Tampa Area Man to be Inducted into Video Game Hall of Fame

Todd Rogers, of Brooksville, Florida, is one of 29 inductees recognized for their video game achievements being inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame.

The International Video Game Hall of Fame has announced that a Tampa area man is to be inducted into the IVGHOF on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Todd Rogers, of Brooksville, Fla., will be honored for his accomplishments as a professional video game competitor. Rogers has enjoyed recognition as a top world record holder on hundreds of games since the early 1980s and is considered history’s first professionally-paid video game player. In 1986, Rogers was a member of the U.S. National Video Game Team, history’s first professional video game team.

As a member of the IVGHOF Class of 2010, Rogers takes his place alongside 28 other gaming celebrities, including Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario and Donkey Kong; Ralph Baer, The Father of Video Games; and Pac-Man.

Rogers is currently the co-owner of ACW Underground, an independent wrestling company based in Central Florida. Rogers played himself in numerous landmark films on the history of competitive gaming, among them Chasing Ghosts:Beyond the Arcade and The King of Kong:A Fistful of Dollars.

The IVGHOF was created to honor the video game age luminaries and to preserve artifacts and memorabilia generated by this dynamic industry. The IVGHOF is registered with the IRS as a 501C(3) not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization allowing it to accept donations and issue tax receipt

The City of Ottumwa is recognized as being the "birthplace" of organized, competitive video game playing. The city was proclaimed the "Video Game Capital of the World November 30, 1982, by then-Mayor Jerry Parker. This claim was confirmed by Iowa Governor Branstad, Atari and the Amusement Game Manufacturer's Association (AGMA) in a special ceremony on March 19, 1983. Today, the City of Ottumwa conducts an annual four-day video game festival called "The Big Bang" to give further recognition to the gaming celebrities being inducted into the IVGHOF.

For more information on Todd Rogers, go to http://ivghof.com/the-big-bang/inductees/todd-rogers

Or contact
Walter Day at 641-226-6275

 or

International Video Game Hall of Fame & Museum
217 East Main Street
P.O. Box 308
Ottumwa, Iowa 52501
info@ivghof.com

About The Big Bang

The Big Bang is Ottumwa's Annual Video Game Festival, co-created by the Citizens of Ottumwa and the International Video Game Hall of Fame.  The Big Bang 2010: Making Gaming Matter is a four-day event held concurrently with the Grand Induction Ceremonies for the International Video Game Hall of Fame & Museum (IVGHOF&M).  The festival features contests, concerts, dealer showrooms, panel discussions, guest celebrities, costume contests and much more.  For more information visit: http://www.ivghof.com

 About The International Video Game Hall of Fame

Located in Ottumwa, Iowa, the International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated to honoring excellence in the field of electronic gaming by recognizing the champions, industries and professionals related to this popular activity. We will build and maintain a state-of-the art interactive facility containing historical archive exhibits describing the historic milestones of the video game industry, and preserve significant video gaming relics, memorabilia and artifacts of the times past and present.