The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) Movie Script
There will always be the argument
That video games are meant
to be played for fun.
Believe me some of them are a lot of fun.
Videogames are meant to be played at home.
Relaxing on a couch, amongst friends.
and they are, and that's fun.
But competitive gaming,
When you want to attach your name
to a world record
When you want your name
written into history...
You have to pay the price.
With this it's like me and the machine
Doesn't matter
If you let me down...
Or if someone else doesn't come through.
I can always go out there, I'm in control.
I am glad to touch on this.
This is important.
Everybody, even grandmas,
Games, meaning checkers, cards,
If not now, in the past.
Show me even a freakin' nun or a hermit
Who hasn't played cards or checkers.
I do not drink. I don't smoke.
I don't do drugs.
I play video games
Which I think is
a far superior addiction
Than any of those other ones.
I wanted to be a hero.
I wanted to be the center of attention.
I wanted the glory. I wanted the fame.
I wanted the pretty girls
to come at me and say...
"Hello. I see that you are good
at Centipede. "
I had somebody draw a analogy for me once
that I always remember.
The top French pilot in
World War One shot down 24 enemy planes.
The top American pilot,
you don't know his name do you?
Nobody does,
But it is Eddie Rickenbacker.
Shot down 26 enemy planes.
The German ace, the Red Baron.
Everyone knows who the Red Baron is.
That's cause he shot down 87 enemy planes.
I mean he was the best.
There is a level of difference
between people...
And it translates into some games.
Donkey Kong, Pac-Man,
Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Defender...
These are the games
that caught the public eye.
These are the games
people cared about.
So, if you want to be known
as being world class.
You gotta master one of those games.
I like the simplicity of it.
And that's what you will probably hear
from a lot of people that like retro games
That it's the simplicity.
Those games challenged
eye-hand coordination...
Mind, body coordination
Fast reaction time
and comprehensive thinking
On a level that modern games don't..
Memorization and pattern recognition is key.
For you to get a single point further
in an old game from the early eighties
Meant a tremendous increase of skill.
If you do not know
the next pattern coming up...
in a tron lifecycle event
you will lose your life.
Only the die herds,
who for some reason...
really loved those games,
continued to stick with them.
What we've done is
that had mayor tie up the entire street...
so the Life magazine
could come to town...
and photograph the world's
greatest video game players...
Who have been flown in
specially for this Life photographic session.
All these great superstars are coming
from North Carolina,
California, Canada
And many other places...
To be photographed
as the official world champions...
On many different games.
That was the first time
Two world-class players
Went head-to-head for a competition.
Was in Life magazine.
Without a doubt I met players
that were among the best in the world.
And maybe even with say or do
whatever they could
To make people believe
They were the best in the world.
Well, at that time...
He was the world record holder on Centipede.
But also at that time...
He was the world record holder on
Donkey Kong.
But we didn't know that,
because someone else...
was invited there
from Kansas City...
Who, because of a claim they had made
It was presumed that they were the
Donkey Kong Champion.
Donkey Kong was the one
that I first lied about.
He had submitted a bogus score...
And I finally met him there
with Life magazine...
And I finally sat down to play him.
We have not been there long and
Bill said "Come on, let's play. "
I went in to the arcade
and sat down with Donkey Kong
And I beat him to a pulp.
Well, I was better than the best.
I got 200000 against Bill.
Bill got 800000
on his first man in that game.
He shellacked me.
Basically he walked away with his head down
and humbled.
And that brought him to the truth.
And from there we worked together.
Well, the Bible proverb says
"As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another"
Bill made me a better person...
And did so by basically making me confess.
I pointed out to Steve that
he is the person he is today
because he came under the wrath
of Bill Mitchell.
In front of the 19 top players
in the nation...
actually, North America...
He did the
highest Donkey Kong score possible
And also found out that the game
ends on the 22nd board.
Since I, so called, debuted on the scene
in Life magazine in 1982...
There hasn't been anybody
who has played even close.
When Billy Mitchell
walks in to an arcade...
You know, everything stops.
There is electricity around Billy Mitchell.
Everybody wants to crowd around him.
Everybody wants to see him.
You know, everything about him is perfect.
Billy is just that person.
He wants to represent.
If you could hack into the machine
an program it to play itself
you couldn't even program it that well.
There is a glamour to Billy
There is a specialness to Billy.
He was the first great, great player.
The fact to the matter is...
Bill IS THE BEST classic arcade gamer
of our era.
It has actually carved
a part of my personality.
It benefits me every day.
It made a burning passion never
to settle with what I have.
In my business, in my family.
That's what competitive gaming
has done for me.
He is a winner.
Billy Mitchell
is absolutely a winner.
It's sort of like being in a maze...
But everything you see is actually sauce.
The all-around most seasoned person
In the hot sauce chicken wings industry.
Yeah, for sure, me.
There is a production end of it.
There's the preparation.
When there is a sales end of it...
There is not somebody who accomplishes
all of those areas like me
that I've ever met.
He sells his hot sauce.
He sells himself.
Because he's so charming
And such a good ambassador...
For all gaming, because he is positive.
There is no reason in my opinion why Billy Mitchell
couldn't end up on a Weenies box someday.
The video arcade classic
has finally been conquered.
On July 4, at a
New Hampshire arcade...
became the first person...
To master Pac-Man
By recording the first ever perfect game.
Billy Mitchell
primo joystick dude
Amazing in the maze
he ain't gonna lose
To get through every board,
getting every dot
Every energizer,
Every ghost that's applicable...
To reach to the final
It's impressive, in its on right.
The success was not just because
someone got a perfect Pac man score,
But because Billy Mitchell
got a perfect Pac man score.
...Man in the corridor
singing the blues
A perfect game goes down
Billy's on the move...
If I have all this good fortune.
If everything's rolling my way.
If all these balls
have bounced in my favor...
There is some poor bastard out there
who is getting his screws put to him.
When I got laid off
and I had time on my hands
I was thinking: "What can I do?...
To kind of feel that I have
control of something?"
I looked at Twin Galaxies.
Well, I typed in "Donkey Kong
world record"
Some spreadsheet came up
and saw what the score was.
It was held by Billy Mitchell
it was like 874000.
and I go: "Yeah, I can beat that. "
Almost there.
I am not the kind of wife that's needy.
That I need him sitting on the couch with me every night.
I don't need that.
What I need is him in the house
helping me with the kids
or I need him being with the kids.
So he would want to come out here and play
And that would drive me crazy.
Cause he is definitely OCD
When he is obsessed on something...
He is so focused
and I have to be like "Hello!"
So then I just said:
"You will have to do it at night. "
Is level 2 easy?
Yeah, it's pretty easy.
I've dreamed of being
a musician for a living.
That what's my dream was.
It was brought back to me,
that he was smart...
...he was an athlete, he was talented...
and, for whatever reason,
he could never get those to fit.
Steve was in one of the original
starving grunge bands
Here in Seattle,
just starving.
The only people who came to see him was us.
With his music it's almost like...
he didn't want people to know
he was doing it.
He is a total paradox.
He has maybe a little social hang-ups
here and there, that...
that haven't allowed him to be as successful
on one end as in other ends.
They got to the state finals,
and Steve couldn't pitch.
I have probably seen Steve with tears in his eyes
More than any other guy I know...
because of the frustration
that would build in him.
and half the time
it was on the pitcher's mound.
He had hurt his arm.
I had pitched him too much.
I was the manager of the team.
It was a chance for him to shine
in front of thousands of people.
That killed him that he couldn't pitch,
Because it is that competitiveness in him.
I envisioned him as
an engineer at Boeing.
My dad worked for Boeing
for 30 some years...
And the plan was to go to Boeing
and be a "lifer".
As they call them.
But things didn't work out.
I don't know if he told you he was laid off
the day we signed papers for our house? Yeah.
He never has quite reached that pinnacle.
He never quite in any of his endeavors
Was regaled as the number one guy.
The guy that was better then the rest,
and was on top of the mountain.
Oh, he has just come up short
in a lot of things in his life
And just I think, you know...
nobody wants to do that all the time.
It has my highest score
saved on there, the last.
What plunged me into competitive gaming
never to come out, was Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong.
Well that was THE first ever Mario game.
The whole thing is a construction sight.
There's all these girders
and elevators with ladders.
Going from one girder to the next.
The whole goal the whole time
is to get pass the obstacles
that Kong is throwing at you.
And get the girl.
Well Donkey Kong, without question,
is the hardest game.
It's ridiculously difficult
on the first screen.
Donkey Kong is releasing these barrels.
You got to jump over the barrels.
You got to duck to the barrels.
You can grab a hammer,
and hammer the barrels.
OK, the secret about the barrel board
is that you can
actually control the barrels.
Right above this ladder...
You do a quick left
and then a hard right turn.
See how it went down, it went down again.
You gotta get pass all the barrels,
the fireballs,
get up the ladders,
and as soon as you get to her
Donkey Kong takes her away
to the next level.
The average Donkey Kong game
doesn't last a minute.
It's absolute brutality.
Each of the 18 elevator boards
...represents the greatest challenge
in video game playing.
The average gamer of Donkey Kong...
will never get pass
the third elevator stage.
The slightest touch from one of these
springs kills you.
There is no hammer for them,
there is no way to defeat them.
All you can do is avoid them. That's it.
The secret to the third elevators
is knowing which spring to go on.
And then knowing
which spring to move up the ladder on.
And recognizing when you must retreat.
If you don't time it just exactly right
you will die.
It boils down to hardcore skill.
So I go on that one,
Because it's lined up with the dashed line.
And now I'm waiting for one
to line up with the sawed line.
I have said that from the day I met Steve
that his talent is in his hands.
He pitched. He was a basketball.
He is a phenomenal drawer.
And if you ever seen pictures
that he's drawn...
He is very artistic.
It's operating on some subconscious level
with him, I think.
When we were driving to Kansas
or whatever family trip.
He would sit there and for a 100 miles
would bang his head
In 4/4 time against the back of the seat.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine...
Well I have often thought
that maybe he is a little autistic.
It's just this obsessive compulsive...
Because he would get something on his mind.
He wanted to play drums
I don't even know where he got that idea.
This is Derek's drum set.
And it's not too bad.
It's does the trick.
The actual gameplay involves
so much eye-hand coordination,
mind and body coordination
Fast reaction time
and comprehensive thinking.
And such a high level of
precise execution
so much skill...
involves so much learning
You have to have
deep comprehensive intelligence.
For years and years it was believed...
that Billy's record of 874000 in 1982
was really the highest score
anyone would ever get.
In fact, some of us have played this game...
Every day, or every week,
or every month since then
and no one has gotten even close to that.
No one across that big length of time
will never be able to beat his world record.
Derek, look. You are on TV.
See yourself? Say Hi.
No.
I was having the game of my life
I think I got 600000,
and I hadn't died yet.
And I started hearing some noises
coming downstairs, screaming...
It's all on tape.
That's the tape I had to send in
to Twin Galaxies.
Everything I'm all about...
by practicing transcendental meditation...
And I like to see that mirrored
In the way I apply myself
to the videogame world.
that I seek to find champions
And watch them grow and
become even greater...
as they begin to unfold more and more
of their full potential.
Which is what we do when we do TM!
If Walter, through all
these years, all the way since 1982...
Hadn't continued,
as a labour of love,
then there would be no central organization for
competitive video game playing.
Why do we do it?
Because we actually love this.
Because we enjoy this.
We are fascinated by this.
it is just something in our genes,
That my group, Twin Galaxies,
raise the banner high to do this
And move organized video game playing
into the future.
Walter opened the door to truly,
I was gonna to say international
But at the very least
national competitive gaming.
We just happen to call it Twin Galaxies.
The name burst in to my brain.
Walter Day didn't do that by accident
He didn't get lucky.
He created his own empire.
Join us again for videogame news update,
I am Walter Day...
At the Twin Galaxies
international score board.
It's been a wearying thing
being the score keeper
Because everybody picks on me.
Because I am the man, you know?
I am a police officer.
Video games need a guy like Bush
who will say:
"Look, this is the way we're going to do it"
"This is the rule,
and if you don't like it, tough".
You got to have that.
If you didn't have it in the NFL,
Who would win?
How do you declare a champion
unless there are rules?
and if you break 'em, you lose.
The best features about him
are also his biggest downfall.
People can just run over him
because he is so nice.
Twin Galaxies survives
because people like Walter...
People like Robert Mruczek.
People like me...
