Pixel Wars: The Untold Story of the First Billion in Arcades

A gamer's greatest pride was to have their initials stamped on the screen with the best score in the game, and among the machines and the kids' disputes, a myth echoed by word of mouth: was it possible for a player to reach a billion points in a single game?

In the 1980s, arcades were more than just places of entertainment: they were arenas where players sought immortality. Between the Pac-Man and Donkey Kong machines, one game in particular, Nibbler, became the stage for one of the greatest battles in the history of gaming: the race to be the first human being to score a billion points. Two names emerged on this journey, Tim McVey, the recognized hero, and Enrico Zanetti, the enigmatic challenger. And around this battle was Twin Galaxies, the first organization to record records in video games.

I'll tell you about the arcade culture in a rivalry that’d only be documented decades later, something that time has almost erased.

Walter Day's Dream

Founded in 1981 by Walter Day, a visionary from Iowa, Twin Galaxies was created to catalog and validate video game records. In an era before the Internet, Day created a verification system based on almost scientific rigor, the organization validated scores through witnesses, photos, letters and, later, recordings.

His record book was the gamers' bible; anyone who appeared in it meant immortality in the gaming universe. Publishing the results on a nationally distributed scoreboard, his mission was to transform players into legends, and his seal of approval was coveted like a trophy. It was in this scenario that our story started.

Arcades as Olympic Arenas

Twin Galaxies not only kept score, but also hosted tournaments and appeared on TV shows like That’s Incredible!

Walter Day, with his white striped shirt and “games scientist” demeanor, embodied the seriousness of competitive endeavor. To many, the organization was the equivalent of the Arcade Olympics.

In 1983, Rock-Ola released Nibbler, a game in which the player controls a snake that devours dots in mazes. The difference? An exponential scoring mechanic: each completed level doubled the points of the collected items. Theoretically, it was possible to play infinitely, making it the perfect candidate to score a billion, a number that, at the time, seemed absurd.

The Beginning of Everything

In 1984, Tim McVey, a 16 year old from Ottumwa was an ordinary teenager, working at Skate Palace, a local arcade. Fascinated by the Nibbler, he began practicing obsessively, developing meticulous patterns of play to maximize his score. His persistence in racking up high scores caught the attention of Walter Day, who saw in him the potential to make history.

The Marathon That Made Gaming History

McVey said he would be the first to achieve that record and, encouraged by Walter Day and his friend Billy Mitchell, he made seven attempts over the following months in the hope of reaching the record of one billion points.

In January 1984, Tim McVey spent two consecutive days playing Nibbler in constant training. A few months later, in July of the same year, he began a game session that would go down in history.

Playing for 44 hours consecutively, stopping only to relieve himself with superhuman endurance, Tim reached the incredible mark of 1,000,042,270 points in Nibbler.

Walter Day documented the feat, validating it as the first official billion.

Twin Galaxies recognized McVey as the first to reach a billion points, cementing him as a legend.

Although he could have continued playing after that score, McVey decided to stop and go home, asking his mother to make him macaroni and cheese before he went to bed for thirty-six hours. What he didn't know was that this simple decision would have a huge impact on his record in the future.

Fame and Recognition

McVey became an instant celebrity. His photo appeared in Life magazine, and Twin Galaxies crowned him "Nibbler King" . In the following months, McVey received the key to the city and an official civic day named in his honor called Tim McVey Day.

When Walter Day expanded Twin Galaxies into an organization that tracked and recorded video game scores, McVey became one of his poster boys, and his Nibbler session became legendary in the gaming community.

However, rumors of an Italian rival began to circulate, threatening his legacy.

The Score That No One Saw

Soon after reading about McVey in the Italian video game magazine Video Giochi, Enrico Zanetti an Italian from Modena, claimed to have reached 1,001,873,840 points in December 1983, seven months before McVey. He said he had played for 40 hours in a local arcade.

There was just one problem: Zanetti had no witnesses or solid evidence. Twin Galaxies dismissed his claim as "unverifiable." Thus Zanetti became an enigmatic figure, a "ghost" whose story would only resurface years later.

