the world’s interplanetary Galaga record holders:
- Armando Gonzales of Los Angeles, California
- Keith “Arcade Doctor” Swanson of Orlando, Florida
- Tanner Rousseau of Blue Springs, Missouri
- Mark Schult of La Porte, Indiana
- Jon Klinkel of Battle Creek, Michigan
- Larry Brockie of Mount Prospect, Illinois
- John McAllister of Seattle, Washington
Stories abound around these supremely talented gamers. Armando Gonzales is a dark horse for the competition who may very well be the next world-record holder. A Meow Wolf documentary crew just returned from filming with him in Los Angeles where they discovered that he learned to play Galaga when he went partially blind in one eye. Jon Klinkel refers to himself as “Galaga God” and is currently ranked #5 in the world by Twin Galaxies for Tournament Settings. Legacy Champ Phil Day wrote an article about Jon and predicted he would be the next world champ. Tanner Rousseau is a second generation player who surpassed records of his dad’s at half the age. Mark Schult is the underdog who sports a “Galaga 1” license plate and for whom Score Wars is his life’s dream come true.
All seven will be at House Of Eternal Return in Santa Fe later this month to compete against the galactic masters:
- Andrew Barrow of New Zealand: Barrow holds the world record for Galaga in Tournament Mode. He has broken his own record on numerous occasions. His current high score is 3,514,030.
Andrew Laidlaw of The United States: On January 1st, 2011, Laidlaw set the world record score for Galaga on Marathon Mode. His score was 4,525,150. He took the title previously held by Philip Day. - Philip Day of Australia: Day is an Australian artist. In November 2009 he scored 3,275,720 in Galaga on Marathon mode. He took the title from Andrew Laidlaw.
“This tournament definitely stands out from any other Classic Arcade Game tournament in terms of its prize money, sponsorship and overall wow-factor,” said Barrow. “Galaga is a great game and very challenging, however the biggest reason I’ve stayed with it is the overall classic gaming community. I have many great friends because of this hobby and they are what keep me coming back.”
Laidlaw noted “Score Wars will be the first time I will be competing with others gamers in front of a crowd, which is exactly what I think arcade gaming needs.”
Galaga players not entered in the Pro-Level Championship will have the opportunity to compete in the $1,500 Top-Prize Amateur Tournament on Saturday, March 31. Qualifying runs for the amateur tournament take place onsite and in-person Thursday, March 30 and Friday, March 31 between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Amateur qualifying plays are $20 each and limited to three per-person in pre-registration. To reserve your slot, simply fill out the form at https://scorewars.com/amateur-qualifying-rounds.
The SCORE WARS: Galaga World Championship action will be on a live stream on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/meowowolf via live streaming specialists XSplit, who are known for producing major tournaments including the Capcom Pro Tour and Nintendo World Championship as well as partnering with leading video games publishers such as Devolver Digital and Twitch to produce live stages and content for the gaming community.
For more on watching the action, please see https://scorewars.com/ways-to-watch.
Meanwhile, Meow Wolf and The Nuttery Entertainment are developing the animated series Galaga Chronicles. The partnership will reimagine and extend BANDAI NAMCO’s legacy brand through animated content, physical exhibitions, merchandise, live media, and Meow Wolf’s Galaga World Championship.
Get all the goods on SCORE WARS: Galaga World Championship at scorewars.com.
