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by Roger Jones, Executive Director OEDC
A couple of days ago, I got a call from a gentleman residing in Ottumwa, who was interested in learning about economic development news and what I thought the prospects were for our City and Wapello County in the long term. Of course we discussed the new Job Corps facilty, the potential casino and entertainment center project, the general outlook of management of the local companies I have been visiting, and the current intiatives we are pursuing at OEDC for the purpose of identifying prospects interested in establishing a location in our City and County. In general, I informed this extremely pleasant and well informed gentlemen that I thought our future was fairly bright, as we are working on a number of new prospects, particularly in the restaurant, logistics (including trucking and warehousing), and renewable energy sectors.
The one aspect of our conversation that surprised me a bit, was the reaction I got when I mentioned the establishment of the Videogame Hall of Fame in Ottumwa. The gentleman's response was to the effect that, "well, that's silly." At that point I tried to explain to him why this project is not "silly", but will, when complete, represent one of Ottumwa's crowning achievements. I explained that the videogaming industry was the largest entertainment industry in the world. We also discussed some of the reasons why Ottumwa has the most legitimate claim to the rather lofty title we have chosen: "The Videogame Capital of the World." I am sure I need not repeat myself as to the factors that make Ottumwa the logical and legitimate site for the Videogame Hall of Fame. The fact that we have broad support not only in the community and region, but also among world class video gamers, and that our efforts are well known by the powers that be in some of the most powerful companies in the industry, would seem to indicate that there is little question that we are the right place.
I have a feeling that there are a number of other individuals in Ottumwa, Wapello County and the surrounding region who aren't aware of just how serious a project this is. I would urge veryone to attend the Big Bang 2010 "Making Gaming Matter" event to be held at the Bridge View Center August 5th to August 8th. Featured will be videogame tournaments where some of the most prominent players in the world will be competing; inductions fanous videogamers and pioneers in the industry into the Videogame Hall of Fame; nightly musical entertainment; as well as many other things to see and do. We expect a large turnout for this event, which we hope to make a yearly occurrence. At any rate, we will demonstrate that the creation of the International Videogame Hall of Fame is an extremely serious and worthwhile undertaking.
05 19 2010 - Video Game Hall of Fame is a Worthwhile Undertaking
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