First-ever national eSports team makes a comeback

DENTON, Texas - March 24, 2016 - PRLog -- The concept that could be considered the first full eSports team is rising from the grave.

The original U.S. National Video Game Team was formed in 1983, as several world-record holding video game champions got together and issued challenges to the best players from around the world. In the mid-1980s, the Team remained in tact despite a massive crash of the North American video game industry, helping to provide feedback to companies working through it.

In the late 1980s, the Team founded Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, appeared in television commercials for Atari, held a Nintendo competition on ABC's That's Incredible!, provided a Seal of Approval for various gaming products and issued a series of "expert tips" videotapes that could be considered the grandfathers of today's Let's Play gaming videos.

The U.S. National Video Game Team® slowly faded away in the mid-1990s. Feeling that the history was being lost, efforts began last summer to save the Team's legacy. Veteran video game advocate Patrick Scott Patterson teamed up with USNVGT charter member Tim McVey for the effort. On Tuesday, March 22 the U.S. Copyright and Trademark Office registered the U.S. National Video Game Team® name to Patterson.

"The U.S. National Video Game Team® was a huge influence to me and to the entire industry in the late 1980s," Patterson said. "I was sad to see how the lasting impact and influence of the original teams had been reduced to nothing more than fodder for a Cracked article and an inaccurate snippet on Wikipedia. Eager to save the history so it can be celebrated by future generations, we started to take the steps nobody else was willing to."

To help ensure the legacy, Patterson and McVey have former U.S. National Video Game Team® members Jeff Peters, Donn Nauert and Martin Aless on board as advisers. They have also extended the offer of an advisory role to the original 1983 founder. Now that the trademark registration is complete, Patterson says he is looking to expand on this.

"The knowledge and wisdom of the original members can help us ensure that our modern-day effort is done in the true spirit of their work and efforts," he said. "We will be reaching out to others involved in the classic teams in the coming weeks and months."

In addition to securing the full historical legacy of the original versions of the team, Patterson and McVey plan to form a modern-day version of the U.S. National Video Game Team® to serve as video game advocates much like the originals did.

ABOUT PATRICK SCOTT PATTERSON: Patrick Scott Patterson is a Video Game Advocate, gaming since 1981. He has appeared in a variety of video game documentary films, including Nintendo Quest, now available on Hulu. He presently creates video game content for a number of outlets, and his work has been mentioned or featured by media from across the country. He recently launched Archive Alley™, a historical archive for video game media and promotional materials. He is scheduled to appear at upcoming gaming events such as SUPER! BitCon in Oklahoma City, Space City Comic Con in Houston and E3 in Los Angeles. He currently resides in Denton, Texas. More on Patterson can be found on his official website at http://www.PatrickScottPatterson.com.

ABOUT TIM MCVEY: In 1984, Tim McVey made international headlines as the first video gamer in history to score 1 billion points on a video game. For the accomplishment, he was honored with the key to the city of Ottuma, Iowa, where he accomplished the score. His story is told in documentary film Man VS. Snake: The Long and Twisted Tale of Nibbler, which recently secured a distribution deal. Later this year, he will be inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Both Patterson and McVey are available for press interviews regarding the U.S. National Video Game Team® and their efforts to secure the history of the previous incarnations.