The Fight for Recognition

In subsequent years, Zanetti attempted to prove his feat with footage from an Italian TV station showing Zanetti breaking the score, while McVey acknowledged that Zanetti may have legitimately beaten him, Walter Day claimed that since no one from Twin Galaxies witnessed the event, Zanetti's score was invalid.

"It was a geographical injustice," Zanetti said in interviews. "In Italy, nobody knew about Twin Galaxies." *.

Knowing that they wouldn't take the record from Tim because Twin Galaxies were gaining more notoriety in the United States, he simply stopped fighting, for the time being.

The Debate That Divided the Community

In the decades that followed, the retro gaming community revisited the case, and Twin Galaxies, under pressure, reopened the investigation in 2010. Zanetti tried to prove his case by participating in online forums and presenting a blurry photo he had of his score, as well as reports from friends. But nothing satisfied Twin Galaxies’ criteria. To many, he was a myth; to others, an unfairly treated genius. His story would only gain attention decades later, with the resurgence of interest in retro gaming.

Although Zanetti’s arguments were valid, the organization maintained McVey as the record holder.

The controversy fueled debates about the nature of historic preservation and the criteria for verification. The dispute divided fans. Some argued that Zanetti was a victim of geographic isolation, while others accused McVey of "stealing" the glory. And since everything pointed to only one side, that of the United States as the center of attention, the debate became more heated.

And with that, the community was divided like this:

Team McVey: "He followed the rules, Zanetti had no proof!"

Team Zanetti: "Twin Galaxies ignored the world outside the US!"

Italian Report with Enrico Zanetti / Retrogaming History

Twin Galaxies and the Rest of the World

Twin Galaxies faced criticism for focusing solely on the United States, and Walter Day admitted, "We didn't have protocols in place to validate international records at the time," but defended the integrity of the process. So stories like Zanetti's could be forgotten, but the retro community wasn't going to let that happen.

Science Enters the Scene with Nibbler

Experts analyzed the Nibbler code to see if a billion points was possible in 1983, months after its release, and concluded that it was, but it would require a lot of training and extreme endurance, something that Zanetti could theoretically have.

The Mac’n’Cheese That Changed History

When Tim reached a billion, he stopped playing and went off to eat macaroni and cheese. His score was 1,000,042,270, while Zanetti's score was 1,001,873,840, a difference of only 1,831,570. This score could have easily been achieved by Tim if he had continued to play a little longer and stopped more often to rest and eat, but since there were no records of another possible record holder at the time, he simply did what any teenager would do, called it a day and went home to bed!

Uncomfortable with all this debate, Tim McVey decides to beat Zanetti's score by purchasing an original Nibbler machine. He practices for the high score at MAGFest, a live video game event where he’s scheduled to compete head-to-head with Dwayne Richard, another Nibbler champion.

At the event, Richard's cabinet malfunctioned, disqualifying him from the competition. Meanwhile, despite the support of his friend Billy Mitchell and Walter Day, Tim McVey, unfortunately, being years older and not physically prepared for a marathon of this size, became exhausted and decided to give up.

A few months later, in February 2009, Dwayne Richard sent a video to Twin Galaxies showing the new high score in Nibbler. For a brief period, Richard was celebrated as the new champion. However, documentary filmmakers compared several Nibbler performances side by side and discovered that something was wrong: Richard's game movement was faster. This called the legitimacy of the score into question.

After several searches on Dwayne Richard's machine, they discovered what was wrong, a processing chip was faulty, making the game actually faster than usual, giving an advantage in getting points faster. The processing chip was not working perfectly, so the program did not have a code to slow it down and play at the proper speed. As a result, Richard has his score taken away.

The Billion Appears Again

McVey made several more attempts to regain the high score, all of which were broadcast live online. However, distractions from friends and family, his own personal frustrations such as the death of his father, and his desire to give Nibbler the same credibility accorded to other arcade classics, combined with McVey's physical condition sabotaged his attempts.

Ultimately, he decides to make one final attempt, but this time it's different. Tim decides to do it like the first time he broke the record, alone, with only his wife present to document it.

