Nintendo Campus Challenge
Encyclopedia
Nintendo Campus Challenge was a video game competition sponsored by Nintendo
and held at nearly 60 college campuses throughout the United States. There were two Campus Challenge events, one in 1991 and another in 1992.
. The next minigame is a version of Pin*Bot where players must get 100,000 points. The final minigame is Dr. Mario
and this lasts until time expires. Once time does expire, a player's score is totaled using the following formula:
, Rob Walters, at a garage sale in New York in 2006.The game sold for $14,000 in July 2009 After 3 months, the game was resold on ebay for $20,100.
systems with various games while the third stage had Game Boy
systems. Attendees at the events could play as many times as they wanted and the highest score at the end of the day was announced the winner.
The winner from each location was flown to Disney World in Orlando over New Year's weekend in January 1992. All the competitors played in the first round followed by a second round with the six highest scoring players only. The final round was a head-to-head match between Steven Lucas and Matt Sekelsky. Steven Lucas won with a score of 2,394,130 .
, where players must collect 50 coins ( very similar to Nintendo World Championships 1990's first minigame, Super Mario Bros.
). The second game is a version of F-Zero
where players must complete two laps. The final minigame is Pilotwings
where players must land on two targets successfully. Once time does expire, a player's score is totaled using the following formula :
There is one known '1992 Campus Challenge" cartridge. It was found at the same New York
garage sale by Rob Walters as the 1991 cartridge. The cartridge is owned by a video game collector named Rick Bruns .
The 1992 cartridge has also been reproduced and is selling copies on retrousb.com.
system with Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Pilot Wings. Consolation prizes of $100, $75, and $50 were awarded to second, third, and fourth place contestants. The winner of the whole US competition won $10,000.
Similar competitions were held in Europe and Japan in 1992. The winner of the US competition, Jeff Hanson wins against the winner of the Japanese competition, Yuichi Suyama and become the World Champion at the 1993 Consumer Electronics Show
.
and 1994 Nintendo PowerFest '94
.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and held at nearly 60 college campuses throughout the United States. There were two Campus Challenge events, one in 1991 and another in 1992.
Games
Like Nintendo World Championships 1990, the official event gave player 6 minutes and 21 seconds to play in the contest, but there are three different minigames. The first minigame of the competition is to collect 25 coins in Super Mario Bros. 3Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...
. The next minigame is a version of Pin*Bot where players must get 100,000 points. The final minigame is Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario (video game)
is an action puzzle game designed by Gunpei Yokoi and produced by Takahiro Harada. It was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy consoles and released in 1990 and 1991....
and this lasts until time expires. Once time does expire, a player's score is totaled using the following formula:
- Super Mario Bros. 3 score times 10
- + PinBot score
- + Dr. Mario score times 100
Cartridge
There is only one known original copy of the 1991 Campus Challenge cartridge in existence. The game was found by a video game collectorVideo game collecting
Video game collecting is the hobby of collecting video games and related memorabilia. Collectors may focus on a particular area of interest, such as retro consoles like the Atari 2600 and NES. There may also be some overlap with animation, anime, manga, comic books, or other media...
, Rob Walters, at a garage sale in New York in 2006.The game sold for $14,000 in July 2009 After 3 months, the game was resold on ebay for $20,100.
Reproduction
The original was replicated by Retrousb.com and released to the general public in March, 2008. It is exactly the same as the original and has its own set of dip switches.1991 Event Structure
The 1991 Campus Challenge was held at 58 college campuses and spring break locations. The event consisted of three stages. The main stage had the competition on 12 different game stations. The second stage was Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
systems with various games while the third stage had Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
systems. Attendees at the events could play as many times as they wanted and the highest score at the end of the day was announced the winner.
The winner from each location was flown to Disney World in Orlando over New Year's weekend in January 1992. All the competitors played in the first round followed by a second round with the six highest scoring players only. The final round was a head-to-head match between Steven Lucas and Matt Sekelsky. Steven Lucas won with a score of 2,394,130 .
