Arcades and Love Songs: The Ballad of Walter Day is a heartfelt and surprisingly soulful documentary that goes beyond pixelated nostalgia to tell the story of one man’s lifelong quest to follow his dream. Directed with a reverence for retro gaming culture and the emotional core that binds its community, the film spotlights Walter Day, the founder of Twin Galaxies and the original video game referee, who—at the age of 74—set out to trade his clipboard for a guitar and fulfill a long-held dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. It’s not just about arcade cabinets and leaderboard rivalries—it’s about legacy, belief, and second acts.
Billy Mitchell, often labeled as the most controversial (and stylish) figure in competitive gaming, is more than just the man behind the perfect Pac-Man game and that infamous red, white, and blue tie. In this interview with Film Threat’s Jason Delgado, Mitchell opens up about his longtime friendship with Walter Day, his own role in the film, and the surprising depth of their shared journey. Known for playing the heel in The King of Kong, Billy offers a far more human—and humorous—side here, reflecting on the dreams of others, the legacy of gaming, and how his obsessive drive led not just to gaming glory but to an award-winning hot sauce.
Jason Delgado: Hello, Billy. It’s an honor to be talking to the GOAT of arcade gaming. How’s it going?
Billy Mitchell: Pretty good, sir. It’s always good. I appreciate your time very much.
“Sometimes it’s more fun to watch somebody succeed. Sometimes it’s more rewarding to be a part of that simply because you supported it…”
I appreciate your time, too. Please tell us about your experiences from the King of Kong and now Arcades and Love Songs: The Ballad of Walter Day.
The King of Kong was the first time that our experiences and our history were put on film in a big way on the big screen. And because it was our first time, you might say we had less knowledge or less control of how accurate the story was or how much fun we had. But we knew exactly what we were looking for with Arcades and Love Songs. And again, I kept saying to the director, This has to be about Walter. This has to be about Walter. They’d have me say and do some fun things, things that are entertaining to the camera, and that’s always fun. Believe me, it is. But I was worried that they weren’t going to make Walter the centerpiece. And I was wrong, or I was wrong to assume that. And I was cautious, not wanting anything but him being the centerpiece. And I was very delighted to see that it came out the way that it did. Again, it’s a little more serious of a film, and it’s more personal. It’s closer to real life and real-life experiences. It doesn’t necessarily have all of the colorful situations, but it really tells the story of Walter’s life and how it came out.
Yeah, I absolutely love it. Were you worried about Walter being able to pull off singing at his concert?
I’ll pick on you, Jason. When were you born?
78!
78. Okay. So, you were barely out of grade school when he started talking about this. And I’m like, oh, come on, gimme a break. This was just this guy I knew, and he was older than all of us, so this was just the old guy we knew talking about music. Gimme a break. But he wouldn’t stop talking about it. And he kept saying that he was gonna go onto his next phase of life. But when you talk about something and it’s going into its second decade, you just say, Just let him talk.