After eating a nice plate of macaroni and cheese, McVey feels strong enough and, after a marathon, he finally achieves the new world record of 1,041,767,060 in Nibbler.

Champion Recognition

After McVey's victory, Walter Day changes his mind and declares that Twin Galaxies will begin adopting the old scores as long as there is sufficient news documentation to prove their validity. As a result, Zanetti's high score is recognized as the first billion in history and Twin Galaxies presents him with a certificate in recognition of his achievement.

With the publicity surrounding McVey's multiple attempts to retake the score, Nibbler became a cult hit on the retro gaming circuit, and players around the world not only beat McVey's record, but began to achieve exponentially higher and higher scores. Richard decided to start dedicating his time to charity work, and McVey began to pursue his childhood dream of stock car racing.

The Project

Directed by Timothy Skousen and Andrew Seklir, the documentary took eight years to complete. Funded via Kickstarter, the film chronicles McVey's attempt to regain his title in 2009 and the search for Zanetti's remains.

The Filmmakers' Journey

The directors discovered the story while editing Battlestar Galactica. "We fell in love with the idea of ​​a kid playing for two days on a quarter," Seklir told Polygon. They brought a home arcade game into their studio, filled with classic games, and dove into the Nibbler universe.

Survival Strategies: How to Play for 40 Hours

In an interview, Seklir detailed the rituals of marathon runners:

- Rhythm and Patterns: "You need to get into a marathon rhythm," he explains. "Preset patterns help when your brain starts to shut down after 40 hours."

- Physiology: Some wear gloves to avoid blisters, others alternate between standing and sitting. Energy drinks and coffee are essential.

- Mental Health: "Some need music or conversation to stay alert; others prefer total silence."

Retro Gaming as a Cultural Phenomenon

According to Seklir, "Humans are hardwired to be nostalgic. Arcade-era games represent a critical era in design, with a simplicity and elegance that inspires to this day." He cites the collection of retro games at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Jonatan Van Hove and the Future of Arcades

Designer Jonatan Van Hove, creator of the Luggatron (a portable arcade game in a suitcase), said "Retro games had technological constraints that made them unique, but today we aim to innovate, not replicate." His installations, like the one on display at GDC Europe, blend nostalgia with modern interactivity.

The Physical vs. Digital Experience

Van Hove points out, "With the infinite duplication of digital content, the physical becomes meaningful. Our Luggatron creates collective memories, people scream together at near misses or impossible shots."

Seklir adds: "In the arcades, you could go eat pizza with your rival after the game. Today, we can play with someone in Seoul, but we lose the physical connection."

Tim McVey: Death and Immortality

McVey passed away in 2021, but his name remains on the scoreboards. His story symbolizes the almost masochistic dedication of gamers in the analog era.

Enrico Zanetti: The Eternal Challenger

Zanetti, still alive, never gave up his quest for recognition. His persistence has made him a symbol of the untold stories that defy the official narrative.

Twin Galaxies Today

The organization survives as a digital archive, but its heyday was in the 1980s. Its role in preserving gaming history, however, is invaluable.

Nibbler in Pop Culture

The forgotten game gained cult status after the documentary. Modern speedrunners still try to beat McVey and Zanetti's records, using emulators and live streams.

The McVey vs. Zanetti rivalry isn’t just about numbers. It’s about recognition in an analog era where legacy and glory depended on sweat, witnesses.

Twin Galaxies, for all its flaws, was essential in transforming gaming into a sport of minds and fingers. Man vs. Snake reminds us that behind every record, there are humans willing to sacrifice hours, health and sanity for a place in the digital pantheon.

In a world where streamers achieve fame in days, the Nibbler saga is a testament to the fact that the most lasting glory doesn’t come from likes, but from 44 hours in front of a screen, with shaking hands and unwavering determination.

And as Seklir says, "We will always be nostalgic for the experiences that shaped our youth — whether they were pixels or shared pizzas."

And so, Nibbler continues to devour pixels, as gamers of all generations chase their own billion.