Who participate all for a passion
of competitive gaming.
Nobody draws a paycheck.
I do not see details.
I see big pictures, you know?
I see the big concept
that lies behind the whole issue
and then I tweak that.
I can't do details and details.
Twin Galaxies needs a staff
of detail orientated people
like Robert Mruczek.
Anything that is unexplainable,
out of the ordinary...
We have to keep our eyes out for it.
that is not to say we are infallible.
When I have to watch that pile
of eight tapes over there
For Dwayne Richards'
two days Nibble performance...
that is 48 straight hours of
paying attention...
To make sure that he is doing
everything correctly.
Package from the Metroid team in Brazil...
Some Atari 2600 records.
I got to watch that.
These things take time to verify.
And I have to look at
every single one of these.
like I showed you over here.
This is just 200 video tapes.
That's nothing.
This is the real stuff that I have to do.
I see world records set in my room
just about every single day.
Some people think a world record is
what is set at the Olympics
Or at the end of a baseball season.
I see this every single day.
An not just sometimes once.
It's exciting.
Yeah, that was close.
That was actually good.
Derek, stop it. No.
Stop playing Donkey Kong.
- Derek?
- Stop playing Donkey Kong.
I'm gonna throw away your rest
if you don't stop it.
Somebody has accomplished something...
That not only I can't do...
But nobody else has ever done before...
And it's exciting
to see that first hand.
That's how you play Donkey Kong.
Welcome back.
Bill Gates is not necessarily
The most famous name
In Redmond tonight.
Coming up, meet the man
who is at the top of his game
A Donkey Kong world record.
He was a big celebrity
there for a bit in Seattle.
I just thought it would be a neat achievement.
I didn't think it would ever blow up to be a big story.
He was: "You're the first lady
of Donkey Kong"
I'm like: "Oh, my God!".
Even though it was this
silly video game thing
It's not many of us that have a buddy
Who is the best in the world at something.
That was a godsend to him
in the last couple of years
to get him through. It was like
a safe haven for him.
We are at
Kamakin Junior High...
We're in mine seventh and eight grade
science classroom
This is my first year of teaching...
And has been a challenge,
But very enjoyable so far.
I went to the City university...
Which had a program
for one year master's degree...
So we roughed it out for a year.
And here I am today, so it finally worked out.
It's fun and he's not making it so,
it's like:
"This is science. This is boring. "
He talk to us about stuff thats not just
like homework and schoolwork
and school 'n' stuff.
Well, here is...
My history with Donkey Kong
Is I have the world record.
Well, I did not know
it was a world record.
it's for Donkey Kong? Oh my...
There is like... It's...
All science teachers
here are weird.
Steve deserves a lot of credit for that...
because he also
also broke the record
of Donkey Kong Jr.
He took two of Billys titles
right away from him.
I don't mean to sound,
you know, crude or anything.
But he did, he did,
Officially, he did.
That was the last world record
that Bill ever had.
That was the last one to go.
He had five world records
in 1985...
And he had the Donkey Kong and then
Steve Wiebe took it away.
It is far more difficult when you are on top
anybody who's on top, to stay on top.
Billy's got a lot of things up his sleeve.
He likes to keep quiet
in situations like that.
So you know somebody
may have taken him down now
but behind closed doors
Billy has something planned.
That's Billy Mitchell.
On my phone it says:
"Never surrender. "
If someone beat his record...
He'd have a plan to beat it back.
I am sure.
The worst thing that could happen...
To give someone
the credibility of a score...
That doesn't deserve it.
But even far worse than that
would be to deny somebody
the credibility when they deserved it.
If I am not there, I don't know.
Get this.
I came home one day
And there was two people in my garage...
looking at my machine.
They wanted...
They were spies.
It was a Saturday in July or August.
My mom was here.
and I was getting ready to go to work.
These guys knocked on the door...
And I don't think I knew
they were going to be here at all.
They said who they were...
And they wanted to come in
and look at the machine.
I knew I had to leave and I said...
"I'm not comfortable in letting you do that"
"I have to go to work.
My mom is here. "
Steve is going to be home shortly.
You just need to wait.
To find out at an ultra elite level
whether or not a score is good.
Sometimes we had no choice
but to call in the pros.
Brian Kuh,
the Donkey Kong player
Went to Steve's place.
Bill asked me to do it.
But I had no time to go do it,
so Brian did it.
Went there with one of the
most respected gamers of all time,
Perry Rodgers to back him up.
Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxies
asked me to
because I live in the area near him...
to go investigate him.
So we went out to his house.
I mean I'm the home owner. It's my house.
I am the wife of the Donkey Kong guy.
They should have respected my wishes...
And left my mom alone
and not come in, but they didn't.
They took apart his Donkey Kong machine
And started taking pictures of everything.
Trying looking for an excuse...
to try invalidate a score.
They saw this box
That has Roy Shildt's return address on it.
So they looked over and they said
"Roy Shildt?
Why is Roy Shildt's name on there?".
Roy Shildt is the type of gamer
that would like nothing more
than to see Twin Galaxies
get an egg on its face.
I want you to remember
that no punk bastard ever
Got a gnarly piece of poon tang.
By being sensitive and considerate.
He calls himself Mr. Awesome.
He drives the Awesome mobile
to fame and fortune...
As he says on his website.
He is jealous of Billy
Because Billy gets attention from beautiful
women wherever he goes.
Essentially, he wants to be like Billy.
I've seen the world champion
cherry pit spitter on the Tonight Show
with Jay Leno.
And if that guy should be
on the Tonight Show
At least I could just
be a celebrity for a day.
I didn't even get that.
I got no recognition at all.
I didn't get to be on any television show.
It's like I was a ghost...
And I just don't feel it's right.
I just want
a little recognition.
not necessarily to become a celebrity.
Hey, Billy. How you doin'?
- How you doin'?
- Billy, how are you?
I'm perfect. Haven't you read?
Twin Galaxies does a lot to
promote Billy.
Because it's very much
to Twin Galaxies advantage
And very much to the whole
gaming hobbies advantage
for Billy to become a star.
When Walter Day
published that book in 1997...
With all those egregious errors in there
Bill Mitchell saw it.
And he knew they were wrong.
He knew they were mistakes.
But he tried to pretend like
they were real...
To take my Missile Command
score down.
Roy and I met at California Extreme
And I knew that I had the capability
of beating Billy on Donkey Kong.
Steve Wiebe is the one who had unlocked the
secrets to Donkey Kong.
To figure out how to get a million points.
He offered to buy me a board,
a Donkey Kong board...
because mine had been broken.
I did not have the money.
So it was a mutual beneficial relationship.
He would buy me a board.
I would have the opportunity
to beat Billy's record.
And at the same time
I would take Billy down.
And seek Roy's revenge on Billy.
And it seemed good at the time, you know?
Unknowing to me, I didn't know the history
between the, bad blood, Roy and Billy.
To attempt something like this
for the sole purpose of
taking down one of Bill's scores
Is like... a slap in the face.
They would say that I somehow
monkeyed with the board or something...
But they wouldn't have any evidence.
They looked at the board,
they took pictures of the board,
and they couldn't find
anything wrong with it.
The fact that the right gummy substance
On the right chip, out of all these chips.
In the right spot
On the right board
I mean I have to say
there is a conspiracy here.
Any board that's worked on,
could have a problem.
To find out that this gamer potentially
Have a fraudulent score has upset Billy's
master plan for what he wanted to do.
I mean when you come home and see
two guys in your garage
And you know why, and you have learned why
they are there, you gotta stop
From a guy like Bill Mitchell,
I mean, you know...
Who has done crazy thing after crazy thing
After next crazy thing, you know?
Billy Mitchell
was one of the evaluators...
Which seems a little strange.
That the guy whose records Steve
is competing against
is deciding
whether or not Steve's records are valid.
Even if that board
is a completely legitimate board
Roy's taint on it is too strong.
"Roy Shildt's liar,
Roy Shildt's a cheater"
"Roy Shildt's full of crap,
Roy Shildt's out to get me"
"He's crazy, blah, blah, blah, blah. "
Well, he has threatened
Bill Mitchell physically.
Hey, in fact,
he has threatened Bill Mitchell's life.
No, I did not. I did not. I did not.
He threatened his own life
to make it look like me...
Because... For whatever...
To gain leverage...
With the other...
The other people, I don't know.
He figured
He knows that my Missile Command score
is genuine.
No matter what I say,
It draws controversy.
Sort of like the abortion issue.
If you're for it, you are a son of a gun.
If you are against it,
you are a son of a gun.
Eh, I am not God,
I don't have all the answers.
So I have to be careful
how I share my opinion.
Roy was just trying to help me out...
And I accepted his offer.
I just, you know... It was just too bad...
That association with him...
I never thought that would hurt me.
We couldn't accept
a pretender board, so to speak.
So we couldn't
accept the score.
I would encourage Steve
just to leave that board behind
Leave Roy behind and only play
on other Donkey Kong machines...
like the one at Funspot, for example.
To me most important is
you travel to a sanction
location like Funspot
Eh, that makes it official.
If tomorrow Tiger Woods goes
and golfs a 59, big deal.
If he does that in Augusta
that's where it counts.
He has never really
asserted himself in a way
that I think he should.
It's been just disappointed so many times
You just kind of like throw your hands up
and go
"Well, let's move on to the next thing. "
Everything would have fell right into place
But he forgot about one thing...
About me convincing Steve Wiebe
not to be a chump.
Talking him out of
chumpatizing himself.
I didn't think twice
about sending them to back east.
I was like: "Absolutely, go kick some ass. "
Hello. My name is Justine Barker
And I am Miss Winnipesaukee.
I would like to welcome you to
the seventh annual
American Classic arcade museum
tournament at Funspot.
Funspot has become the best
recognized place world wide
For those who want to set
a world record on a classic game.
Funspot is the Mecca
Of the classic arcade games.
That place is awesome.
Funspot is the premiere place...
Where media comes and
mix with the superstars.
You don't see maybe a lot of DDG...
Which is rotten gorgeous
if you don't know, girls...
Who are playing the games.
The world's best players of classic games.
Are coming to do what they do best.
Play well.
Very recently, just a few months back...
I turned 30 and I retired...
And I moved here to New Hampshire.
And I live right close to Funspot.
I play games at Funspot every day now.
When I have 10 pieces of
well-done bacon
I'm gonna have four hardboiled eggs.
I'm going to have three pancakes...
And hopefully to play some great games.
Here, I am in my garage.
We're gonna give Billy Mitchell a call...
see if he's up to a challenge at Funspot.
Let's go ahead and dial him up.
Hi. You've reached Bill Mitchell.
I'm sorry I'm unable to take your call.
Please leave your name and phone number...
And I'll call you back as soon as possible.
Thanks.
I got a phone message.
Hello, Billy. This is Steve Wiebe.
Just calling to see how you are doing.
I'm hoping everything's OK with you.
I'm just seeing
what your plans are for Funspot.
I was, Walter Day invited me out there.
I was wondering if it be cool if we could
maybe, have a kind of
friendly competition thing.
I help a lot of people
who want to go to contest.
When I look at different people
who are my favorites.
Who'd I wanna help,
she is at the top of the list.
- Surprise.
- Oh, my god.
And at the right age of 80,
She's gonna go to Funspot...
And she's going
to set a world record on Q'bert
Okay.
- That's the challenge.
- Oh, right.
- Is it agreed?
- Yeah.
All right.
We have a Donkey Kong machine here...
that Funspot purchased
in its year of issue.
And it may even be
a little bit tougher to play here.
People complain about
getting too many wild barrels.
Although it is a totally a random element
Eh, if you're going to set a score
you come to Funspot
And set it on their Donkey Kong
that everybody knows about.
They won't give me my record
So they have urged me
to come out and do it live.
I think it is cooler to do it live too so...
I'm pretty amped up about Donkey Kong.
Because I am a serious contender on
Donkey Kong.
I have been trying to actually
beat the score
that Billy Mitchell got back in 1982.
Nicole, she was stressing about
being home this weekend with the kids,
without me.
She's pretty sick of the Donkey Kong thing.
It doesn't seem to die.
This is a big weekend,
and I'm really hoping...
that this fellow shows up
Because he'd like to tell you that
he is the Donkey Kong champion.
And, um, the fact to the matter is
All of us have not seen
him play Donkey Kong.
No one really noticed me at first,
I was kinda looking
to see who I'd pay
the money to get in the tournament
signed in.
