I believe the folks that read comic books have finally started to shed that nerd status as the success of so many different films and the new television series “Heroes” have helped people realize that there are some interesting themes and very mature storylines that make up these comics. However, I don’t think the same can be said for hardcore gamers. It is a little harder to convince people that there is something special about sitting in front of a computer and playing World of Warcraft for 10 hours and speaking a special language to those that you set out to kill and play with from around the world. Pwning someone still hasn’t seem to have caught on in every day society. Gamers will have their day I am sure, and the new documentary The King of Kong shows how intense this world they have created can actually be.
King of Kong is a documentary that takes you directly into the world of high score gaming, a world in which tapes are submitted and you can spend up to two days, if not more, trying to get a high score and be recognized as the best. As the title may have already led you to believe the game of choice for this flick is Donkey Kong and our combatants are world record holder Billy Mitchell and the challenger is Steve Wiebe of Redmond, WA.
Mitchell is considered to be something of a god in the world of gaming. His mullet nicely groomed he speaks into the camera with the reek of arrogance and self confidence, “On my phone it says ‘Never Surrender’.” He says this as if we are meant to be taunted. Taunted by the fact that if you get a higher score in Donkey Kong he will not stop to make sure he beats it. Consider yourself warned.
Wiebe is just a guy that is currently unemployed and down on his luck. Living in Redmond, WA with his wife and young daughter he was looking for a hobby, something to do, and he noticed the high score held by Mitchell in Donkey Kong and set out to prove he could beat it. He did this not for “fame” or “attention”, quite simply to prove to himself that he was the best at something. Guess what, he did it, but there is a catch…
In order to get your high score recognized you must video tape it and submit it to the honorary gaming board of TwinGalaxies.com, home of gaming referees Robert Mruczek and Walter Day. It was here that Wiebe sent in his performance, but it was in Redmond that Twin Galaxies sent their volunteers to go inside Wiebe’s garage and dismantle his Donkey Kong machine searching for anything to strip him of his title, and they found it (read about it here).
The challenge was then laid before Steve, to go to Funspot in Florida and beat the record in public. Steve accepted the challenge… This is the story of what ensued.
If any of that sounds over dramatic, believe me, for the people in this world it is just another day in the world of high score gaming. In The King of Kong you will meet some of the oddest individuals. Billy Mitchell himself managed to compare issues around gaming to the abortion issue, Walter Day compared the Wiebe/Mitchell rivalry to the Yankees and the Red Sox and Robert Mruczek will take you into his home and point out eight video tapes he has to watch to prove that Dwayne Richardson broke the record for the high score on Nibbler over the course of two-days. This stuff is real and it means something to these people. Be careful though, you just might find yourself “chumpatized”.
In terms of documentaries King of Kong is highly entertaining and you will actually find yourself laughing, and laughing a lot, but beyond eccentric characters and diabolical plots to undermine people’s attempts at a world record this film has a lot of heart. Steve Wiebe is obviously the underdog hero that you begin to cheer for as Mitchell is made to look like one of the biggest dicks you can imagine. If I had seen this film before I made my top ten list of all-time villains Mitchell may have found himself on it. I am not sure if this is really how Mitchell is, or if the filmmakers set out to do it on purpose, but Mitchell appears to be anything but a nice guy.
King of Kong is certain to make a strong push for the documentary Oscar this year. It is unique in its story and effective in its telling. Both sides of the line are drawn out perfectly well as Steve sets out to take on a group comparable to the Star Wars Empire. Wiebe gets sucked into their world and it truly does begin to seem like he may just find himself getting converted to the Dark Side.
