Andrew Barrow, 29, from Wellington is the first World Galaga Champion.

Galaga was released 8 years before he was born, but Kiwi Andrew Barrow has just become World Champion of the classic arcade game.

According to Australian Associated Press, the 29-year-old Wellingtonian took part in a showcase of the game at the Score Wars tournament in New Mexico, playing for a top prize of US$10,000 (NZ$14,249)

Ten players took part in knock out rounds at the event, including US player Andrew Laidlaw, the 7-year world record holder and Armando Gonzalez, a relative new comer to the arcade version of the game.

Barrow almost lost to Laidlaw who appeared to fake him out after losing two of his ships. Laidlaw stood up, which Barrow and the commentators took to be the record holder conceding defeat, but immediately sat back down again when Barrow stood to offer him his hand, losing two ships of his own.

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MEOW WOLF/TWITCH Barrow received a medal and a cheque for US$10,000.

The judges ruled that Laidlaw had conceded and Barrow went through to final where he faced Gonzalez. Gonzalez eventually lost to lost to Barrow at the nine-hour mark after losing two ships and sticking it out with only one.

"That was a brutal match," Barrow told AP. "It was up and down the whole way."

​More than 300,000 people watched a live stream of the retro arcade battle on streaming platform, Twitch.

MEOW WOLF/TWITCH The darkened room where Barrow faced off against LA player Armando Gonzalez.

Galaga was released in 1981 and is considered to be one of a number of "classic" 80s arcade games, along side Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Ms Pac Man and Defender.