I recognized Robert Murzack.
He's got 30 second away from dying.
So I just pretty much walked over to the
Donkey Kong machine.
OK, we might have a good story.
It looks like the mysterious player...
From the west coast,
Steve Wiebe is here...
Eh, playing Donkey Kong.
So maybe I'm gonna stop
watching the tournament
And we'll go over to see him.
- Hey, Walter.
- You did it man.
Yeah.
No, I do not believe so.
A week or a few days ago.
Steve, apparently as I understand...
Is here right now...
To prove to everyone that he's got
what it takes.
But you know with Donkey Kong,
it's a little random.
You could get, um, bad luck
with the barrels.
With the fireballs.
with the conveyor belts or elevators.
Because that's a tough machine.
People think that
the machine is possessed.
Even Bill thinks it's possessed.
But, um, if Steve can pull of
On the machine,
that's a good score.
Well, Billy Mitchell is the champion.
I guess that makes me the prodigy.
So we got the prodigy against the newcomer.
You can make a comparison
between an athletic event and
this, because this is, you know...
This is four days of alertness
And paying attention and, um, you know...
Not as hard as doing a
decathlon or a triathlon...
But still very, very hard.
Would you like to respond?
It's Funspot.
Hello?
Hey, Brian. How are you doing?
Steve Wiebe walked in...
so I've been over at the Donkey Kong
the whole time.
Eh, what do you think?
Eh, I gonna be, um, you know, playing...
Over Steve Wiebe's shoulder.
All right. I talk to you later.
- Ok.
- bye.
Bye.
Brian Kuh came over.
It's one of the guys that
came to my house that fateful afternoon...
To check out my machine.
We are about to pass 520000
On one man.
So we really have, ah...
A memorable game here
at the Funspot tournament.
Maybe I'll skip dinner and
and squeeze in a game.
And come back with a score on there.
- Enter Brian.
- Yes.
That ape is very, very cunning...
And he will do what he needs to,
to stop you.
I couldn't get up fast enough
and it got me on the left.
I scored 229000 points.
Pretty weak game, considering
I have played a few already.
A little bit half of what Steve scored
And Steve's up again.
Okay. You'd said you start with Qbert.
You dedicated time to
You said you give up
some of your other vices...
In order to practice.
We're not gonna lose,
were not gonna be disappointed.
We are going there to win.
But I have one project
One thing far more important.
What I need you to deliver is this
What is this?
This is a score that they wanted to see
for a long time and
I've held it far too long.
You give it to Robert or Walter.
You can lose your luggage,
But don't lose the tape.
I'm doing it just for the fun of it.
When I do an actual score,
I'll do it in person.
He's a very devious person
He works things out to his ends very well.
We are really seeing a great game here.
Hey, almost... Eh, Steve
Almost lost a man right there...
At the end of that court.
He got a lucky break
The randomness went the opposite way
that it usually goes.
And, eh, Steve is still going here.
Steve Wiebe is on his second man.
He's at 696000.
- Who is this?
- What? This is Steve Wiebe.
- I won't bother you any more.
- No problem.
- I wanted to say welcome.
- Yes.
- Yes, equally.
- Agreed.
He could beat it, if he,
if he,
he'd have to have a really good game.
I don't think he knows
the tricks that Billy knows.
But I hear he is really good at the
escalators stage.
Well, right now Steve Wiebe has
On an active game of Donkey Kong.
Hey, if clears a few more boards
he's gonna have a shot
at getting to the kill screen.
As far as I know...
No one has ever achieved the kill screen
On the Donkey Kong machine at Funspot.
Numerous classic games
all have something in common.
They have an end to the game play.
There is not quite enough memory
For the final board.
It is called the "kill screen"
Because, basically...
There is no way to finish the level.
At some sort of random data or code
inside the program
Ends up getting used
for what you see on the screen.
Donkey Kong is really strange,
it actually lets you play
the kill screen level for
maybe five seconds or so.
Everything looks normal...
And then, suddenly, Mario jumps
and dies on you.
The people who could get, besides myself,
That have been seen getting to the end
of Donkey Kong...
Gee, now that I think about it
I don't think anybody has.
If anybody wants to see
there's a Donkey Kong kill screen coming up.
There is a Donkey Kong
kill screen coming up.
If anybody wants to watch.
You got to be able to perform
in the show...
with someone who is a contender.
Staring straight at you,
staring at the game.
Possibly even playing mind games with you.
I mean, it's part of being a champion.
You have to overcome it.
There is a potential Donkey Kong
Kill Screen if you wanna watch.
I can tell you he's not on my side.
He is a disciple of Billy.
He's gonna have to play it perfectly.
He is at the hardest part of Donkey Kong.
And, um, you know,
It's not gonna get any easier.
So we may have an exciting moment here.
Or, you know, the pressure
might get to him.
One of those random element might happen.
Sounds like he just cleared another board.
Or we could have a wild barrel.
Or some aggressive fireball.
I thought I was gonna be
the first Funspot kill screen.
And then I had three fireballs trapped me.
I had the hammer in my hand,
they still got me.
So anything can happen at Donkey Kong.
So for someone else to beat
me to the kill screen would be a let down.
But let's see what happens.
Maybe he'll crack under the pressure...
And maybe I'll get my chance to do it first.
There is a Donkey Kong kill screen
likely coming up
If anybody wants to see it.
Hey, Todd, if you are interested...
There might be a Donkey Kong
kill screen...
In a couple of minutes.
I think the energy kind of hit me up,
I was feeling kind of like a zombie.
In the middle of the game.
But towards the end, I got...
A little bit of a natural rush
going from the crowd.
And the excitement.
So that kind of boosted me
And put me over the top,
to complete the game.
The kill screen kicked in.
This is the highest
Donkey Kong score done in public.
Um, Walter Day stated that this
was the highest score ever done
and this is the first kill screen achieved
On Funspot's machine.
Steve Wiebe has become
the third person
to reach a Donkey Kong's kill screen.
This is completely hard verification.
You know what I mean?
There is nothing stronger
than having it be done
in front of a crowd.
The process, it stands for itself.
He did in front of all of us,
and this solves any kind of
doubt that could ever been.
Now you will get all the acknowledge
you deserve
and that's just the way it is.
And I guess there was kinda
like an impromptu
press conference
After the score happened.
There were cameras on the game.
There were cameras on Steve Wiebe.
There were cameras on the crowd
looking at Steve Wiebe.
I didn't get an exact count of the people...
There were a lot of other witnesses
in the crowd.
And people watching it, so...
We have a verified score
on a legitimate Donkey Kong machine.
for Steve Wiebe now.
We just got off the Internet
Where a log on the front page
of the Twin Galaxies website
The news story that Steve Wiebe
just scored 985600 points...
Which essentially is
officially recognized
first place score on the website.
So he's been announced as a world champion.
We'll see what happens now with Steve
putting the pressure back on Billy Mitchell.
Thank you.
I think it hit him pretty hard.
Thank you for volunteering your phone
this was an important call...
Oh, no, no. I understand that.
Yeah, I can imagine.
He probably wasn't real thrilled.
Yes, he said now his playing on the tape
he submitted is more important than ever
- I guess don't share that with everybody.
- No, well.
We got everybody on the invitation only list.
And, um, you know what? Walter is here.
We are just kinda telling jokes
and having fun.
Eh, who is there? Like Todd and Duane?
Yes.
What I mean it's probably
a good idea
if I say hi to Todd.
Actually would you believe he's in a middle
of a Lady Bug game.
I do not think we wanna interrupt.
We have a Lady Bug cabaret in the cabin.
And Todd's got a score going.
Well, okay, can I get Walter on the phone.
Eh, a couple of hours ago
we were all at the Funspot
And, um, Brian Kuh said...
that Billy had a delivery
for us here at the cabin.
Oh!
Brian Kuh, he is kinda like
a really good friend with Billy.
He talks to him all the time.
Eh, he said everybody is gonna
want to see what's on the tape.
Brian Kuh is there?
He knows everything to do with the tape.
He knows to guard the
tape with his life.
I explained to him
he could lose his life,
but don't lose the tape.
Who wants to hear the announcement?
So even in Florida the long
arm of Billy Mitchell.
Has reached in here to Funspot seven...
To cause more interesting developments.
Now we're gonna start on this TV screen,
the video tape.
And essentially,
if Steve Wiebe or Brian Kuh...
Or anybody else
can also beat the score on that tape
by about four o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
He'll give them 10000 dollars, okay?
We know that Billy Mitchell
can pay these promises too, okay?
So he has it,
while I'm trying to get a million live
He has it set out so that people
at Funspot
Can gather around. And look at his tape..
Well, here we are.
We got cameras on the screen...
Cameras on the crowd.
No one is gonna miss this moment.
Here we go.
We have every eye in the crowd focused
right on your screen.
Everybody's looking, every camera's on here.
We are not gonna miss this for anything.
I don't think there is any distractions.
That can pull everyone away right now.
Oh, look at that.
With the bonus, we have the
first million point game of Donkey Kong
And the score reaches zero.
Six zeros all the way across.
Not even Helena of Troy
had that much attention.
Billy kinda steal the show
and he's not even there.
It's kinda the way they, you know...
Were kinda diffusing what I was going for
And hyping up Billy's videotape
It's the highest score any have ever seen.
I do not know. I suppose Walter's
gotta get to that office...
To that computer, now, does he?
Okay, go ahead and hand Walter
the phone real quick.
Hello, Billy.
Pretty good, it's all been wonderful.
Billy is probably the closest person
to being a Jedi than any of the players.
And he refers to it, with humor
as Obi-Wan Konobian people
Steve Wiebe
Not having the opportunity...
to view everything that Bill Mitchell does
I mean Bill Mitchell
plays at a great advantage.
When Billy Mitchell is watching
Steve's world record winning tapes
He is in a position
to study Steve's technique.
When the man said:
"I wanna see your papers"
And Obi-Wan Kenobi goes
"You don't need to see our papers"
And, suddenly, the guy says: "You can go"
"I do not need to see your papers. "
You saw the tape,
which is no doubt a copy.
Because I am sure
he didn't send the master.
He is going to send a copy
or the master to Rob Murczak
Who is the chief referee of Twin Galaxies.
I try to promote Twin Galaxies
as: "integrity above all. "
Eh, I will do that with my dying breath.
And if a gamer knowingly cheats or tries to
pull anything past us
We will make sure
that the score is not recognized.
Did the gamer pause at any time?
Illegal glitches or glitch abuse
Did they cheat?
Did they paused the game after load-up
For the purpose of using a flying erase head
And then reload the game
with different settings?
I got to look at things like that.
This tape might be done in a week,
a week and a half,
to answer your question.
Walter is entering us into the Internet
as we speak.
Well, Billy Mitchell is being upgraded
we are officially submitting his score.
Eh, 1047000 and, how much Billy?
Right on the barrels, yeah.
It is kinda ironic that he went...
He was a guy that pushed for
live scores all the time.
And now here I am at Funspot, busting my ass
To get a live score...
And he just submits tape scores now.
And then beats the record.
World Record headquarters,
can I help you?
If this score, this Donkey Kong
defines Billy Mitchell,
Then why could he not find his time
to go to Funspot?
Steve did. Steve has a job.
Steve has a family. Steve has kids.
He went. Why can't Billy?
I think he feels that pressure, to...
Meet people's expectations of him...
And he puts a lot of pressure on himself
And if he doesn't succeed
I think he feels like he's failed them.
And he feels that deeply, I think.
If I were to break a million
he wanted to maybe show that...
you know, I have already done it.
Because nobody knows that
I've done it too.
I haven't really thought
too much about, eh...
You know, the controversy.
I kinda let it go since I went
to Funspot.
Did my best, got my score up.
I have been killing myself at school,
like, 12 or 14 hours...
Prepping three classes
And grading..
every day
after school.
I'm there until eight.
A lot of my songs are like big rock songs
with lots of guitars and
lots of layers of vocals.
Here is one called "Three lies",
I'm gonna sing this to you guys
In the midst of this cold summer day.
This is who I really am.
I'm some guy who's supposed to be
an artist
who is up there just being wild and crazy.
Because I am -
I am being Mr. Scorekeeper...
I've been doing it for 25 years so...
there is always automaton
that gets turned on.
"Well, yes. and the reason for this
is that"
"and the reason for that is this," you know?
Now I am ready to...
I am ready to let it go.
No matter how many people
get involved in this
It's still my child,
because it came right out of my psyche,
you know.
