The Ballad of Walter Day: Autobiography of an Arcade Legend

In this bio of interest to any retro gaming fan, Walter Day shares his personal history — and in the process, sheds light on the development of arcade culture.

Starting with his life before video games, he reminisces about his family and upbringing, as well as his hippie days and involvement in Transcendental Meditation. He discusses his ongoing musical work, along with many other aspects of his journey into a unique career in gaming.

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The story levels up with the creation of Twin Galaxies (the arcade) in the early 1980s, moving through appearances in Life Magazine and on television’s That's Incredible, and on to video game judging for the Guinness Book of World Records, authoring his own books, and much more. He includes his perspective on the King of Kong film, discusses the sale of Twin Galaxies (several times), and shares stories from his national tours to honor video game celebrities. The book wraps up with Walter’s retirement from everything to enjoy life.

Join one of the most interesting figures of gaming history in this entertaining chronicle of a life behind the joysticks.

Walter Day is coming to the Baird Center April 4-6, 2025

Walter Day is a fascinating and controversial character in the history of video games. From the creation of Twin Galaxies whose leaderboards become recognized by Guinness World Records in the 1980s to his friendship with the polarizing Billy Mitchell as seen in movies like King of Kong, you can come to a lot of different conclusions about who Walter is. April 4-6, see another side of Walter as we host a showing of Arcades & Love Songs: The Ballad of Walter Day and host a Q&A with him afterward, or pick up his autobiography, which will debut at the show!