Arcade champion Lonnie McDonald is continuing his quest to post a 9,999,999 score on every Joust arcade video game in America with a trip to Portland's Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade this Wednesday, October 12.
The 50-year-old Kansas City resident has already posted his lofty score on Joust arcade machines in the northeast, Chicago-area, Las Vegas and Michigan among others.
"“I have met some cool folks along the way,” McDonald said in a recent interview. “Played with current world champs; seen Joust machines in homes, bars, arcades and museums. I'm not as fast or as handsome or thin, but I am wiser and more strategic."
McDonald began this quest several months ago after recalling his early days with Joust, which including receiving a letter from Williams Electronics declaring him the champion. Upon learning of scorekeeping websites such as Twin Galaxies, it was an article about a new Joust two-player team record that set things into motion.
While classic arcades and "barcades" have started to appear in more places in recent years, Ground Kontrol was ahead of the trend upon opening in 1999. Today, the Portland, OR location has 60 classic arcade machines, 27 pinballs and sells a variety of vintage gaming consoles such as the Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System.
Lonnie's Joust game will begin at 6pm Pacific this Wednesday night and can be watched like at the Ground Kontrol location.
A "Joust Tracker" subsite has been set up at PatrickScottPatterson.com, allowing users to track McDonald's progress on an interactive map of the US and watch video clips from several of his stops around the country. It can be found at this link.
To learn more about Ground Kontrol, head to www.GroundKontrol.com.
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