But still, the others are more
attached to it.
And they believe they need it more.
Part of the reason I'm still here doing it
is for them, to help them have
the benefit of this,
or the happiness of this...
So that they could go on and continue
to benefit people.
Because it's in such a place
that I dont have to do Twin Galaxies
But I really would like to see it
have closure that's positive.
Boy, I got cold fingers. It's cold.
I often have people asking me what
my handle is. What my three initials are.
I mean, come on.
I tell people: "Look at me. "
What do you think my three initials were?
If you do not know, you are not
looking hard enough.
T.I.E.?
No.
Which one was I wearing yesterday?
- The flag -
- U.S.A.
U.S.A. So I had Latin friends,
and I had Canadian friends
And I always had to keep
the Americans on top.
Hello. This is a message for Walter.
I am Craig Glenday
calling from Guinness World Records.
Guinness from England called, they want me
to call them back immediately.
Hello. Craig speaking.
Craig, this is Walter Day from
Twin Galaxies, how are you?
They are announcing to the world that they
trust everything we do.
And that they rely on everything we do
as being true and honest,
and so that's why they are going with us
as the official scorekeepers
and providers of electronic gaming content
for their upcoming books.
It has become very complicated.
So to have someone
like Walter and his team...
They just know everything
there is to know...
about computer games,
Eh, it was for us a godsend.
Since older people also read your book
a certain number of people would care
what the world record is on
Donkey Kong.
We look forward to being a part of Guinness.
Yes, yes. It's a reward to be here.
You know, working with Twin Galaxies.
You just recorded a big piece of
Twin Galaxies history, you know.
You saw what I said,
There are announcing to the world
that we are the official scorekeepers
And people
have to be verified by us.
Wait till you see the poster upstairs
I just did
To turn the process of submitting to
Guinness
Into a contest.
When you want to put a score up.
And you wanna have the title of
world champion.
You're competing against
everybody in the world.
You want a title
for your own living room?
Man, I'll send you that title.
You're own arcade
Man, I'll sign it and
make up a paper
and I'll send you a plack.
You want your name in
Guinness Book of world records...
And the Twin Galaxies international
scoreboard?
You have to earn it.
I have to earn it.
There is a lot of scores I gotten.
When the time comes
And the pressure is that hard...
I will have to do it in the public for them.
As I always have.
Is that truthful?
Is that true? Then I better get practicing.
The only thing to do...
is to go somewhere and break
That would be the only way to do it
for sure, you know?
There would be no getting screwed over.
I got kicked around like the dog for so long
I don't trust referees.
This is the contest that gets them into the
Guinness Book of World Records.
So they will have that inspiration.
As far as my skills...
Yeah, I'm feeling like I'm
at the top of my game.
I would love to see Bill
defend his title...
against Steve Wiebe head-to-head.
That'd be great.
It's all about head-to-head competition.
It's kinda one of my tougher students,
he goes:
"Yeah. When are you gonna go kick
that guy's ass?"
And I go: "Watch your language".
I go: "I'm gonna do it here soon".
If someone is going to break
a classic arcade game record.
They gonna have to come prepared.
Maybe that's what I need.
So I could be at my best, have him there.
I was hoping Billy would be there
so we can compete head-to-head.
He's been always an applicant
of live scores.
But now he is all of a sudden
Mr. Videotape.
I mean, to win is like so important.
But to blatantly do things
that are against the rules...
And know in your heart that
you didn't do it correctly...
And get credit for it...
What kind of?...
Is there any satisfaction in that?
I do not see any.
I just need one favor from you.
I know that it's, after all
you done for me...
...give me a shoot at it without you...
kind of being my backbone.
I need to, kind of,
attack by myself.
It says: "Good luck,
Steve, in Donkey Kong. "
- Well.
- Knock'em dead.
- I will.
"Work is for people who
can't play video games. "
- "Billy Mitchell. "
- That's right.
Out of the entire
global classic gaming hobby.
There is one significant rivalry...
That's equivalent to the big
rivalries in history...
Yankees - Red Socks, Maris - Mantle,
Heckle and Jeckle.
All the big rivalries
of history.
This is up there on that level.
So, Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe...
are going for the top spot
in the forthcoming book of world records
on Donkey Kong.
Hello, Billy. This is Steve Wiebe.
I really think
We need to settle this thing.
May the best man win.
We'll be seeing you next week.
He knows I'm going to be there.
It's just a skip away.
Hop, skip and a jump from his house...
So there is really no excuse
for him not to be there.
Never leave home without it:
How to win at "Donkey Kong. "
Yeah, so...
The Guinness... A lot of people are...
Yes, a lot of people read that book.
This is actually technically
a weight lifting glove...
Because I discovered in the eighties...
That you could buy...
a weight lifting glove which was fingerless
and I used it to play
Marble Madness.
Do you see the double padding?
Occasionally I use this to avoid calluses...
from certain joystick games.
You can do
Marble Madness track all day long.
Excuse me guys.
I got a celebrity in the car here.
- Can I cut in front of you?
- Did you get dropped off?
- I got dropped off.
- Was Billy driving?
- Billy was driving.
Well anyway, welcome to
The Dodge City of videogames.
Thank you, Walter. I am happy to be here.
I'll get you some out of there.
What do you need?
In order: 693500...
Okay.
Yes. Nicole.
Hi, I'm Nicole.
And this is the little Derek, huh?
Yeah.
- The faster, yeah.
I'm afraid that if he can't do it,
He's gonna beat himself up about it
I do not know if that's the forum
in which he will be successful.
I'm mean, I know he can be successful.
I'm just afraid, what if it doesn't happen.
- Bye, Derek.
- Derek, give daddy a hug.
What are you guys gonna do?
- We just gonna go home.
- Go swimming.
Go swimming? That sounds fun.
Okay. Let's go.
- Bye.
- I love you.
Bye. Thank you.
Yes, the longer I wait, the more I'm...
pressing, I get more nervous.
If I get it the first night,
I'll be eary.
Steve Wiebe is a trooper.
Steve Wiebe has come to three events...
To proof himself in the fire of
in person competition.
And under the stress of having
all eyes on him.
Yeah.
- Is it "Weeb"or"Weeby"?
- "Weeby. "
- Well.
- Sorry.
Twin Galaxies
calls me Weeb, so...
Okay.
- And that's a common mistake.
- Yes?
Either that or "Weib".
At least you get the current...
Steve Wiebe is who I wanted to be...
when I grew up playing Donkey Kong.
He is quite the player.
Well, maybe they like it if I lose,
I got to try losing sometimes.
Oh, I can break a million.
I've done it.
I've been on pace.
In two games I got to 850...
I thought I was gonna do it
and I just got... I just got in a bind.
Does this have my name on the back
or something?
What does it say?
It says:
"You have a yearning for perfection. "
Because he is in his own business...
It's very flexible for him.
He can go over to the school
for events.
He was at an Easter egg hunt
the other day.
He will come in the office someday...
And you'll say:
"Gee, where is Billy today?".
"Billy is not here. "
I told him last night that he had to come...
That there was no reason
for him not to be here.
He said:
"I have 15 reasons why I can't come".
I said they are all Bullshit.
This is after one thirty in the morning.
I said: "They are all bullshit because I have 15
reasons why you have to be here tomorrow"
He had a chance to play him at
Funspot this year.
He had a chance to play him
in Pompano Beach.
He had a chance to play him
at California Extreme.
That's three of them
I can think of right there.
Why wouldn't he play against Steve?
Because he's afraid he's gonna lose.
I traveled 3000 miles
to give myself a chance...
to get the world record
and be in Guinness.
I hope he can at least
come 10 miles...
and put his game on the line.
So you make the call?
Where are you?
Alright well, we are all here.
We are all seated,
gettin' ready to order so...
Eh, well, I can't make out a list here.
We got Tom Rogers and his girl.
We got Shawn, Fran, Jason and..
That's fair, isn't it?
Okay.
I am really sorry
that he did not come.
- Bill?
- Yeah.
Well, you know Mark and Steve
showed up...
unexpectedly and uninvitedly,
but hard to keep them away.
Yeah.
And Bill just doesn't want
anything to do with it.
Yeah.
All right, see you.
He's got a plan, so when he comes out...
Because Billy is Billy, you know.
And he is gonna come out with a bat.
Oh, Billy Mitchell always has a plan.
- He likes to keep secrets.
- Yes.
He likes surprising people.
He likes people seeing
him do the unexpected...
And say: "Oh, boy, I did not realize...
- "That you was gonna do something like that, Bill. "
- Yes.
That's how he is.
It is annoying when
somebody is ahead of you.
When you are not the lead dog
the view does not change,
And I always wanted the view...
He has got the Roy Shildt excuse.
He's got... He is not gonna show up.
I have heard a lot of talk
of Billy Mitchell...
And I've heard a lot of talk of
strange videos and things.
But I haven't heard much
in a way of him...
Getting in front of a camera crew
or people...
And winning a record in front of people.
I have not heard about that yet,
maybe he did that 25 years ago.
But I have not heard
of doing it lately...
And it makes you wonder why not.
What have we got here.
He's here.
Hey, Billy.
Video games are meant to be played...
In a competitive environment,
Under pressure, organized...
Where you have to perform, literally,
on demand.
Never. Never.
And when you do that,
you have far more credibility...
Than someone who says:
"Oh, I did that last week. "
No matter how good you play tennis.
No matter how good you play golf...
if you don't play when you have to play
If you don't play when the pressure's on
You really are not good enough.
I can handle losing
If he would at least compete against me.
I'm not afraid to lose.
I'm just some no name guy
from Washington.
Billy is trying to live up to this image...
Of being the greatest ever...
So he's afraid of that
if he loses, that's gonna tarnish him.
It's been three days now...
the fatigue is starting to set in...
Mentally, you know...
Starting over, it takes a toll on you.
Steve Wiebe I think
is a very straight shooter.
This is the last day, right?
I think that he gets influenced sometimes
by people
And that is probably one of
his lessons.
To be stronger in himself.
You know what I mean? We all have lessons.
- Okay.
Oh, there it is. This is the last shot.
I'm done.
So heartbreaking.
I guess it's not even about
Donkey Kong anymore.
- What is it about?
Just... I do not know.
It has become
just a game in trying
For me, trying
to get a score recognized...
And trying to beat this empire
that I've
been trying to break through.
And get a fair chance.
He is not cunning and manipulative and mean
He is a decent person in the heart.
In the end, that's all that matters.
In a funny sort of way it's like being
the king...
and having the advisers speak your
opinions
but then trying to choose
the right answer
And the right path of action
based on the advise.
I think that Steve Wiebe has to be
viewed on his own merit...
Without anything alleged which may
have happened
Steve Wiebe feels fine to me
Doesn't he to you?
Steve Wiebe, could you come up here?
For some reason I keep on thinking of "Weeb".
Sorry.
Steve is special.
Steve has gone through a long history...
That I don't need to burden you with...
But I just wanted to tell you that...
I wanted to congratulate you
and shake your hand again,
Because, as far as I am concerned...
You are a top player...
Worthy of the highest regard of
Twin Galaxies...
And we are very honored to receive your
video tapes...
at any time you want to record them
Because we think, you're...
skill set is on the highest level and
you are a member of the family
You are great.
So you are okay,
you're great.
- You are a great performer.
I can only speak for myself,
but I have talked to Steve...
I talked to his wife,
I talked to his kids
I've met with him.
Talked to him in detail.
And speaking for myself
I have no question about
his integrity, his ability.
Or anything else.
He's proven himself not just
as a Donkey Kong player...
but really,
as a person of...
someone who really
desires to do the right thing.
Do you agree with...?
I am not familiar enough
with this situation.
I feel that I've won and I tried...
And I hope people will remember, you know...
and this name tag here.
After I returned back from the trip,
Walter e-mailed me...
And it had these words...
"Steve, your Donkey Kong accomplishment
was fantastic".
"After soul-searching, we at Twin Galaxies"
"wish to apologize to you
for such inconsiderate treatment"
"We look forward to your future exploits"
"And are excited about the"
"amazing high score breakthroughs"
"you will be bringing to the
Donkey Kong community".
"Blessings and friendship. Walter Day. "
So that's... his...
the way he wanted to bring peace
to this situation.
- Dad!
- Dad!
Are you cold?
He was searching, you know?
He wanted something...
And I wanted that for him
cause I wanted him to be happy.
So now I see that.
Don't do that.
