As I walked into the arcade free play room at PAX East 2011 in Boston, I could see that something was out of place. In the dimly lit room, I noticed that several machines had been cordoned off from the rest of the room. Cameras were set up, focused on the people playing the machines as several officials with clipboards walked around them. I stopped one of the officials and asked what was going on. Apparently, I was witnessing history being made.
It was an invitation-only event that was being put on by Aurcade, a scoring entity that specifically tracks arcade games. It was meant to showcase the talent of several world record holders at PAX East 2011, and there they were, each playing the games they were the best at.
One of the players was Martin Bedard, a 29-year-old man from Montreal. He was playing “Super Outrun,” and had been going at it all day, wrestling with a faulty pedal as he drove the score higher and higher. While people stood on, watching and wondering whether he’d be able to capture the title one more time, he just kept playing. As we attended panels, played games and went about our business, Bedard played on. Finally, he did it. He claimed the high score, got it checked out and made official. And then, unbelievably, he did it again.
“Why ‘Turbo Outrun?’“ I asked, as I caught up with him between record-setting attempts. Was it something about the game? The physics? The artwork?
“I like racing games.” Bedard said. “I like the ‘Outrun’ series, in general; the original was pretty good. This one’s definitely interesting, as well. You don’t see it as much as the original ‘Outrun.’ One day, I just picked it up; it was fun.”
To become a world record holder, however, you need more than just a passion for the game, it takes practice. Lots of practice. About 80-100 hours worth, which is how much Bedard estimates he’s logged on the game. But don’t make the mistake of believing that Bedard is a one-trick pony. He doesn’t just hold the record for “Turbo Outrun,” he also holds records for “Smash TV,” “Depth Charge,” “1942” and more. Whatever it takes to be the world’s greatest, Bedard has it. He wasn’t the only one, though.
Pat Laffaye stood at the “Frogger” machine, attempting to break his own world record. You might not have ever heard of Laffaye, but you’ve probably heard of George Costanza, a fictional character on the TV show “Seinfeld.” In an episode of “Seinfeld,” Costanza finds a “Frogger” machine that still displays his record score of 860,630 points, a score he’s willing to go to absurd lengths to preserve. Although the score was completely made up, it stood for over a decade, until Laffaye beat it by racking up 896,980 points.
Meanwhile, Donald Hayes (no relation to the NFL wide-receiver) was grappling with “Super Zaxxon” as Laszlo Takacs attempted to conquer “Tempest.”
Out of all of them, Martin Bedard was the only one to beat his previous high score, which he did three times while he was there. It was an amazing feat to watch.
It’s rare that you get to meet someone who can do something that no one else can. Maybe it’s not quite the same as meeting an astronaut, or a gold-medal Olympian, but to shake hands with a man who is not simply among the greatest, but, in fact, the world’s greatest player is a rare treat, indeed.
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