2773 Mark Robichek

Details

• Card ID:
  2773 Mark Robichek
• First Name:
  Mark
• Last Name:
  Robichek
• Tags: LIFE MAGAZINE Ottumwa Old School Celebrations Superstars of 2017
• Other Notes:

  During the recent Ottumwa Trading Card Ceremonies, Mark Robichek was among an elite group of video game luminaries who were honored on trading cards for their historic participation in the 1982 LIFE Magazine photoshoot. Returning to Ottumwa for the 35th-year reunion of the photo, they were honored with trading cards that were presented by Billy Mitchell and Walter Day along with the AWARD CERTIFICATE shown herein. They were presented on Saturday, November 11, 2017, during the Ottumwa Old School Arcade Galaxies of Gaming Festival, at the Quincy Place Mall, in Ottumwa, Iowa. To see the other trading cards unveiled during this ceremony -- or to see the long chronological history of the TRADING CARDS AWARDS TRADITION, go to this link: Chronological History of the Trading Card Awards Ceremonies

    

  Mark Robichek became an instant sensation in 1982 when he grabbed world record after world record. One of the first truly dominant players, Mark’s high-scores were often out of the reach of other players and most of his records would stand for nearly 25 years. Walter Day described Mark as the gamer with the “coolest nerves” during interviews in Ottumwa in 1982. He specialized in maze games and proved again and again that a slow and steady pace could win a world title. By 1983 he was slipping into retirement, but not before he gained permanent immortality as one of the 16 “Video Game V.I.P.s” photographed in the legendary LIFE Magazine photograph taken in Ottumwa on November 7, 1982. And, as one of the stars of 2007’s film, Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade, Mark became a veritable icon in the global gaming culture.