Subtitle made by: JoeZ
Sweden
zaffa
That video games are meant
to be played for fun.
Believe me some of them are a lot of fun.
Videogames are meant to be played at home.
Relaxing on a couch, amongst friends.
and they are, and that's fun.
But competitive gaming,
When you want to attach your name
to a world record
When you want your name
written into history...
You have to pay the price.
With this it's like me and the machine
Doesn't matter
If you let me down...
Or if someone else doesn't come through.
I can always go out there, I'm in control.
I am glad to touch on this.
This is important.
Everybody, even grandmas,
Games, meaning checkers, cards,
If not now, in the past.
Show me even a freakin' nun or a hermit
Who hasn't played cards or checkers.
I do not drink. I don't smoke.
I don't do drugs.
I play video games
Which I think is
a far superior addiction
Than any of those other ones.
I wanted to be a hero.
I wanted to be the center of attention.
I wanted the glory. I wanted the fame.
I wanted the pretty girls
to come at me and say...
"Hello. I see that you are good
at Centipede. "
I had somebody draw a analogy for me once
that I always remember.
The top French pilot in
World War One shot down 24 enemy planes.
The top American pilot,
you don't know his name do you?
Nobody does,
But it is Eddie Rickenbacker.
Shot down 26 enemy planes.
The German ace, the Red Baron.
Everyone knows who the Red Baron is.
That's cause he shot down 87 enemy planes.
I mean he was the best.
There is a level of difference
between people...
And it translates into some games.
Donkey Kong, Pac-Man,
Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Defender...
These are the games
that caught the public eye.
These are the games
people cared about.
So, if you want to be known
as being world class.
You gotta master one of those games.
I like the simplicity of it.
And that's what you will probably hear
from a lot of people that like retro games
That it's the simplicity.
Those games challenged
eye-hand coordination...
Mind, body coordination
Fast reaction time
and comprehensive thinking
On a level that modern games don't..
Memorization and pattern recognition is key.
For you to get a single point further
in an old game from the early eighties
Meant a tremendous increase of skill.
If you do not know
the next pattern coming up...
in a tron lifecycle event
you will lose your life.
Only the die herds,
who for some reason...
really loved those games,
continued to stick with them.
What we've done is
that had mayor tie up the entire street...
so the Life magazine
could come to town...
and photograph the world's
greatest video game players...
Who have been flown in
specially for this Life photographic session.
All these great superstars are coming
from North Carolina,
California, Canada
And many other places...
To be photographed
as the official world champions...
On many different games.
That was the first time
Two world-class players
Went head-to-head for a competition.
Was in Life magazine.
Without a doubt I met players
that were among the best in the world.
And maybe even with say or do
whatever they could
To make people believe
They were the best in the world.
Well, at that time...
He was the world record holder on Centipede.
But also at that time...
He was the world record holder on
Donkey Kong.
But we didn't know that,
because someone else...
was invited there
from Kansas City...
Who, because of a claim they had made
It was presumed that they were the
Donkey Kong Champion.
Donkey Kong was the one
that I first lied about.
He had submitted a bogus score...
And I finally met him there
with Life magazine...
And I finally sat down to play him.
We have not been there long and
Bill said "Come on, let's play. "
I went in to the arcade
and sat down with Donkey Kong
And I beat him to a pulp.
Well, I was better than the best.
I got 200000 against Bill.
Bill got 800000
on his first man in that game.
He shellacked me.
Basically he walked away with his head down
and humbled.
And that brought him to the truth.
And from there we worked together.
Well, the Bible proverb says
"As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another"
Bill made me a better person...
And did so by basically making me confess.
I pointed out to Steve that
he is the person he is today
because he came under the wrath
of Bill Mitchell.
In front of the 19 top players
in the nation...
actually, North America...
He did the
highest Donkey Kong score possible
And also found out that the game
ends on the 22nd board.
Since I, so called, debuted on the scene
in Life magazine in 1982...
There hasn't been anybody
who has played even close.
When Billy Mitchell
walks in to an arcade...
You know, everything stops.
There is electricity around Billy Mitchell.
Everybody wants to crowd around him.
Everybody wants to see him.
You know, everything about him is perfect.
Billy is just that person.
He wants to represent.
If you could hack into the machine
an program it to play itself
you couldn't even program it that well.
There is a glamour to Billy
There is a specialness to Billy.
He was the first great, great player.
The fact to the matter is...
Bill IS THE BEST classic arcade gamer
of our era.
It has actually carved
a part of my personality.
It benefits me every day.
It made a burning passion never
to settle with what I have.
In my business, in my family.
That's what competitive gaming
has done for me.
He is a winner.
Billy Mitchell
is absolutely a winner.
It's sort of like being in a maze...
But everything you see is actually sauce.
The all-around most seasoned person
In the hot sauce chicken wings industry.
Yeah, for sure, me.
There is a production end of it.
There's the preparation.
When there is a sales end of it...
There is not somebody who accomplishes
all of those areas like me
that I've ever met.
He sells his hot sauce.
He sells himself.
Because he's so charming
And such a good ambassador...
For all gaming, because he is positive.
There is no reason in my opinion why Billy Mitchell
couldn't end up on a Weenies box someday.
The video arcade classic
has finally been conquered.
On July 4, at a
New Hampshire arcade...
became the first person...
To master Pac-Man
By recording the first ever perfect game.
Billy Mitchell
primo joystick dude
Amazing in the maze
he ain't gonna lose
To get through every board,
getting every dot
Every energizer,
Every ghost that's applicable...
To reach to the final
It's impressive, in its on right.
The success was not just because
someone got a perfect Pac man score,
But because Billy Mitchell
got a perfect Pac man score.
...Man in the corridor
singing the blues
A perfect game goes down
Billy's on the move...
If I have all this good fortune.
If everything's rolling my way.
If all these balls
have bounced in my favor...
There is some poor bastard out there
who is getting his screws put to him.
When I got laid off
and I had time on my hands
I was thinking: "What can I do?...
To kind of feel that I have
control of something?"
I looked at Twin Galaxies.
Well, I typed in "Donkey Kong
world record"
Some spreadsheet came up
and saw what the score was.
It was held by Billy Mitchell
it was like 874000.
and I go: "Yeah, I can beat that. "
Almost there.
I am not the kind of wife that's needy.
That I need him sitting on the couch with me every night.
I don't need that.
What I need is him in the house
helping me with the kids
or I need him being with the kids.
So he would want to come out here and play
And that would drive me crazy.
Cause he is definitely OCD
When he is obsessed on something...
He is so focused
and I have to be like "Hello!"
So then I just said:
"You will have to do it at night. "
Is level 2 easy?
Yeah, it's pretty easy.
I've dreamed of being
a musician for a living.
That what's my dream was.
It was brought back to me,
that he was smart...
...he was an athlete, he was talented...
and, for whatever reason,
he could never get those to fit.
Steve was in one of the original
starving grunge bands
Here in Seattle,
just starving.
The only people who came to see him was us.
With his music it's almost like...
he didn't want people to know
he was doing it.
He is a total paradox.
He has maybe a little social hang-ups
here and there, that...
that haven't allowed him to be as successful
on one end as in other ends.
They got to the state finals,
and Steve couldn't pitch.
I have probably seen Steve with tears in his eyes
More than any other guy I know...
because of the frustration
that would build in him.
and half the time
it was on the pitcher's mound.
He had hurt his arm.
I had pitched him too much.
I was the manager of the team.
It was a chance for him to shine
in front of thousands of people.
That killed him that he couldn't pitch,
Because it is that competitiveness in him.
I envisioned him as
an engineer at Boeing.
My dad worked for Boeing
for 30 some years...
And the plan was to go to Boeing
and be a "lifer".
As they call them.
But things didn't work out.
I don't know if he told you he was laid off
the day we signed papers for our house? Yeah.
He never has quite reached that pinnacle.
He never quite in any of his endeavors
Was regaled as the number one guy.
The guy that was better then the rest,
and was on top of the mountain.
Oh, he has just come up short
in a lot of things in his life
And just I think, you know...
nobody wants to do that all the time.
It has my highest score
saved on there, the last.
What plunged me into competitive gaming
never to come out, was Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong.
Well that was THE first ever Mario game.
The whole thing is a construction sight.
There's all these girders
and elevators with ladders.
Going from one girder to the next.
The whole goal the whole time
is to get pass the obstacles
that Kong is throwing at you.
And get the girl.
Well Donkey Kong, without question,
is the hardest game.
It's ridiculously difficult
on the first screen.
Donkey Kong is releasing these barrels.
You got to jump over the barrels.
You got to duck to the barrels.
You can grab a hammer,
and hammer the barrels.
OK, the secret about the barrel board
is that you can
actually control the barrels.
Right above this ladder...
You do a quick left
and then a hard right turn.
See how it went down, it went down again.
You gotta get pass all the barrels,
the fireballs,
get up the ladders,
and as soon as you get to her
Donkey Kong takes her away
to the next level.
The average Donkey Kong game
doesn't last a minute.
It's absolute brutality.
Each of the 18 elevator boards
...represents the greatest challenge
in video game playing.
The average gamer of Donkey Kong...
will never get pass
the third elevator stage.
The slightest touch from one of these
springs kills you.
There is no hammer for them,
there is no way to defeat them.
All you can do is avoid them. That's it.
The secret to the third elevators
is knowing which spring to go on.
And then knowing
which spring to move up the ladder on.
And recognizing when you must retreat.
If you don't time it just exactly right
you will die.
It boils down to hardcore skill.
So I go on that one,
Because it's lined up with the dashed line.
And now I'm waiting for one
to line up with the sawed line.
I have said that from the day I met Steve
that his talent is in his hands.
He pitched. He was a basketball.
He is a phenomenal drawer.
And if you ever seen pictures
that he's drawn...
He is very artistic.
It's operating on some subconscious level
with him, I think.
When we were driving to Kansas
or whatever family trip.
He would sit there and for a 100 miles
would bang his head
In 4/4 time against the back of the seat.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine...
Well I have often thought
that maybe he is a little autistic.
It's just this obsessive compulsive...
Because he would get something on his mind.
He wanted to play drums
I don't even know where he got that idea.
This is Derek's drum set.
And it's not too bad.
It's does the trick.
The actual gameplay involves
so much eye-hand coordination,
mind and body coordination
Fast reaction time
and comprehensive thinking.
And such a high level of
precise execution
so much skill...
involves so much learning
You have to have
deep comprehensive intelligence.
For years and years it was believed...
that Billy's record of 874000 in 1982
was really the highest score
anyone would ever get.
In fact, some of us have played this game...
Every day, or every week,
or every month since then
and no one has gotten even close to that.
No one across that big length of time
will never be able to beat his world record.
Derek, look. You are on TV.
See yourself? Say Hi.
No.
I was having the game of my life
I think I got 600000,
and I hadn't died yet.
And I started hearing some noises
coming downstairs, screaming...
It's all on tape.
That's the tape I had to send in
to Twin Galaxies.
Everything I'm all about...
by practicing transcendental meditation...
And I like to see that mirrored
In the way I apply myself
to the videogame world.
that I seek to find champions
And watch them grow and
become even greater...
as they begin to unfold more and more
of their full potential.
Which is what we do when we do TM!
If Walter, through all
these years, all the way since 1982...
Hadn't continued,
as a labour of love,
then there would be no central organization for
competitive video game playing.
Why do we do it?
Because we actually love this.
Because we enjoy this.
We are fascinated by this.
it is just something in our genes,
That my group, Twin Galaxies,
raise the banner high to do this
And move organized video game playing
into the future.
Walter opened the door to truly,
I was gonna to say international
But at the very least
national competitive gaming.
We just happen to call it Twin Galaxies.
The name burst in to my brain.
Walter Day didn't do that by accident
He didn't get lucky.
He created his own empire.
Join us again for videogame news update,
I am Walter Day...
At the Twin Galaxies
international score board.
It's been a wearying thing
being the score keeper
Because everybody picks on me.
Because I am the man, you know?
I am a police officer.
Video games need a guy like Bush
who will say:
"Look, this is the way we're going to do it"
"This is the rule,
and if you don't like it, tough".
You got to have that.
If you didn't have it in the NFL,
Who would win?
How do you declare a champion
unless there are rules?
and if you break 'em, you lose.
The best features about him
are also his biggest downfall.
People can just run over him
because he is so nice.
Twin Galaxies survives
because people like Walter...
People like Robert Mruczek.
People like me...
Who participate all for a passion
of competitive gaming.
