King of Kongs: A Fistful of Quarters

The Premise


The documentary King of Kongs details the epic video gaming battle between the established master Billy Mitchell and the newcomer Steve Wiebe.  Specifically, the two gamers are competing for the top score in Donkey Kong, which is considered one of the most challenging arcade games of all time.  The film is filled with drama as the two spar back and forth for the top score, including the qualification of their scoring, the trustworthiness of the gamers' cohorts, and the ridiculous things that Billy Mitchell says.  As the two do battle, the audience is given an inside look at competitive gaming and its method for scoring.  By the end, it appears as though Billy Mitchell won with a taped recording of himself playing (something he had scorned Steve Wiebe for doing earlier), but Steve manages to beat the record later.  Interestingly enough, though, both of their records were beaten by Hank Chien, who currently holds the record.




The Biography of Billy Mitchell...

The tie says it all.

is a book that will probably never be written.  He is portrayed very heavily as the antagonist of the documentary.  Between his hypocrisy, extreme arrogance, and equally weird fan base, Billy Mitchell does not seem to have a lot going for him.  In his defense, Billy Mitchell is a natural showman and made the documentary far more interesting than it would have otherwise been.  Possibly his finest moment is when he answers his phone with the words, "World Record Headquarters, can I help you?"  If I were watching "King of Kongs" as a movie and not a documentary, I would not believe the character of Billy Mitchell because he seems like such a.... well, character.


Opinion


This documentary showed me that some people will always be more passionate about video games than me.  As the saying goes, there's intense, super intense, excessive intense, and then Billy Mitchell intense.  I enjoyed the documentary for its entertainment value and the inside look at competitive gaming.  As far as this brand of competitive gaming goes, though, I am not nearly as impressed as I am with player-to-player competitive gaming.  A player facing a computer can only be impressive in the field of physical/mental endurance; however, the MLG style of video gaming requires that the winner be more agile, have quicker thinking, and have more overall skill than the other players.  Because of this, I prefer the player-to-player style of competitive gaming, but I still enjoyed the documentary's look on arcade gaming.