| Date | College | City |
|---|---|---|
| 11/29/1990 | Louisiana St | Baton Rouge |
| 12/3/1990 | Texas A&M | College Station |
| 12/6/1990 | Oklahoma University | Norman |
| 1/10/1991 | Consumer Electronics Show Consumer Electronics Show The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new... |
Las Vegas |
| 1/15/1991 | Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo |
| 1/17/1991 | UC Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara |
| 1/21/1991 | UCLA | Los Angeles |
| 1/24/1991 | USC | Los Angeles |
| 1/28/1991 | Cal State Long Beach | Long Beach |
| 1/31/1991 | UC Irvine | Irvine |
| 2/4/1991 | Cal State Fullerton | Fullerton |
| 2/7/1991 | San Diego State Univ. | San Diego |
| 2/11/1991 | UNLV | Las Vegas |
| 2/14/1991 | ASU | Tempe |
| 2/18/1991 | Univ. of Arizona | Tucson |
| 2/21/1991 | Univ. of New Mexico | Albuquerque |
| 2/25/1991 | Texas Tech | Lubbock |
| 2/28/1991 | Univ. of Texas | Arlington |
| 3/4/1991 | Univ. of Texas | Austin |
| 3/7/1991 | Univ. of Houston | Houston |
| 3/11/1991 | Spring Break | South Padre Island |
| 3/19/1991 | Spring Break | Daytona Beach |
| 3/25/1991 | Spring Break | Daytona Beach |
| 4/4/1991 | Univ. of Georgia | Athens |
| 4/8/1991 | Georgia Inst. of Technology | Atlanta |
| 4/11/1991 | Auburn Univ. | Auburn |
| 4/15/1991 | Univ. of Alabama | Tuscaloosa |
| 4/18/1991 | Univ. of Tennessee | Knoxville |
| 4/22/1991 | Ohio St Univ. | Columbus |
| 4/24/1991 | Chevy Open House | GM Tech Center |
| 4/25/1991 | Univ. of Michigan | Ann Arbor |
| 4/29/1991 | Indiana Univ. | Bloomington |
| 5/2/1991 | Univ. of Wisconsin | Madison |
| 5/6/1991 | Univ. of Minnesota | Minneapolis |
| 5/9/1991 | Northwestern Univ. | Evanston |
| 8/2/1991 | Ohio State Fair | Columbus |
| 8/15/1991 | Illinois State Fair | Springfield |
| 8/22/1991-9/20/1991 | Canada Tour | Canada |
| 9/23/1991 | State Univ. of New York | Albany |
| 9/26/1991 | Univ. of Massachusetts | Amherst |
| 9/30/1991 | Boston Univ. | Boston |
| 10/3/1991 | Univ. of Rhode Island | Kingston |
| 10/7/1991 | New York Univ. | New York |
| 10/10/1991 | Rutgers Univ. | New Brunswick |
| 10/14/1991 | Univ. of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia |
| 10/17/1991 | Univ. of Maryland | College Park |
| 10/21/1991 | George Washington Univ. | Washington DC |
| 10/24/1991 | Univ. of North Carolina | Chapel Hill |
| 10/28/1991 | Clemson Univ. | Clemson |
| 11/11/1991 | Univ. of Washington | Seattle |
| 11/13/1991 | Nintendo Open House | Seattle |
| 11/18/1991 | Univ. of Oregon | Eugene |
| 11/27/1991 | CSU Sacramento | Sacramento |
| 12/2/1991 | Univ. of California Berkeley | Berkeley |
| 12/5/1991 | Stanford Univ. | Stanford |
| 12/9/1991 | San Jose State Univ. | San Jose |
| 1/4/1992 | Walt Disney World | Orlando |
1992 Games & Cartridge
The rules are the same as the 1991 version except with three SNES minigames. The first minigame of the competition is Super Mario WorldSuper Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...
, where players must collect 50 coins ( very similar to Nintendo World Championships 1990's first minigame, Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
). The second game is a version of F-Zero
F-Zero
is a futuristic racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The game was released in Japan on November 21, 1990, in North America on August 23, 1991, and in Europe on June 4, 1992...
where players must complete two laps. The final minigame is Pilotwings
Pilotwings
is a video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It was developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division, led by producer Shigeru Miyamoto. The game was originally released in Japan on December 21, 1990, shortly after the launch of the SNES...
where players must land on two targets successfully. Once time does expire, a player's score is totaled using the following formula :
- Super Mario World score
- + F-Zero' score times 100
- + Pilot Wings score times 10,000
There is one known '1992 Campus Challenge" cartridge. It was found at the same New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
garage sale by Rob Walters as the 1991 cartridge. The cartridge is owned by a video game collector named Rick Bruns .
The 1992 cartridge has also been reproduced and is selling copies on retrousb.com.
1992 Event Structure
The 1992 "Nintendo Campus Challenge" competition was held at 35 college campuses throughout the US. The winner at each location won a Super NintendoSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
system with Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Pilot Wings. Consolation prizes of $100, $75, and $50 were awarded to second, third, and fourth place contestants. The winner of the whole US competition won $10,000.
Similar competitions were held in Europe and Japan in 1992. The winner of the US competition, Jeff Hanson wins against the winner of the Japanese competition, Yuichi Suyama and become the World Champion at the 1993 Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
.
Other Nintendo Competition Events
Nintendo held two other major video game competitions, 1990 Nintendo World ChampionshipNintendo World Championship
The Nintendo World Championships was a 1990 Nintendo-promoted video game competition that toured twenty-nine cities across the United States. It was based on scoring points in three Nintendo Entertainment System games within a time limit of 6 minutes and 21 seconds...
and 1994 Nintendo PowerFest '94
Nintendo PowerFest '94
Nintendo PowerFest '94 was a 1994 Nintendo-promoted video game competition. Most of the town competitions were held in customized trailers outside of department stores. It was based on scoring points in a special game pack. The three Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo PowerFest...
.