Nobody draws a paycheck.
I do not see details.
I see big pictures, you know?
I see the big concept
that lies behind the whole issue
and then I tweak that.
I can't do details and details.
Twin Galaxies needs a staff
of detail orientated people
like Robert Mruczek.
Anything that is unexplainable,
out of the ordinary...
We have to keep our eyes out for it.
that is not to say we are infallible.
When I have to watch that pile
of eight tapes over there
For Dwayne Richards'
two days Nibble performance...
that is 48 straight hours of
paying attention...
To make sure that he is doing
everything correctly.
Package from the Metroid team in Brazil...
Some Atari 2600 records.
I got to watch that.
These things take time to verify.
And I have to look at
every single one of these.
like I showed you over here.
This is just 200 video tapes.
That's nothing.
This is the real stuff that I have to do.
I see world records set in my room
just about every single day.
Some people think a world record is
what is set at the Olympics
Or at the end of a baseball season.
I see this every single day.
An not just sometimes once.
It's exciting.
Yeah, that was close.
That was actually good.
Derek, stop it. No.
Stop playing Donkey Kong.
- Derek?
- Stop playing Donkey Kong.
I'm gonna throw away your rest
if you don't stop it.
Somebody has accomplished something...
That not only I can't do...
But nobody else has ever done before...
And it's exciting
to see that first hand.
That's how you play Donkey Kong.
Welcome back.
Bill Gates is not necessarily
The most famous name
In Redmond tonight.
Coming up, meet the man
who is at the top of his game
A Donkey Kong world record.
He was a big celebrity
there for a bit in Seattle.
I just thought it would be a neat achievement.
I didn't think it would ever blow up to be a big story.
He was: "You're the first lady
of Donkey Kong"
I'm like: "Oh, my God!".
Even though it was this
silly video game thing
It's not many of us that have a buddy
Who is the best in the world at something.
That was a godsend to him
in the last couple of years
to get him through. It was like
a safe haven for him.
We are at
Kamakin Junior High...
We're in mine seventh and eight grade
science classroom
This is my first year of teaching...
And has been a challenge,
But very enjoyable so far.
I went to the City university...
Which had a program
for one year master's degree...
So we roughed it out for a year.
And here I am today, so it finally worked out.
It's fun and he's not making it so,
it's like:
"This is science. This is boring. "
He talk to us about stuff thats not just
like homework and schoolwork
and school 'n' stuff.
Well, here is...
My history with Donkey Kong
Is I have the world record.
Well, I did not know
it was a world record.
it's for Donkey Kong? Oh my...
There is like... It's...
All science teachers
here are weird.
Steve deserves a lot of credit for that...
because he also
also broke the record
of Donkey Kong Jr.
He took two of Billys titles
right away from him.
I don't mean to sound,
you know, crude or anything.
But he did, he did,
Officially, he did.
That was the last world record
that Bill ever had.
That was the last one to go.
He had five world records
in 1985...
And he had the Donkey Kong and then
Steve Wiebe took it away.
It is far more difficult when you are on top
anybody who's on top, to stay on top.
Billy's got a lot of things up his sleeve.
He likes to keep quiet
in situations like that.
So you know somebody
may have taken him down now
but behind closed doors
Billy has something planned.
That's Billy Mitchell.
On my phone it says:
"Never surrender. "
If someone beat his record...
He'd have a plan to beat it back.
I am sure.
The worst thing that could happen...
To give someone
the credibility of a score...
That doesn't deserve it.
But even far worse than that
would be to deny somebody
the credibility when they deserved it.
If I am not there, I don't know.
Get this.
I came home one day
And there was two people in my garage...
looking at my machine.
They wanted...
They were spies.
It was a Saturday in July or August.
My mom was here.
and I was getting ready to go to work.
These guys knocked on the door...
And I don't think I knew
they were going to be here at all.
They said who they were...
And they wanted to come in
and look at the machine.
I knew I had to leave and I said...
"I'm not comfortable in letting you do that"
"I have to go to work.
My mom is here. "
Steve is going to be home shortly.
You just need to wait.
To find out at an ultra elite level
whether or not a score is good.
Sometimes we had no choice
but to call in the pros.
Brian Kuh,
the Donkey Kong player
Went to Steve's place.
Bill asked me to do it.
But I had no time to go do it,
so Brian did it.
Went there with one of the
most respected gamers of all time,
Perry Rodgers to back him up.
Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxies
asked me to
because I live in the area near him...
to go investigate him.
So we went out to his house.
I mean I'm the home owner. It's my house.
I am the wife of the Donkey Kong guy.
They should have respected my wishes...
And left my mom alone
and not come in, but they didn't.
They took apart his Donkey Kong machine
And started taking pictures of everything.
Trying looking for an excuse...
to try invalidate a score.
They saw this box
That has Roy Shildt's return address on it.
So they looked over and they said
"Roy Shildt?
Why is Roy Shildt's name on there?".
Roy Shildt is the type of gamer
that would like nothing more
than to see Twin Galaxies
get an egg on its face.
I want you to remember
that no punk bastard ever
Got a gnarly piece of poon tang.
By being sensitive and considerate.
He calls himself Mr. Awesome.
He drives the Awesome mobile
to fame and fortune...
As he says on his website.
He is jealous of Billy
Because Billy gets attention from beautiful
women wherever he goes.
Essentially, he wants to be like Billy.
I've seen the world champion
cherry pit spitter on the Tonight Show
with Jay Leno.
And if that guy should be
on the Tonight Show
At least I could just
be a celebrity for a day.
I didn't even get that.
I got no recognition at all.
I didn't get to be on any television show.
It's like I was a ghost...
And I just don't feel it's right.
I just want
a little recognition.
not necessarily to become a celebrity.
Hey, Billy. How you doin'?
- How you doin'?
- Billy, how are you?
I'm perfect. Haven't you read?
Twin Galaxies does a lot to
promote Billy.
Because it's very much
to Twin Galaxies advantage
And very much to the whole
gaming hobbies advantage
for Billy to become a star.
When Walter Day
published that book in 1997...
With all those egregious errors in there
Bill Mitchell saw it.
And he knew they were wrong.
He knew they were mistakes.
But he tried to pretend like
they were real...
To take my Missile Command
score down.
Roy and I met at California Extreme
And I knew that I had the capability
of beating Billy on Donkey Kong.
Steve Wiebe is the one who had unlocked the
secrets to Donkey Kong.
To figure out how to get a million points.
He offered to buy me a board,
a Donkey Kong board...
because mine had been broken.
I did not have the money.
So it was a mutual beneficial relationship.
He would buy me a board.
I would have the opportunity
to beat Billy's record.
And at the same time
I would take Billy down.
And seek Roy's revenge on Billy.
And it seemed good at the time, you know?
Unknowing to me, I didn't know the history
between the, bad blood, Roy and Billy.
To attempt something like this
for the sole purpose of
taking down one of Bill's scores
Is like... a slap in the face.
They would say that I somehow
monkeyed with the board or something...
But they wouldn't have any evidence.
They looked at the board,
they took pictures of the board,
and they couldn't find
anything wrong with it.
The fact that the right gummy substance
On the right chip, out of all these chips.
In the right spot
On the right board
I mean I have to say
there is a conspiracy here.
Any board that's worked on,
could have a problem.
To find out that this gamer potentially
Have a fraudulent score has upset Billy's
master plan for what he wanted to do.
I mean when you come home and see
two guys in your garage
And you know why, and you have learned why
they are there, you gotta stop
From a guy like Bill Mitchell,
I mean, you know...
Who has done crazy thing after crazy thing
After next crazy thing, you know?
Billy Mitchell
was one of the evaluators...
Which seems a little strange.
That the guy whose records Steve
is competing against
is deciding
whether or not Steve's records are valid.
Even if that board
is a completely legitimate board
Roy's taint on it is too strong.
"Roy Shildt's liar,
Roy Shildt's a cheater"
"Roy Shildt's full of crap,
Roy Shildt's out to get me"
"He's crazy, blah, blah, blah, blah. "
Well, he has threatened
Bill Mitchell physically.
Hey, in fact,
he has threatened Bill Mitchell's life.
No, I did not. I did not. I did not.
He threatened his own life
to make it look like me...
Because... For whatever...
To gain leverage...
With the other...
The other people, I don't know.
He figured
He knows that my Missile Command score
is genuine.
No matter what I say,
It draws controversy.
Sort of like the abortion issue.
If you're for it, you are a son of a gun.
If you are against it,
you are a son of a gun.
Eh, I am not God,
I don't have all the answers.
So I have to be careful
how I share my opinion.
Roy was just trying to help me out...
And I accepted his offer.
I just, you know... It was just too bad...
That association with him...
I never thought that would hurt me.
We couldn't accept
a pretender board, so to speak.
So we couldn't
accept the score.
I would encourage Steve
just to leave that board behind
Leave Roy behind and only play
on other Donkey Kong machines...
like the one at Funspot, for example.
To me most important is
you travel to a sanction
location like Funspot
Eh, that makes it official.
If tomorrow Tiger Woods goes
and golfs a 59, big deal.
If he does that in Augusta
that's where it counts.
He has never really
asserted himself in a way
that I think he should.
It's been just disappointed so many times
You just kind of like throw your hands up
and go
"Well, let's move on to the next thing. "
Everything would have fell right into place
But he forgot about one thing...
About me convincing Steve Wiebe
not to be a chump.
Talking him out of
chumpatizing himself.
I didn't think twice
about sending them to back east.
I was like: "Absolutely, go kick some ass. "
Hello. My name is Justine Barker
And I am Miss Winnipesaukee.
I would like to welcome you to
the seventh annual
American Classic arcade museum
tournament at Funspot.
Funspot has become the best
recognized place world wide
For those who want to set
a world record on a classic game.
Funspot is the Mecca
Of the classic arcade games.
That place is awesome.
Funspot is the premiere place...
Where media comes and
mix with the superstars.
You don't see maybe a lot of DDG...
Which is rotten gorgeous
if you don't know, girls...
Who are playing the games.
The world's best players of classic games.
Are coming to do what they do best.
Play well.
Very recently, just a few months back...
I turned 30 and I retired...
And I moved here to New Hampshire.
And I live right close to Funspot.
I play games at Funspot every day now.
When I have 10 pieces of
well-done bacon
I'm gonna have four hardboiled eggs.
I'm going to have three pancakes...
And hopefully to play some great games.
Here, I am in my garage.
We're gonna give Billy Mitchell a call...
see if he's up to a challenge at Funspot.
Let's go ahead and dial him up.
Hi. You've reached Bill Mitchell.
I'm sorry I'm unable to take your call.
Please leave your name and phone number...
And I'll call you back as soon as possible.
Thanks.
I got a phone message.
Hello, Billy. This is Steve Wiebe.
Just calling to see how you are doing.
I'm hoping everything's OK with you.
I'm just seeing
what your plans are for Funspot.
I was, Walter Day invited me out there.
I was wondering if it be cool if we could
maybe, have a kind of
friendly competition thing.
I help a lot of people
who want to go to contest.
When I look at different people
who are my favorites.
Who'd I wanna help,
she is at the top of the list.
- Surprise.
- Oh, my god.
And at the right age of 80,
She's gonna go to Funspot...
And she's going
to set a world record on Q'bert
Okay.
- That's the challenge.
- Oh, right.
- Is it agreed?
- Yeah.
All right.
We have a Donkey Kong machine here...
that Funspot purchased
in its year of issue.
And it may even be
a little bit tougher to play here.
People complain about
getting too many wild barrels.
Although it is a totally a random element
Eh, if you're going to set a score
you come to Funspot
And set it on their Donkey Kong
that everybody knows about.
They won't give me my record
So they have urged me
to come out and do it live.
I think it is cooler to do it live too so...
I'm pretty amped up about Donkey Kong.
Because I am a serious contender on
Donkey Kong.
I have been trying to actually
beat the score
that Billy Mitchell got back in 1982.
Nicole, she was stressing about
being home this weekend with the kids,
without me.
She's pretty sick of the Donkey Kong thing.
It doesn't seem to die.
This is a big weekend,
and I'm really hoping...
that this fellow shows up
Because he'd like to tell you that
he is the Donkey Kong champion.
And, um, the fact to the matter is
All of us have not seen
him play Donkey Kong.
No one really noticed me at first,
I was kinda looking
to see who I'd pay
the money to get in the tournament
signed in.
I recognized Robert Murzack.
He's got 30 second away from dying.
So I just pretty much walked over to the
Donkey Kong machine.
OK, we might have a good story.
It looks like the mysterious player...
From the west coast,
Steve Wiebe is here...
Eh, playing Donkey Kong.
So maybe I'm gonna stop
watching the tournament
And we'll go over to see him.
- Hey, Walter.
- You did it man.
Yeah.
No, I do not believe so.
A week or a few days ago.
Steve, apparently as I understand...
Is here right now...
To prove to everyone that he's got
what it takes.
But you know with Donkey Kong,
it's a little random.
You could get, um, bad luck
with the barrels.
With the fireballs.
with the conveyor belts or elevators.
Because that's a tough machine.
People think that
the machine is possessed.
Even Bill thinks it's possessed.
But, um, if Steve can pull of
On the machine,
that's a good score.
Well, Billy Mitchell is the champion.
I guess that makes me the prodigy.
So we got the prodigy against the newcomer.
You can make a comparison
between an athletic event and
this, because this is, you know...
This is four days of alertness
And paying attention and, um, you know...
Not as hard as doing a
decathlon or a triathlon...
But still very, very hard.
Would you like to respond?
It's Funspot.
Hello?
Hey, Brian. How are you doing?
Steve Wiebe walked in...
so I've been over at the Donkey Kong
the whole time.
Eh, what do you think?
Eh, I gonna be, um, you know, playing...
Over Steve Wiebe's shoulder.
All right. I talk to you later.
- Ok.
- bye.
Bye.
Brian Kuh came over.
It's one of the guys that
came to my house that fateful afternoon...
To check out my machine.
We are about to pass 520000
On one man.
So we really have, ah...
A memorable game here
at the Funspot tournament.
Maybe I'll skip dinner and
and squeeze in a game.
And come back with a score on there.
- Enter Brian.
- Yes.
That ape is very, very cunning...
And he will do what he needs to,
to stop you.
I couldn't get up fast enough
and it got me on the left.
I scored 229000 points.
Pretty weak game, considering
I have played a few already.
A little bit half of what Steve scored
And Steve's up again.
Okay. You'd said you start with Qbert.
You dedicated time to
You said you give up
some of your other vices...
In order to practice.
We're not gonna lose,
were not gonna be disappointed.
We are going there to win.
But I have one project
One thing far more important.
What I need you to deliver is this
What is this?
This is a score that they wanted to see
for a long time and
I've held it far too long.
You give it to Robert or Walter.
You can lose your luggage,
But don't lose the tape.
I'm doing it just for the fun of it.
When I do an actual score,
I'll do it in person.
He's a very devious person
He works things out to his ends very well.
We are really seeing a great game here.
Hey, almost... Eh, Steve
Almost lost a man right there...
At the end of that court.
He got a lucky break
The randomness went the opposite way
that it usually goes.
And, eh, Steve is still going here.
Steve Wiebe is on his second man.
He's at 696000.
- Who is this?
- What? This is Steve Wiebe.
- I won't bother you any more.
- No problem.
- I wanted to say welcome.
- Yes.
- Yes, equally.
- Agreed.
He could beat it, if he,
if he,
he'd have to have a really good game.
I don't think he knows
the tricks that Billy knows.
But I hear he is really good at the
escalators stage.
Well, right now Steve Wiebe has
On an active game of Donkey Kong.
Hey, if clears a few more boards
he's gonna have a shot
at getting to the kill screen.
As far as I know...
No one has ever achieved the kill screen
On the Donkey Kong machine at Funspot.
Numerous classic games
all have something in common.
They have an end to the game play.
There is not quite enough memory
For the final board.
It is called the "kill screen"
Because, basically...
There is no way to finish the level.
At some sort of random data or code
inside the program
Ends up getting used
for what you see on the screen.
Donkey Kong is really strange,
it actually lets you play
the kill screen level for
maybe five seconds or so.
Everything looks normal...
And then, suddenly, Mario jumps
and dies on you.
The people who could get, besides myself,
That have been seen getting to the end
of Donkey Kong...
Gee, now that I think about it
I don't think anybody has.
If anybody wants to see
there's a Donkey Kong kill screen coming up.
There is a Donkey Kong
kill screen coming up.
If anybody wants to watch.
You got to be able to perform
in the show...
with someone who is a contender.
Staring straight at you,
staring at the game.
Possibly even playing mind games with you.
I mean, it's part of being a champion.
You have to overcome it.
There is a potential Donkey Kong
Kill Screen if you wanna watch.
I can tell you he's not on my side.
He is a disciple of Billy.
He's gonna have to play it perfectly.
He is at the hardest part of Donkey Kong.
And, um, you know,
It's not gonna get any easier.
So we may have an exciting moment here.
Or, you know, the pressure
might get to him.
One of those random element might happen.
Sounds like he just cleared another board.
Or we could have a wild barrel.
Or some aggressive fireball.
I thought I was gonna be
the first Funspot kill screen.
And then I had three fireballs trapped me.
I had the hammer in my hand,
they still got me.
So anything can happen at Donkey Kong.
So for someone else to beat
me to the kill screen would be a let down.
But let's see what happens.
Maybe he'll crack under the pressure...
And maybe I'll get my chance to do it first.
There is a Donkey Kong kill screen
likely coming up
If anybody wants to see it.
Hey, Todd, if you are interested...
There might be a Donkey Kong
kill screen...
In a couple of minutes.
I think the energy kind of hit me up,
I was feeling kind of like a zombie.
In the middle of the game.
But towards the end, I got...
A little bit of a natural rush
going from the crowd.
And the excitement.
So that kind of boosted me
And put me over the top,
to complete the game.
The kill screen kicked in.
This is the highest
Donkey Kong score done in public.
Um, Walter Day stated that this
was the highest score ever done
and this is the first kill screen achieved
On Funspot's machine.
Steve Wiebe has become
the third person
to reach a Donkey Kong's kill screen.
This is completely hard verification.
You know what I mean?
There is nothing stronger
than having it be done
in front of a crowd.
The process, it stands for itself.
He did in front of all of us,
and this solves any kind of
doubt that could ever been.
Now you will get all the acknowledge
you deserve
and that's just the way it is.
And I guess there was kinda
like an impromptu
press conference
After the score happened.
There were cameras on the game.
There were cameras on Steve Wiebe.
There were cameras on the crowd
looking at Steve Wiebe.
I didn't get an exact count of the people...
There were a lot of other witnesses
in the crowd.
And people watching it, so...
We have a verified score
on a legitimate Donkey Kong machine.
for Steve Wiebe now.
We just got off the Internet
Where a log on the front page
of the Twin Galaxies website
The news story that Steve Wiebe
just scored 985600 points...
Which essentially is
officially recognized
first place score on the website.
So he's been announced as a world champion.
We'll see what happens now with Steve
putting the pressure back on Billy Mitchell.
Thank you.
I think it hit him pretty hard.
Thank you for volunteering your phone
this was an important call...
Oh, no, no. I understand that.
Yeah, I can imagine.
He probably wasn't real thrilled.
Yes, he said now his playing on the tape
he submitted is more important than ever
- I guess don't share that with everybody.
- No, well.
We got everybody on the invitation only list.
And, um, you know what? Walter is here.
We are just kinda telling jokes
and having fun.
Eh, who is there? Like Todd and Duane?
Yes.
What I mean it's probably
a good idea
if I say hi to Todd.
Actually would you believe he's in a middle
of a Lady Bug game.
I do not think we wanna interrupt.
We have a Lady Bug cabaret in the cabin.
And Todd's got a score going.
Well, okay, can I get Walter on the phone.
Eh, a couple of hours ago
we were all at the Funspot
And, um, Brian Kuh said...
that Billy had a delivery
for us here at the cabin.
Oh!
Brian Kuh, he is kinda like
a really good friend with Billy.
He talks to him all the time.
Eh, he said everybody is gonna
want to see what's on the tape.
Brian Kuh is there?
He knows everything to do with the tape.
He knows to guard the
tape with his life.
I explained to him
he could lose his life,
but don't lose the tape.
Who wants to hear the announcement?
So even in Florida the long
arm of Billy Mitchell.
Has reached in here to Funspot seven...
To cause more interesting developments.
Now we're gonna start on this TV screen,
the video tape.
And essentially,
if Steve Wiebe or Brian Kuh...
Or anybody else
can also beat the score on that tape
by about four o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
He'll give them 10000 dollars, okay?
We know that Billy Mitchell
can pay these promises too, okay?
So he has it,
while I'm trying to get a million live
He has it set out so that people
at Funspot
Can gather around. And look at his tape..
Well, here we are.
We got cameras on the screen...
Cameras on the crowd.
No one is gonna miss this moment.
Here we go.
We have every eye in the crowd focused
right on your screen.
Everybody's looking, every camera's on here.
We are not gonna miss this for anything.
I don't think there is any distractions.
That can pull everyone away right now.
Oh, look at that.
With the bonus, we have the
first million point game of Donkey Kong
And the score reaches zero.
Six zeros all the way across.
Not even Helena of Troy
had that much attention.
Billy kinda steal the show
and he's not even there.
It's kinda the way they, you know...
Were kinda diffusing what I was going for
And hyping up Billy's videotape
It's the highest score any have ever seen.
I do not know. I suppose Walter's
gotta get to that office...
To that computer, now, does he?
Okay, go ahead and hand Walter
the phone real quick.
Hello, Billy.
Pretty good, it's all been wonderful.
Billy is probably the closest person
to being a Jedi than any of the players.
And he refers to it, with humor
as Obi-Wan Konobian people
Steve Wiebe
Not having the opportunity...
to view everything that Bill Mitchell does
I mean Bill Mitchell
plays at a great advantage.
When Billy Mitchell is watching
Steve's world record winning tapes
He is in a position
to study Steve's technique.
When the man said:
"I wanna see your papers"
And Obi-Wan Kenobi goes
"You don't need to see our papers"
And, suddenly, the guy says: "You can go"
"I do not need to see your papers. "
You saw the tape,
which is no doubt a copy.
Because I am sure
he didn't send the master.
He is going to send a copy
or the master to Rob Murczak
Who is the chief referee of Twin Galaxies.
I try to promote Twin Galaxies
as: "integrity above all. "
Eh, I will do that with my dying breath.
And if a gamer knowingly cheats or tries to
pull anything past us
We will make sure
that the score is not recognized.
Did the gamer pause at any time?
Illegal glitches or glitch abuse
Did they cheat?
Did they paused the game after load-up
For the purpose of using a flying erase head
And then reload the game
with different settings?
I got to look at things like that.
This tape might be done in a week,
a week and a half,
to answer your question.
Walter is entering us into the Internet
as we speak.
Well, Billy Mitchell is being upgraded
we are officially submitting his score.
Eh, 1047000 and, how much Billy?
Right on the barrels, yeah.
It is kinda ironic that he went...
He was a guy that pushed for
live scores all the time.
And now here I am at Funspot, busting my ass
To get a live score...
And he just submits tape scores now.
And then beats the record.
World Record headquarters,
can I help you?
If this score, this Donkey Kong
defines Billy Mitchell,
Then why could he not find his time
to go to Funspot?
Steve did. Steve has a job.
Steve has a family. Steve has kids.
He went. Why can't Billy?
I think he feels that pressure, to...
Meet people's expectations of him...
And he puts a lot of pressure on himself
And if he doesn't succeed
I think he feels like he's failed them.
And he feels that deeply, I think.
If I were to break a million
he wanted to maybe show that...
you know, I have already done it.
Because nobody knows that
I've done it too.
I haven't really thought
too much about, eh...
You know, the controversy.
I kinda let it go since I went
to Funspot.
Did my best, got my score up.
I have been killing myself at school,
like, 12 or 14 hours...
Prepping three classes
And grading..
every day
after school.
I'm there until eight.
A lot of my songs are like big rock songs
with lots of guitars and
lots of layers of vocals.
Here is one called "Three lies",
I'm gonna sing this to you guys
In the midst of this cold summer day.
This is who I really am.
I'm some guy who's supposed to be
an artist
who is up there just being wild and crazy.
Because I am -
I am being Mr. Scorekeeper...
I've been doing it for 25 years so...
there is always automaton
that gets turned on.
"Well, yes. and the reason for this
is that"
"and the reason for that is this," you know?
Now I am ready to...
I am ready to let it go.
No matter how many people
get involved in this
It's still my child,
because it came right out of my psyche,
you know.
But still, the others are more
attached to it.
And they believe they need it more.
Part of the reason I'm still here doing it
is for them, to help them have
the benefit of this,
or the happiness of this...
So that they could go on and continue
to benefit people.
Because it's in such a place
that I dont have to do Twin Galaxies
But I really would like to see it
have closure that's positive.
Boy, I got cold fingers. It's cold.
I often have people asking me what
my handle is. What my three initials are.
I mean, come on.
I tell people: "Look at me. "
What do you think my three initials were?
If you do not know, you are not
looking hard enough.
T.I.E.?
No.
Which one was I wearing yesterday?
- The flag -
- U.S.A.
U.S.A. So I had Latin friends,
and I had Canadian friends
And I always had to keep
the Americans on top.
Hello. This is a message for Walter.
I am Craig Glenday
calling from Guinness World Records.
Guinness from England called, they want me
to call them back immediately.
Hello. Craig speaking.
Craig, this is Walter Day from
Twin Galaxies, how are you?
They are announcing to the world that they
trust everything we do.
And that they rely on everything we do
as being true and honest,
and so that's why they are going with us
as the official scorekeepers
and providers of electronic gaming content
for their upcoming books.
It has become very complicated.
So to have someone
like Walter and his team...
They just know everything
there is to know...
about computer games,
Eh, it was for us a godsend.
Since older people also read your book
a certain number of people would care
what the world record is on
Donkey Kong.
We look forward to being a part of Guinness.
Yes, yes. It's a reward to be here.
You know, working with Twin Galaxies.
You just recorded a big piece of
Twin Galaxies history, you know.
You saw what I said,
There are announcing to the world
that we are the official scorekeepers
And people
have to be verified by us.
Wait till you see the poster upstairs
I just did
To turn the process of submitting to
Guinness
Into a contest.
When you want to put a score up.
And you wanna have the title of
world champion.
You're competing against
everybody in the world.
You want a title
for your own living room?
Man, I'll send you that title.
You're own arcade
Man, I'll sign it and
make up a paper
and I'll send you a plack.
You want your name in
Guinness Book of world records...
And the Twin Galaxies international
scoreboard?
You have to earn it.
I have to earn it.
There is a lot of scores I gotten.
When the time comes
And the pressure is that hard...
I will have to do it in the public for them.
As I always have.
Is that truthful?
Is that true? Then I better get practicing.
The only thing to do...
is to go somewhere and break
That would be the only way to do it
for sure, you know?
There would be no getting screwed over.
I got kicked around like the dog for so long
I don't trust referees.
This is the contest that gets them into the
Guinness Book of World Records.
So they will have that inspiration.
As far as my skills...
Yeah, I'm feeling like I'm
at the top of my game.
I would love to see Bill
defend his title...
against Steve Wiebe head-to-head.
That'd be great.
It's all about head-to-head competition.
It's kinda one of my tougher students,
he goes:
"Yeah. When are you gonna go kick
that guy's ass?"
And I go: "Watch your language".
I go: "I'm gonna do it here soon".
If someone is going to break
a classic arcade game record.
They gonna have to come prepared.
Maybe that's what I need.
So I could be at my best, have him there.
I was hoping Billy would be there
so we can compete head-to-head.
He's been always an applicant
of live scores.
But now he is all of a sudden
Mr. Videotape.
I mean, to win is like so important.
But to blatantly do things
that are against the rules...
And know in your heart that
you didn't do it correctly...
And get credit for it...
What kind of?...
Is there any satisfaction in that?
I do not see any.
I just need one favor from you.
I know that it's, after all
you done for me...
...give me a shoot at it without you...
kind of being my backbone.
I need to, kind of,
attack by myself.
It says: "Good luck,
Steve, in Donkey Kong. "
- Well.
- Knock'em dead.
- I will.
"Work is for people who
can't play video games. "
- "Billy Mitchell. "
- That's right.
Out of the entire
global classic gaming hobby.
There is one significant rivalry...
That's equivalent to the big
rivalries in history...
Yankees - Red Socks, Maris - Mantle,
Heckle and Jeckle.
All the big rivalries
of history.
This is up there on that level.
So, Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe...
are going for the top spot
in the forthcoming book of world records
on Donkey Kong.
Hello, Billy. This is Steve Wiebe.
I really think
We need to settle this thing.
May the best man win.
We'll be seeing you next week.
He knows I'm going to be there.
It's just a skip away.
Hop, skip and a jump from his house...
So there is really no excuse
for him not to be there.
Never leave home without it:
How to win at "Donkey Kong. "
Yeah, so...
The Guinness... A lot of people are...
Yes, a lot of people read that book.
This is actually technically
a weight lifting glove...
Because I discovered in the eighties...
That you could buy...
a weight lifting glove which was fingerless
and I used it to play
Marble Madness.
Do you see the double padding?
Occasionally I use this to avoid calluses...
from certain joystick games.
You can do
Marble Madness track all day long.
Excuse me guys.
I got a celebrity in the car here.
- Can I cut in front of you?
- Did you get dropped off?
- I got dropped off.
- Was Billy driving?
- Billy was driving.
Well anyway, welcome to
The Dodge City of videogames.
Thank you, Walter. I am happy to be here.
I'll get you some out of there.
What do you need?
In order: 693500...
Okay.
Yes. Nicole.
Hi, I'm Nicole.
And this is the little Derek, huh?
Yeah.
- The faster, yeah.
I'm afraid that if he can't do it,
He's gonna beat himself up about it
I do not know if that's the forum
in which he will be successful.
I'm mean, I know he can be successful.
I'm just afraid, what if it doesn't happen.
- Bye, Derek.
- Derek, give daddy a hug.
What are you guys gonna do?
- We just gonna go home.
- Go swimming.
Go swimming? That sounds fun.
Okay. Let's go.
- Bye.
- I love you.
Bye. Thank you.
Yes, the longer I wait, the more I'm...
pressing, I get more nervous.
If I get it the first night,
I'll be eary.
Steve Wiebe is a trooper.
Steve Wiebe has come to three events...
To proof himself in the fire of
in person competition.
And under the stress of having
all eyes on him.
Yeah.
- Is it "Weeb"or"Weeby"?
- "Weeby. "
- Well.
- Sorry.
Twin Galaxies
calls me Weeb, so...
Okay.
- And that's a common mistake.
- Yes?
Either that or "Weib".
At least you get the current...
Steve Wiebe is who I wanted to be...
when I grew up playing Donkey Kong.
He is quite the player.
Well, maybe they like it if I lose,
I got to try losing sometimes.
Oh, I can break a million.
I've done it.
I've been on pace.
In two games I got to 850...
I thought I was gonna do it
and I just got... I just got in a bind.
Does this have my name on the back
or something?
What does it say?
It says:
"You have a yearning for perfection. "
Because he is in his own business...
It's very flexible for him.
He can go over to the school
for events.
He was at an Easter egg hunt
the other day.
He will come in the office someday...
And you'll say:
"Gee, where is Billy today?".
"Billy is not here. "
I told him last night that he had to come...
That there was no reason
for him not to be here.
He said:
"I have 15 reasons why I can't come".
I said they are all Bullshit.
This is after one thirty in the morning.
I said: "They are all bullshit because I have 15
reasons why you have to be here tomorrow"
He had a chance to play him at
Funspot this year.
He had a chance to play him
in Pompano Beach.
He had a chance to play him
at California Extreme.
That's three of them
I can think of right there.
Why wouldn't he play against Steve?
Because he's afraid he's gonna lose.
I traveled 3000 miles
to give myself a chance...
to get the world record
and be in Guinness.
I hope he can at least
come 10 miles...
and put his game on the line.
So you make the call?
Where are you?
Alright well, we are all here.
We are all seated,
gettin' ready to order so...
Eh, well, I can't make out a list here.
We got Tom Rogers and his girl.
We got Shawn, Fran, Jason and..
That's fair, isn't it?
Okay.
I am really sorry
that he did not come.
- Bill?
- Yeah.
Well, you know Mark and Steve
showed up...
unexpectedly and uninvitedly,
but hard to keep them away.
Yeah.
And Bill just doesn't want
anything to do with it.
Yeah.
All right, see you.
He's got a plan, so when he comes out...
Because Billy is Billy, you know.
And he is gonna come out with a bat.
Oh, Billy Mitchell always has a plan.
- He likes to keep secrets.
- Yes.
He likes surprising people.
He likes people seeing
him do the unexpected...
And say: "Oh, boy, I did not realize...
- "That you was gonna do something like that, Bill. "
- Yes.
That's how he is.
It is annoying when
somebody is ahead of you.
When you are not the lead dog
the view does not change,
And I always wanted the view...
He has got the Roy Shildt excuse.
He's got... He is not gonna show up.
I have heard a lot of talk
of Billy Mitchell...
And I've heard a lot of talk of
strange videos and things.
But I haven't heard much
in a way of him...
Getting in front of a camera crew
or people...
And winning a record in front of people.
I have not heard about that yet,
maybe he did that 25 years ago.
But I have not heard
of doing it lately...
And it makes you wonder why not.
What have we got here.
He's here.
Hey, Billy.
Video games are meant to be played...
In a competitive environment,
Under pressure, organized...
Where you have to perform, literally,
on demand.
Never. Never.
And when you do that,
you have far more credibility...
Than someone who says:
"Oh, I did that last week. "
No matter how good you play tennis.
No matter how good you play golf...
if you don't play when you have to play
If you don't play when the pressure's on
You really are not good enough.
I can handle losing
If he would at least compete against me.
I'm not afraid to lose.
I'm just some no name guy
from Washington.
Billy is trying to live up to this image...
Of being the greatest ever...
So he's afraid of that
if he loses, that's gonna tarnish him.
It's been three days now...
the fatigue is starting to set in...
Mentally, you know...
Starting over, it takes a toll on you.
Steve Wiebe I think
is a very straight shooter.
This is the last day, right?
I think that he gets influenced sometimes
by people
And that is probably one of
his lessons.
To be stronger in himself.
You know what I mean? We all have lessons.
- Okay.
Oh, there it is. This is the last shot.
I'm done.
So heartbreaking.
I guess it's not even about
Donkey Kong anymore.
- What is it about?
Just... I do not know.
It has become
just a game in trying
For me, trying
to get a score recognized...
And trying to beat this empire
that I've
been trying to break through.
And get a fair chance.
He is not cunning and manipulative and mean
He is a decent person in the heart.
In the end, that's all that matters.
In a funny sort of way it's like being
the king...
and having the advisers speak your
opinions
but then trying to choose
the right answer
And the right path of action
based on the advise.
I think that Steve Wiebe has to be
viewed on his own merit...
Without anything alleged which may
have happened
Steve Wiebe feels fine to me
Doesn't he to you?
Steve Wiebe, could you come up here?
For some reason I keep on thinking of "Weeb".
Sorry.
Steve is special.
Steve has gone through a long history...
That I don't need to burden you with...
But I just wanted to tell you that...
I wanted to congratulate you
and shake your hand again,
Because, as far as I am concerned...
You are a top player...
Worthy of the highest regard of
Twin Galaxies...
And we are very honored to receive your
video tapes...
at any time you want to record them
Because we think, you're...
skill set is on the highest level and
you are a member of the family
You are great.
So you are okay,
you're great.
- You are a great performer.
I can only speak for myself,
but I have talked to Steve...
I talked to his wife,
I talked to his kids
I've met with him.
Talked to him in detail.
And speaking for myself
I have no question about
his integrity, his ability.
Or anything else.
He's proven himself not just
as a Donkey Kong player...
but really,
as a person of...
someone who really
desires to do the right thing.
Do you agree with...?
I am not familiar enough
with this situation.
I feel that I've won and I tried...
And I hope people will remember, you know...
and this name tag here.
After I returned back from the trip,
Walter e-mailed me...
And it had these words...
"Steve, your Donkey Kong accomplishment
was fantastic".
"After soul-searching, we at Twin Galaxies"
"wish to apologize to you
for such inconsiderate treatment"
"We look forward to your future exploits"
"And are excited about the"
"amazing high score breakthroughs"
"you will be bringing to the
Donkey Kong community".
"Blessings and friendship. Walter Day. "
So that's... his...
the way he wanted to bring peace
to this situation.
- Dad!
- Dad!
Are you cold?
He was searching, you know?
He wanted something...
And I wanted that for him
cause I wanted him to be happy.
So now I see that.
Don't do that.
Subtitle made by: JoeZ
Sweden
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